Paradise Park Masonic Club History
The Site Awaits New Owners
So we come to the end of an era in the history of the site we now call Paradise Park. The sawmill, the paper mill and the powder mill have all ceased the clamor and the clang of their operations. Peace and quiet descended upon this lovely spot to be broken only by the murmuring sound of the river and the scurrying of squirrels, chipmunks, deer and other wild animals. The call of the quail and raucous scream of the blue jay occasionally broke the stillness.
The ownership of the site remained in the hands of the Hercules Powder Company until 1924 even though they had discontinued operations here in 1914 at which time all traces of industrial activity were gradually cleared away. A great stillness descended upon this woodland area that had been the scene of almost constant activity since the coming of Sainsevain and his sawmill in the early 1800's.
WATER SOURCES
There were three sources of water supply, springs, wells and the exclusive rights to Eagle Creek, formerly called Powder Mill Creek. The extension and maintenance of the water system has always been a major item in the budget, though in the beginning much of the work was done by volunteers. In 1964 the decision was made to use Santa Cruz city water and distribute it through our own system of pipelines. The chief reason for the decision was the fact that our water supply had become slightly polluted and the cost of a purification system could not be justified.
Our water rights to Eagle Creek had been granted by the State Board of Water Resources on December 21, 1927 and, even though the use of the Park water supply was being abandoned, the Board voted to keep our rights to Eagle Creek current and legal.
STREETS AND ROADS
When the first members of the Club came to pitch their tents in Paradise Park they found the existing roads to be few in number, narrow and dusty. Several new roads were slashed through the shrubbery by volunteers. Park records show that funds for widening and improving the roads claimed a considerable share of the total budget year after year as the pioneering phase of do-it-yourself roads gave way to con tractors who came in to do the grading and surfacing at Club expense.
An amusing sidelight in the minutes of June 27, 1936 is this statement: “Now that the roads are free from ruts, speeders must be warned.”
Through a systematic process of planning, development, and maintenance, the drainage, flood control, roads, water system, fire protection, recreational facilities and beautification have been gradually and consistently upgraded at a minimum of expense through the first fifty years of Park history.
FIRE PROTECTION
Fire safety is uppermost in the minds of those who live in wooden houses, particularly in a forested area such as ours. Campers in the 1920’s were repeatedly warned that with the privilege of vacationing in the forest went the responsibility for the careful use of fire. One camper was severely reprimanded by the Board and threatened with expulsion for letting his campfire get out of control.
The rules and regulations of the State Division of Forestry apply to Paradise Park . The fact that we have had the total loss of only one home in our fifty year history has drawn favor- able comment from State Fire Wardens. This record speaks well for the volunteer fire department and for the adequate equipment that has been provided for their use but, most of all, it speaks well for the Club membership who have assumed their rightful responsibility in the matter of fire safety.
Fires-out-of-control are serious business but, nevertheless, we chuckle over the pun in this item from the minutes of January 12, 1964, “The volunteer fire department is to be com mended for its quick action in bringing the fire at the Sparks home under control.”
THE RIVER
The lovely San Lorenzo River is a prime at traction in the Park and was one of the deciding factors in the choice of a site. Of the river it may well be said that “a thing of beauty is a joy forever.” Winding in graceful, tree-bordered curves, it traverses the full length of the Park. Like the ocean, the river has many moods - - - in the summer a happy, singing playmate; in winter a boisterous, rushing torrent - - - but always beautiful to behold.
In late May pools for swimming and boating are formed in the river by the construction of rock and gravel dams. Nowadays the dams are pushed into place by caterpillar tractors, where as, in the early days the teenage boys did the work. The dams are removed before flood sea son. Several generations of children have added their voices to the happy sounds of summer as they swim, build sand castles, fish for crawdads, and sunbathe along the river beaches.
The trout fishing of earlier days is now banned in the Lower San Lorenzo , however, steelhead fishing is permitted from late fall to the end of February.
Wild mallard ducks make the river their year-round home and nest under the sheltering boughs of the alder trees. Other water birds are found seasonally -- cinnamon teal, golden-eye, kingfishers, merganser ducks, gulls and the great blue heron, to name a few.
That the birds, as well as the many woodland animals, are cherished and protected is attested to many times in the Club records. Deer are often seen along the river and sometimes, to our consternation, in the homeowner’s flower beds.
Prior to 1956, winter flooding created a problem along the river. The most severe damage was done in 1939, 194.6 and 1955—the water was highest in 1955. New home sites were offered to two flood victims following the 1939 flood. The removal of log jams from the river was a difficult and costly undertaking in flood years.
