Sonoma Barracks

The Sonoma Barracks is a two-storey adobe building facing the north side of the plaza — the old Mexican garrison that once housed the soldiers maintaining order on California's northern frontier. The building was completed in 1840 under the direction of General Mariano Vallejo and is one of the best-preserved examples of Mexican-era California architecture in the state.

The barracks now house a museum covering the Mexican period in California — the least-told part of the state's history — with exhibits on the rancho system, mission secularisation, and the Bear Flag Revolt. Combined with the Mission and the Vallejo Estate, it forms a coherent picture of this era. The building's wide, shaded veranda facing the plaza is one of the most pleasant spots in Sonoma on a warm afternoon.

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A story
The Sonoma Barracks were built by General Vallejo in 1836 to house the Mexican garrison that kept order in California's northern frontier. It was here that Vallejo himself was arrested during the Bear Flag Revolt in 1846 — escorted from his home next door by armed American settlers while still in his nightgown. After California became American, the barracks served a variety of purposes, including as a winery, a hop warehouse, and a private residence.