Wiltfong House, November Credit: Google Maps.
Ventura County Landmark No. 98: Wiltfong House
Historical Background
The Wiltfong House, designated Ventura County Landmark No. 98, is a Modest Victorian residence constructed in 1894 entirely of redwood. The structure includes seven rooms, bathrooms, twelve‑foot ceilings, an attic, and the only basement known in a Port Hueneme residence, making it architecturally distinctive within the community (Ventura County Historical Landmarks and Points of Interest, 2016).
Cleve Wiltfong and his wife Marguerite bought the house in 1920. According to the Ventura County Star-Free Press (as cited in Find a Grave®, 2024), “Mr. Wilfong was the first superintendent of the Port Hueneme sanitary district, retiring from that position in 1947. Prior to that time he had been a blacksmith and a foreman for the Hueneme Wharf and Warehouse Co. Records show that the first marriage license issued in the present Ventura County courthouse was that for Mr. Wilfong and Miss Marguerite Hayward, also of Port Hueneme. The date was Aug. 13, 1913.” Mr. Wiltfong later resided at 147 E. Pearl Street—adjacent to the landmark—until his death in 1956 (Ventura County Historical Landmarks and Points of Interest, 2016).
Property Today
The Wiltfong House remains one of Port Hueneme’s best‑preserved Victorian‑era residences. Its original redwood construction, twelve‑foot ceilings, attic, and rare basement contribute to its architectural distinction (Ventura County Historical Landmarks and Points of Interest, 2016).
The home retains its historic materials and craftsmanship and continues to serve as an example of late‑nineteenth‑century residential development within Ventura County.
References
Find a Grave® (2024). Cleveland George “Cleve” Wiltfong. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/125114735/cleveland-george-wiltfong.
Ventura County Resource Management Agency, Planning Division. (2016, May). Ventura County Historical Landmarks and Points of Interest (3rd ed.). https://rmadocs.venturacounty.gov/planning/programs/cultural-heritage-board/publications/ventura-county-historical-landmarks-and-points-of-interest.pdf.
Date Designated: June 1990
Location: 309 North Second Street, Port Hueneme
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