The fact that there has been no flood damage in recent years can be attributed to several factors, among them being—the work done by the Army Corps of Engineers in widening the mouth of the river, the construction of flood control dams at the headwaters, measures taken by the Club in the construction of retaining walls and in more careful consideration before approving building plans for riverfront lots. The proper clearing of the river channel has also helped to bring the turbulent winter river under control.
UNFULFILLED PLANS
The Oakland Tribune of March 16, 1925 carried an article concerning Luther M. Say’s proposal “for the erection of a home for widows and orphans or dependents of Masons” on land in or near Paradise Park which he would donate for the purpose. This plan was laid aside.
For years the Club has had hopes of purchasing the green-belt across the river from Section Six and extending up-river to the back gate. To date this dream has not been realized.
It was the original plan that the portion of the Park known as Section Six should be reserved as a recreational area for the use of the total membership but the plan was abandoned when it became apparent that more building sites were needed to take of the number of member ships that had been sold.
Less weighty matters were sometimes pro posed and then rejected. On January 14, 1928 the Board seriously considered reserving a ten foot strip on either side of the river for free access. Pressure from the membership nullified this idea.
At the general meeting in 1934 one member suggested that we stock the Park grounds with Chinese pheasants.
At another time the proposal was made that the Club have a seven-man Board — one member from each section and two members at large.
Over a considerable period of time there were insistent demands that the out-road become the in-road and vice versa! How confusing can things get?
ANNUAL EVENTS
THE ANNUAL MEETING is held in the Social Hall on the Saturday preceding July 4th. It is attended by the Club membership and gives the manager and the Board of Directors an opportunity to report on the year’s progress and to introduce plans for the future. Members are free to speak from the floor on any matters of general concern. Business is transacted if a quorum of the membership is present.
From 1924 to 1928 the Annual meeting was held in January. Another exception to the usual practice was in 1948 and 1949 when there were three or four membership meetings each year.
The first ANNUAL PICNIC was held on July 31st, 1932 but thereafter the date has been the Sunday following the Annual Meeting. The activities for the day begin with a basket lunch in the picnic grove. Hotdogs, soft drinks, tea, coffee and ice cream are furnished by the Club. In earlier days band music and community singing around an evening campfire concluded the afternoon of games, races, contests and speeches.
THE ANNUAL CRAB FEED was established in March of 1960. Reservations are limited to two hundred and a capacity crowd of members and their immediate families fill the hall. No effort is spared in making the scene bright with colorful decorations and in pleasing the palate with the choicest of cracked crab and all the trimmings - - - ham for those who do not relish crab.
YEAR ROUND ACTIVITIES
About one third of the Club members live in the Park year-round where they enjoy the beauties of nature and the social activities at all seasons. Many others whose permanent homes are not too far distant come to attend special events throughout the year.
In summer the Park population increases ten-fold as members and their families entertain relatives and friends in this verdant forest whose proximity to ocean beaches and State Parks makes it doubly attractive.
From October through May POTLUCK DINNERS are held in the Social Hall on the fourth Saturday of each month, December being the exception when we meet Santa Claus half way on the second Saturday. The potluck committees outdo themselves in providing interesting pro grams and colorful decorations befitting the season.
During the summer months WIENER ROASTS are held at the fire pit in the picnic area every Wednesday evening. There is something friendly about a campfire and the summer crowds find this casual get-together a wonderful way to get acquainted.
An effort has been made to learn the year in which the needlecraft club known as THE KNITTIN’ KITTENS was formed. Some say twenty years ago, others say thirty years ago. Suffice it to say, that twice monthly the ladies gather in each others homes to enjoy a dainty tea party and an afternoon of needlework and chatter. A special Christmas luncheon and a summer picnic are high points of the year for this group. The open membership welcomes all newcomers.
The MEN’S LUNCHEON CLUB arrived later on the social calendar, beginning in 1965. Meeting twice a month in the Social Hall, they enjoy a hearty lunch provided by. chefs from their own number, at a very nominal cost. Pro grams and good fellowship round out the after noon . New members in the Park find a ready welcome at the Men’s Club.
FRIENDSHIPS on an individual basis blossom into little card clubs, supper clubs, or book clubs within their own neighborhoods or Park wide. These friendly gatherings lend warmth and good cheer to life in the Park where the harmony of nature is reflected in the harmony of congenial friendship.
SPECIAL EVENTS
On previous pages, accounts of the very special events that brought the Club into being and promoted its continued growth and prosperity have been written. Following are some of the more recent happenings that have historic significance.
