Sonoma County Landmark 138
Penngrove Historic District
First Settlers: 1852

The boundary of the Penngrove Historic District encompasses generally the east and west sides of Main Street from the intersection with Old Redwood Highway to Adobe Road. In two locations, the Historic District is only on the west side of Main Street.

Penngrove Main Street Design Guidelines

The first European settlers arrived in 1852. The Eagle Hotel was built soon thereafter to accommodate travelers commuting by ox team or stagecoach between Petaluma and Santa Rosa.

By 1870, the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad had laid track from Petaluma to Santa Rosa with a station here. In 1876, the railroad named the town Penn's Grove. In 1907, the post office changed the name to Penngrove.

Penngrove was known for its basalt stone quarries, egg and chicken farms. The basalt paving stones from these quarries paved the streets of Petaluma and San Francisco. At the end of the 19th century, two hundred men worked the three quarries.

In 1918, E.E. Carter founded Penngrove Hatchery. Soon, Penngrove was the second largest egg and poultry producer in the country. By 1948, Penngrove Hatchery was hatching more than a million chicks a year.

Source: Visit Penngrove.