Capitola & Soquel History 44, 46.....History of Brown Ranch

Capitola & Soquel

Photos Courtesy of Jon Morgan

Once one – Now Two!

Capitola wasn’t always called Capitola. The original settlement grew out of what was then called Soquel Landing. Frederick A. Hihn obtained the land in 1865 from the heirs of rancho grantee Martina Castro. With the help of a ship’s carpenter, Samuel A. Hill, he built a wharf at the mouth of Soquel Creek and called it Soquel Landing. Samuel A. Hall not only built the wharf but also Soquel’s Congregational Church and was the main carpenter on most of the buildings that Hihn developed. The wharf served as an outlet for the produce – mostly potatoes – and lumber grown in the interior. Shipping was successful until 1874 when the railroad was established along the coast. Once the railroad came in, shipping slowed down, and the mills grew quiet.

In 1869, Frederick A. Hihn decided to develop the coast into a resort for tourists. His first lessee was Samuel A. Hall, and the area became known as Camp Capitola. Hihn saw that the landscape that provided refuge from the summer heat could also be profitable. His foresight created the place known now as the oldest seaside resort on the Pacific Coast. Camp Capitola had its grand opening July 4, 1874 and was instantly popular with tourists. Visitors came by car and on the Santa Cruz-Watsonville train year-round to visit Capitola. In 1882 Hihn subdivided lots and built cabins, a livery stable, a skating rink, a theater, a bandstand, and a 30-room hotel. Hotel Capitola, boasting 160 rooms, was built until 1895 to replace the original hotel. Unfortunately, it burned down in 1929. As time went on, a merry-go-round and various arcade games were added to the village charm.

The name “Capitola” was probably given to the resort to commemorate the fact that in 1869 the town of Soquel had invited the government of California to settle there and make its capital in upstairs rooms of Ned Porter’s store. Capitola is “capital” in the Spanish language.

In the meantime, Soquel was becoming a bustling little town. In 1843, John Daubenbiss arrived in California and built and operated a flour mill in the village of Santa Clara. With John Hames, also a pioneer, he also built a flour mill and a sawmill on Soquel Creek. He harvested and sold timber for the Commercial Street pier in San Francisco and furnished the lumber and pilings for the long wharf at San Francisco, at the foot of Commercial Street. In 1847 he married Sarah Lard in San Jose and they settled in Soquel. They moved into their home, which still sits on the hill overlooking Soquel, shortly after it was built in 1867. Daubenbiss stayed in Soquel for the rest of his life and became known as one of the town founders. He is also credited with donating the land for Soquel cemetery and building the first school. John Daubenbiss struck ill and died at his home on February 10, 1896, at the age of 79. He was buried next to his wife and children at their family plot in the Soquel Cemetery down the road.

In 1912, a group of Soquel women, calling themselves the Soquel Ladies Improvement Club, decided that Soquel needed a public library. They approached William and Mary Porter Sesnon to donate a piece of land in town for the library. An agreement was reached that the ladies would raise the money for the building and the Sesnons would donate the land and their own architects (the same two who designed the Sesnon house now on the campus of Cabrillo College) to design the building. The money was raised and on October 19, 1912, the first cornerstone was laid. In January of 1913, the doors of the Soquel Memorial Public Library opened to the public. The building was named the Porter Memorial Public Library in honor of Benjamin and Kate Porter, the parents of Mary Porter Sesnon.

The New England-style structure, with its soaring steeple, was organized in 1868 by Joshua and Narcissa Parrish. Coming from Ohio in 1852, they settled in Soquel and soon realized there was no church in town. Narcissa began inviting community women to attend weekly prayer meetings in her home which lead to Miss LuLu Hall, a local schoolteacher, to offer Sunday School in Soquel’s one-room schoolhouse. From the prayer meetings and the Sunday School emerged a “society” that led to the organization of the Congregational Church of Soquel and its ultimate construction in 1870. Joshua and Narcissa donated the land and Samuel A. Hall (who was also Lulu Hall’s father) designed the building and oversaw construction. The church has seen a number of upheavals. In 1955, Soquel Village was flooded when Soquel Creek overflowed its banks and the church was used as a temporary shelter for people in need. In 1967, the historic structure was damaged by an arson fire and restored. When Soquel was flooded again in 1982, the church became a temporary fire station. The earthquake of 1989 knocked the steeple bell from its mounting. The Congregational Church has been the church home for generations of people since has then and just celebrated its 150th anniversary!