DEDICATION OF THE HISTORIC PLAQUES called for a two-day celebration on June 29th and 30th, 1962. The idea for the plaques and the celebration originated in the mind of our pioneer member, Carlotta B. Scott. The plaque near the entrance to the Park gives the of its founding. The one near the bridge on Joppa Street memorializes the bridge, the powder mill and the paper mill.
Highlights of the event were the vaudeville show on Saturday, the pancake breakfast on Sunday, the ceremony honoring twenty-eight pioneer members, and the grand climax when the plaques were unveiled. A small booklet on the history of the area was written by Carlotta and distributed on this occasion.
On August 12, 1967 (the forty-third anniversary of the founding of Paradise Park Masonic Club) a CHARTER MEMBER DAY CELEBRATION was held. At that time there were forty-three surviving members who still maintained membership in the Club; thirty-two were able to attend the celebration. A reunion coffee hour in .the office at 10:00 A.M. started their day, while outdoors in the parking area a large crowd was gathering in preparation for a walking tour to points of historic interest around the Park grounds. The charter members followed the pilgrimage in slow-moving cars.
Following a bountiful picnic in the grove each charter member spoke of his early recollections. Some of their comments were very amusing:
Perry Oleson: “We built our first cottage on Courtesy Lane but the river washed it away three times and by then there was nothing left but a pipe sticking up. I worked under a handicap while building my cabin because my two month old son was asleep in his basket in the shade of a nearby tree and my wife said, ‘Perry, you can saw all you want to but don’t hammer, it will wake the baby’.”
Joe Agostinho: “We built our first cottage across the river in Section Four, only to find that it was on someone else’s property.”
Annie Henry: “I was just a little girl of twelve years at the time of the drawing for allotments. Carried away by the excitement of the day, I begged permission to buy a lot and, as a Rainbow Girl, was permitted to do so. The $100.00 membership fee cleaned me out.”
The climax of the Charter Member Celebration was the distribution of a historical booklet titled IN THE BEGINNING. It was illustrated with old-time photographs and told the story of the Park site from the time when the first white men saw it until the beginning of the Masonic era.
The first OFFICIAL VISIT OF A GRAND MASTER to Paradise Park took place on Thurs day, May 28, 1970 when Most Worshipful Brother Chester MacPhee Grand Master of the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of Free & Accepted Masons of the State of California and his wife, Marge, honored Paradise Park with a visit at the invitation of the Men’s Luncheon Club. The crowd was limited to two hundred members and guests. An outdoor picnic in the grove was planned and fortunately, the day was clear so that the woodland scene stood forth in all its grandeur for the Grand Master.
The high point of the day was the eloquent speech by Brother MacPhee who in classical prose, presented the values of the Masonic Order in their true light and instilled in all present the deep conviction that, to be a part of Masonry is indeed, a privilege, an honor and a responsibility.
On Sunday, September 3, 1972 the BRIDGE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION began at 10:30 A.M. for the large crowd assembled in the open space at the Joppa end of the flag-draped span. One enormous, handmade flag was older than the bridge itself, dating back to Civil War days.
An impressive ceremony with invocations, patriotic music, and a speech that told the history of the covered bridge memorialized the one hundred year old, and artistically beautiful, structure. The grand climax of the morning’s program was the parade of oldtime automobiles through the even more ancient covered bridge that not only spanned the river, but had also spanned a century of American history and had always been privately owned.
In this fiftieth year of Club history the membership stands at four hundred two. This is not a decline in number from the early days, for then one member could hold as many as five memberships, whereas nowadays each member holds only one membership and one allotment.
We, the present-day members of The Paradise Park Masonic Club, look back with gratitude to the founders who had the vision and the determination to dream and to make that dream a reality.
We trust that our segment of time in this splendid heritage shall be spent in furthering the Masonic principles on which it was founded so that future generations, who may hold a centennial celebration in the year 2,024, can truthfully say “The light kindled by the founders still shines with undimmed radiance.”
DATES OF INTEREST
August 12, 1924 Signing of Articles of Incorporation, 519 Brix Bldg., Fresno .
September 15, 1924 First Board of Directors meeting.
February 12, 1925 Election of first full-term Board of Directors.
February 25, 1925 Business office moved to 502 Mills Bldg., San Francisco .
June 7, 1925 Free barbecue as climax to membership drive.
September 6, 1925 Drawing for allotments.
January 9, 1926 440 membership cards and certificates issued.
March 23, 1926 Business office moved to 4718 Fourteenth St. , Oakland .
