Valencia Hall - Aptos, CA
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 36° 59.786 W 121° 52.000
10S E 600845 N 4095077
A historic hall that's now owned by the county and used for weddings and ceremonies.
Waymark Code: WMH31G
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 05/13/2013
Views: 3
" Built by F. A. Hihn in the 1880s, Valencia Hall is associated with a critical period in the history of Santa Cruz County, one that encompassed the decline of the influence of the Californios; the ascendancy of American and European settlers who entered the area following statehood; the division of the ranches; large-scale timbering, and the estab- lishment of small farms and orchards. The hall reflects the evolution of the Valencia area, as well, through its continuous use as a meeting place for those who have been involved in this development.
Valencia Hall was built by Hihn on Valencia Creek as a meeting place for the workers in the mill that he had recently established and as the center of a community proposed by him to accommodate the millhands and their families. It stands as a singular reminder of his ambitious plans for the area, and is one of the few buildings erected by him extant. A German immigrant lured to California by the discovery of gold, Hihn came to Santa Cruz in 1851, after less than successful business ventures in San Francisco and Sacramento, and began a career that would make him one of the most prosperous vision- aries and entrepreneurs in the history of the County. Like the Castro family before him, which had received considerable grants of land from the Mexican government, he acquired thousands of acres, including the timber! ands on which he carried on the oper- ations of the Valencia mill. Unlike them, however, he transformed his holdings into a coin- commercial empire that included, besides lumbering, mining, land development, trade and transportation. He was involved with the development of rail lines between his mill site and Aptos, between Santa Cruz and Watsonville, encouraged electrification, the establishment of water systems, founded a bank, and engaged in politics. In addi- tion to serving on the Board of Supervisors of Santa Cruz County, he also held a seat in the State Assembly. Other than Valencia, he laid out the community of Felton, subdivisions in Aptos and Live Oak, and founded Camp Capitol a, which grew and prospered to become a leading resort on Monterey Bay." (
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