the riverhouse
This property was once part of General Vallejo's rancho or land grant, and anecdotal evidence suggests that he built the sea wall, wharf and munitions depot along the banks of the Petaluma River. This sea wall and wharf are still intact today and the brick walls that the Riverhouse was built in could be remnants of that munitions depot!
William Bihler, the next owner of the property, was the first to successfully plant hundreds of acres of Zinfandel and Malvoisie grapes. The Bihler Vineyard was the largest single ownership vineyard in the country. And he used that brick building on the river as a winery.
In 1891, when the ranch was purchased by Comstock Silver Baron, Senator James G. Fair. He built a large brick addition to the winery right on the river bank, perhaps to facilitate the shipment of his wines via the river to San Francisco, to his new, "Fairmont Hotel".
During the days of Prohibition, the large enclosed brick winery became a storage warehouse for potatoes, but in the evenings the place was transformed into a "speakeasy"! Undaunted revelers would arrive by boat and secretly partake in alcoholic libations well into the night. What a time in history this must have been.
The Hendricks' home on the river was constructed within the shelter of the remaining three 20" thick brick walls. These ivy covered walls are the only remnants left of the old Fair Winery. It has been remodeled into a Spanish Mission style home with Western touches throughout.
William Bihler, the next owner of the property, was the first to successfully plant hundreds of acres of Zinfandel and Malvoisie grapes. The Bihler Vineyard was the largest single ownership vineyard in the country. And he used that brick building on the river as a winery.
In 1891, when the ranch was purchased by Comstock Silver Baron, Senator James G. Fair. He built a large brick addition to the winery right on the river bank, perhaps to facilitate the shipment of his wines via the river to San Francisco, to his new, "Fairmont Hotel".
During the days of Prohibition, the large enclosed brick winery became a storage warehouse for potatoes, but in the evenings the place was transformed into a "speakeasy"! Undaunted revelers would arrive by boat and secretly partake in alcoholic libations well into the night. What a time in history this must have been.
The Hendricks' home on the river was constructed within the shelter of the remaining three 20" thick brick walls. These ivy covered walls are the only remnants left of the old Fair Winery. It has been remodeled into a Spanish Mission style home with Western touches throughout.