By Richard Senate –
Ventura’s neo-classical City Hall was built in 1912 as the county courthouse. Above the front doors is a unique decorative design. At first glance, the carvings look like pea pods, but they actually represent Lima beans—a crop that once dominated Ventura’s economy long before oil became the city’s primary source of wealth.
As their name suggests, Lima beans were first cultivated by Native Americans in Peru some seven thousand years ago. The Spanish discovered the hardy bean and spread it throughout their empire and across Europe. Rich in protein and naturally fat-free, the bean proved easy to grow. But why is it immortalized in the ornamentation of our City Hall?
The answer lies in Ventura’s agricultural past. The region’s earliest major industry was cattle ranching, supported by vast land grants. Ranchers raised cattle first for hides and later for beef during the Gold Rush. But after the devastating drought of the 1860s, the cattle industry collapsed. Ventura needed a new economic engine. Some landowners shifted to sheep, but others saw potential in the humble Lima bean.
Farmers discovered that Limas thrived in Ventura’s climate and soil, maturing in just 60 to 90 days. The crop was easy to plant and could be harvested efficiently with the help of Chinese farm laborers. Almost overnight, Ventura became the Lima Bean capital of the nation. Trainloads of beans were shipped to the East Coast, where Limas mixed with corn became a staple dish of the American South—succotash.
Ventura even hosted a lively Lima Bean Festival, offering creative dishes ranging from soups to Lima bean bread. The festival also featured a contest for the “Lima Bean Queen,” in which local young women competed for the title. The crowned queen would wear an elaborate gown decorated entirely with Lima beans. During World War I—then known as “The Great War”—Lima beans were celebrated as one of the foods that helped secure victory in 1918, with Lima bean bread replacing rationed wheat flour.
Eventually, other regions began cultivating Lima beans, and Ventura lost its title as the nation’s Lima Bean capital. New crops emerged, and then the oil boom of the 1920s transformed the region, bringing rapid growth and prosperity. Yet it was the unassuming Lima bean that first set Ventura on its path from a quiet cow town to a modern city.
Perhaps one day, a monument should be erected to honor the crop that made such an important—and often forgotten—contribution to Ventura’s early success.
