DISCOVER THE CASTRO ADOBE

Photos by Garrick Ramirez

While news of a historic adobe might get lost amidst today’s flurry of sensational clickbait, we assure you that the Castro Adobe is a very special place. In addition to its gorgeous setting within Watsonville’s bucolic Larkin Valley, the circa 1850 adobe is a fascinating restoration project, an active archeology site, and a virtual glimpse into the region’s lively past. In its 168 years, the adobe has never officially been open to the public. Now, thanks to Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks who is leading restoration efforts, the Castro Adobe offers free, monthly open houses that offer visitors a unique opportunity to tour the property, witness its captivating restoration, and maybe munch a few freshly made tortillas in the process.

STEP BACK IN TIME TO THE RANCHO DAYS

Built between 1848-1850 during the Mexican rancho period of California, the adobe served as the home of Juan Jose Castro; his dad, Jose Joaquin Castro,  walked up from Mexico and settled in what is now east Santa Cruz. Juan Jose, a native Mexican rancher, belonged to the prominent Castro family who owned huge swaths of land between the Pajaro River and Davenport.

Today, the former Castro home is one of four adobes-and the only two-story adobe-in Santa Cruz County. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a California State Historical Landmark. The adobe sits at the crest of gentle hill offering distant glimpses of Monterey Bay. To reach the adobe, visitors ramble up Old Adobe Road, the original cart and wagon route to the home. They’re greeted by a large green expanse bounded by a white wooden fence and clusters of hulking cactus adorned with crimson-red prickly pears. A small orchard holds apple, persimmon, and walnut trees while a peaceful garden is dotted with benches to enjoy ever-present birdsong, gaze up at magnificent old cork trees, and admire purple blooms of wisteria wrapping the adobe’s wooden posts.

The home includes a few notable features such as an original rancho cocina, a rarity in California. The traditional Mexican kitchen includes its original redwood shelves and a wood-fired bracero with grills reconstructed by the blacksmiths at Wilder Ranch State Park. Upstairs, an expansive fandango room hints at the many parties hosted at the house. While the home might appear humble today, during its time it was thought of as a grand mansion that served as a festive gathering spot for an endless stream of visitors and travelers. If you wish these walls could talk, they practically do. Carved into the earthen walls is graffiti from visitors over the decades. See if you can spot the shout-out from sailors in town on the U.S.S. Tennessee in July 1933. Some scribblings go as far back to the time of the Castro’s.

DISCOVERING + PRESERVING THE PAST

The adobe owes its current existence to a string of dedicated stewards who lived in and/or cared for the structure over the years. Perhaps the most notable of these caretakers was Edna Kimbro, a historic adobe preservationist who worked to restore the Castro Adobe while residing in it with her husband. Structural damage from the 1989 Loma Prieta quake caused the Kimbro’s to flee the home, and in 2002, they sold it to California. Today, Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks in partnership with California State Parks continue the legacy of homeowners and caretakers who have lovingly studied and maintained the adobe. Friends has been working actively on the adobe since 2007. At one point, they had to create 2,500 adobe bricks by hand-each weighing 85 lbs-to bolster the home’s 3-foot thick walls.

Notably, recent restoration efforts have transformed the adobe grounds into an active archeology site. Numerous historic items continue to be unearthed in and around the home. The lives of the adobe’s many inhabitants are conjured up via found items including old toothbrushes, pipe stems, oxen yokes, and Native American objects such as bottles chipped into gaming pieces.

A FUN-AND RARE-OPPORTUNITY TO VISIT

Today, the only way to visit the adobe and surrounding grounds is to attend an open house. The monthly weekend events are festive affairs where you can tour the adobe, make tortillas in the historic cocina, and learn how to rope. Bring the family for live music, games for kids, and the occasional speaker and film screening. You can also marvel at the many artifacts unearthed onsite, and watch restoration being made on the adobe and its forthcoming museum. These events provide a rare opportunity to visit the structure and witness the creation of a state park in real time.

During its heyday, the Castro Adobe was a center of activity, hosting all manner of visitors. Today, the adobe still functions as a community hub, buzzing with enthusiastic groups of historians, docents, volunteers, archeologists, students, gardeners, and open house participants, all connected by their love and interest in this local historic treasure.

For a schedule of upcoming open house dates, check the Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks site.