Last month’s story was about Paul Johnston’s early years in Capitola and Aptos, the apple business, marriage, his properties in Aptos Village, and his involvement in the community. The story continues.
Aptos Village once had a Town Hall on the corner of Valencia Street and Trout Gulch Road, but it had been torn down. A town hall was the social center of any community so, around 1930, the fire department volunteers got permission to make the old vacant school house in the older part of town, (today’s Aptos Village Square), into a new Town Hall. The school house was in bad shape and needed a new floor so Mr. van Kaathoven, Ralph Mattison and Paul Johnston took out an $800 loan from the bank. The volunteers fixed up the building and built a stage at one end. The community pitched in and gave donations, dances, card parties and plays, and the loan was paid off within a year.
Dances were the main social get-togethers of the time. Everyone came from Valencia, Capitola and Soquel. The dances were so crowded that half the people were standing outside. True to form, Paul played in a band. His brother played piano and they would have someone on a violin or saxophone. Paul played the drums. They were booked every year from September through the winter. They were paid to play from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. Then they would take up a collection and play on until 5 or 6 in the morning.
Life was good until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, which galvanized the citizens of Aptos into becoming a major Civil Defense and observation center. Just as the beaches in Aptos were a good landing place for rum runners during Prohibition, these same beaches were considered prime targets for a Japanese invasion. Paul was a member of the American Legion in Watsonville and was called up to form an Aptos militia. Sixty men volunteered to handle the blackouts and roadblocks. All of the volunteers were hunters and knew how to handle a rifle. They trained five nights a week. Paul was in charge of rifle training and trained more than 800 people including the Watsonville police.
An observation tower was built in the Village to spot enemy planes and ships. The tower was manned around the clock by two people on two-hour shifts. Paul and his wife Christina took the 2 a.m. until 4 a.m. shift.
After World War II, Paul operated the Village garage business, the gas station, and also, the AAA towing business for 26 years. He also continued to collect rents and maintain his properties in the Village. Many of Paul’s properties were built cantilevered over the cliff, which drops down to Aptos and Valencia Creeks. Paul continued to repair and replace the building supports into his 90s.
In 1984, at the age of 94, Paul Johnston was honored as the Grand Marshal of the Aptos World’s Shortest Parade and was also honored at the annual dinner of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce.
Paul’s best friend, Harry Hooper, the famous baseball player, had a large property north of Garberville where he regularly took Paul and his friends on camping, fishing and hunting expeditions. Venison was always available at the Johnston house. Paul remained a hunter through nine decades and bagged his last deer at the age of 99.
Paul turned 100 years old on Aug. 26, 1989 and 60 days later, the most powerful earthquake to hit California since the great quake of 1906, the 6.9 Loma Prieta Earthquake struck less than three miles from Aptos Village. Twelve businesses, including Paul’s properties, were thrown off their foundations on the bay side of Soquel Drive. One of Paul’s buildings that had once been the second telephone exchange and a restaurant, was now a barber shop and an interior design business. This building dropped 18 inches and moved two or three feet away from the sidewalk, causing the waterline to break and wash out some of the footings. All of the 12 businesses were red-tagged as unsafe. Three weeks later, on Wednesday, Nov. 8, the barber shop and interior design building tumbled over the cliff.
Paul had recently moved into a convalescent home and his daughters and granddaughter had to deal with trying to get the remaining buildings reopened. After six months of engineering and structural work, the properties were sold to a friend of the family, Henri Jeanrenaud of Scotts Valley.
Paul Johnston died two weeks short of his 102nd birthday, a man who did everything.
If you like these stories and would like to help the Aptos History Museum pay the rent, consider treating yourself and your besties to a great meal at Café Rio on the Rio Del Mar esplanade on March 6. The generous people at Café Rio will give a portion of the proceeds to the museum. Everybody wins.
Would you like to commemorate the events in your family’s lives? There are so many memories, people and events in our lives that create an impact in our hearts. Whether you’re celebrating your favorite teacher’s retirement, welcoming your grandchildren to the world, or showing your spouse that your love is just as rock solid as it was when you said “I Do” — moments like these are meant to last a lifetime. Be a part of history. The Aptos History Museum and the Aptos Chamber are offering personalized bricks with your message, to be installed in the new Aptos Village green. The bricks only cost $200 and will help to finance the museum. Call the Aptos Chamber for details, 688-1467, or visit aptoschamber.com. Thanks for your support.
