Hansen, George, House
historic place
Welcome to the George Hansen House, also known as the Mother Colony House, in Anaheim, Orange County, California. George Hansen, a surveyor and superintendent for the Los Angeles Vineyard Society, built this historic place in 1857. He is recognized as the "Father of Anaheim." Originally on Anaheim Boulevard, the Mother Colony Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution saved the house from demolition in 1928. They moved it to its current North West Street location. A historical marker, erected in 1950, identifies this as Anaheim's first house. It commemorates "The Mother Colony," a German group who founded a grape-growing settlement. After disease destroyed vineyards in 1885, the colony shifted to Valencia orange production. Designated a California State Historical Landmark in 1935, the George Hansen House provides a direct link to Anaheim's founding and its agricultural history.