April 1, 1926 To date $93,652.59 collected and $91,588.84 disbursed.
January 6,1927 Beginning of five year terms for Board members.
September 30, 1927 Business office moved to Paradise Park .
June 30, 1928 Water system completed.
December 1, 1928 ”Artistic store building” on Park Grounds. Storekeeper: Mr. Staples.
April 19, 1929 Social Hall completed.
April 29, 1930 Archway at entrance completed at cost of $500.00.
July 31, 1932 First annual picnic---brass band, games, and community sing.
January 14, 1933 Depression budget: Roads $500.00, water $500.00, general $500.00.
August 13, 1933 Voted $1.00 bounty on cats.
March 11, 1934 Log benches for fire pit area completed.
October 13, 1935 Improvement of road to back gate completed by volunteers.
January 12, 1936 Flagpole at entrance donated. June 13, 1937 —Fast drivers, loose dogs and il legal guests beware.
October 8, 19 to have fiscal year coincide with annual meeting.
June 29, 1940 Board members limited to one five-year term.
1943 Four inch glass-lined pipe laid from entrance to picnic area.
July 14, 1947 Monthly bulletin issued for the first time.
September 12, 1948 Twelve books of traffic tickets ordered.
November 14, 1948 Store on Park grounds discontinued.
January 16, 1949 Sixty water pipes had burst “in the freeze”.
August 14, 1949 Corporation yard established. 1950—Term “membership fee” changed to “initiation fee.”
1950 Tennis court laid in Section four.
1950 Tin House removed.
June 30, 1951 At this time there were 385 members and 362 houses.
May 18, 1952 Bridge across Eagle Creek collapsed under a load of sand.
1957 Termination of five-year term for Board members.
April 13, 1958 Volunteers to police the gate for the summer.
June 28, 1958 Social Hall improved using volunteer labor and cash donations.
July 10, 1960 New lots excavated on Cavern Street .
June 30,1962 Historic plaques dedicated.
1967 Extensive repair on Covered Bridge.
August 12, 1967 First Charter Member Day.
January 12, 1969 Stage and kitchen revamped by volunteer labor and donations.
February 9, 1969 First phase of drainage system for picnic area completed.
May 28, 1970 Grand Master Chester MacPhee pays official visit to the Park.
September 3, 1972 Covered Bridge Centennial. 1972—Sprinkling system installed in the bridge.
1974 There are now 395 houses in the Park. Approximately one third of them are occupied year round. There are 402 members.
(*Exact dates that appear here were found in the minutes. Where only the year is given the information was obtained from some other source.)
* * *
PRESIDENTS OF BOARD OF DIRECTORS 1924 - 1974
Name Date Elected
Fredrick W. Docker (pro tern) 1924
William E. Soden 1925
A. P. Beck 1929
Royal P. Boyd 1938
C. H. Davis 1940
Frank P. Grey 1941
Frank M. Drew 1942
A. C. Shurtz 1943
John L. McDonald 1946
V.Bernard Johnson 1947
Cecil A. Bliss 1948
Charles A. F’ieberling 1949
Lester A. Williams 1950
Francis T. Scott 1951
Wilimont Greer 1952
Carl N. Jones 1953
Howard J. Warren (part) 1955
Samuel W. McCarley 1955
Cy E. Eneboe 1956
John H. Sorenson 1957
C. T. Fredrickson 1958
C.A. Foster 1959
Harold L. Smith 1960
Robert 0. Bernis 1961
E.Byron Decker 1962
Kenneth Winslow 1964
Roy H. Hursh 1966
Robert W. De Martin 1967
Thomas L. Reedy 1968
Lewis M. Hawkins (part) 1969
Waldo B. Rodler 1969
William F. Petersen 1970
Fred H. Krambs (part) 1971
Hale B. Stevens 1971
Ralph B. Rose 1972
Elwyn L. Simard 1973
(*Some served more than one year, some served less than one year.)
MANAGERS
C.B. Bradford (pro tern) 1924
Geoffrey N. Buckler 1925
Walter H. Mills 1928
C.T. Hamer 1941
George 1-Tansen 1943
Milton Urstadt 1945
A.C. Shurt7 1955
Howard Hansen 1963
Claude Nelson 1966
A.C. Shurtz 1971
A.G. Ballenger, Jr 1973
BUSINESS OFFICES
519 Brix Building, Fresno 1924
502 Mills Buildin San Francisco 1925
4718 Fourteenth St. , Oakland 1926
Suite 812 , Oakland Bank Bldg.,
12th & Bdwy 1926
Paradise Park Office Building 1927