Wine, Chickens & Tomatoes — And I'm Not Talking About a Recipe

I am the Assistant Archivist at the Hayward Area Historical Society. In my nearly three and a half years working at HAHS, I’ve stumbled across some interesting tidbits of Castro Valley history. As an archivist, it is my job to help people with research requests, as well as help take care of our paper collections, which include books, documents, maps, and photographs. Even though I grew up here, it was fun for me to uncover these Castro Valley stories.

Paul Rhodes Winery: Castro Valley wine? That’s right. Paul Rhodes winery was the first winery to open in the area after Prohibition in 1937. The winery had the capacity of 150,000 gallons per year. Even though the winery closed in the 1960s, the tradition of Castro Valley wine is kept alive by Westover and Chouinard Vineyards. We even have a bottle of Paul Rhodes wine in the collection…but I’m not sure how tasty it’d be if it was opened today.

Chickens: At one point there were more chickens than people residing in Castro Valley! In 1925, there were an estimated 800,000 hens in Castro Valley, which rivaled Petaluma as the chicken capital of the world. Considering that according to the 2010 Census, Castro Valley is home to around 61,000 people, the residents in the 1920s were overwhelmingly outnumbered.

Castro Village: This Castro Valley staple is only 51 years old! Developers broke ground for the Village in August of 1950. The first tenants when the shopping center opened in 1951 included twelve businesses:  Asby Furniture Co., Koonradt Variety Store, Lee Bros. Market, Mode O’Day, Castro Jeweler, Fit-Rite Shop, Town and Country Florist, Mrs. Frank’s Pantry Shop, Valley Fish & Poultry, Manor Cleaners, Castro Village Shoe Repair, and Village Barber Shop.

What was on the site of the Village before 1950? Nope, not chickens – it used to be a tomato patch!

About Heather Mellon

I am the Assistant Archivist at the Hayward Area Historical Society. In my nearly three and a half years working at HAHS, I’ve stumbled across some interesting tidbits of Castro Valley history. As an archivist, it is my job to help people with research requests, as well as help take care of our paper collections, which include books, documents, maps, and photographs. Even though I grew up here, it was fun for me to uncover these Castro Valley stories.