House's History

The James Johnston House

History of the Johnston House

Following is a short history of the family and the House from 1853 to 1965. In 1962 the house was seen and photographed by Malcolm and Joan Watkins of the Smithsonian Institution, who inspired the restoration.

1853 to 1861

James Johnston

James Johnston was born October 7, 1813, in Melrose, Scotland. His family immigrated to the United States aboard the Prompt in 1818 and settled in Pittsburgh, PA, then moved to Gallipolis, Ohio, after the death of his father in 1826. One of nine children, James served in the military in the Mexican war, became interested in Mexican culture and sailed to California aboard the Oregon in 1849. He may have worked in the mines, but he was most successful as a partner in the fashionable El Dorado Saloon on San Francisco's Dupont Street (now Grant Avenue) and as a real estate investor.

The El Dorado Saloon on Dupont Street in San Francisco

He assisted Mexican residents in protecting their property rights after California became part of the United States. He married Petra Maria de Jara, a Mexican native, in San Francisco on April 10, 1852 and on May 9, 1853, purchased 1,162 acres of the Miramontes Rancho de San Benito which encompassed the southern part of Half Moon Bay.

He built his house between 1853 and 1855. It is believed it was modeled after the family home in Gallipolis. The early era ended sadly with the death of daughter Alice, 4 years old, in November 1858 and Petra's death on April 30, 1861. Petra and Alice are buried in Our Lady of The Pillar Cemetery on Route 92 , while James and his son John are in the Odd Fellows Cemetery with other family members.

Petra Maria de Hara

Family accounts state that James' sister-in-law, Glorian Griffing, came to California around Cape Horn, saw the house emerging from the fog and vowed she would find the house and its owners. In the process, she met James' brother Thomas whom she married on April 26, 1853 in Half Moon Bay.

1861 to 1900

During this period, the household was run by Petra's mother Ursula Valenzuela de Jara, known as Melita or "Little Mother", and James sister Isabel who came from Ohio in 1860 and lived there and later with James' brother William in the house across the road until her death in 1900. James and Petra's three sons were raised there during this period but James lived at least part of the time in San Francisco and died there on October 2, 1879. The house was a spectacular landmark, visible from the ocean and it's location is noted on coastal charts from this era.

Davenport Bromfield sketched the house in watercolor and crayons in 1890 and gave the picture to Jame's son John Johnston. It shows the full extent of the salt box and the back buildings from the north.

1900 to 1965

An 1890 watercolor rendering

A photograph of the house from the south postmarked 1909, just 16 years later, shows the house, weathered and no longer white. One possibility is that the earthquake of 1906 resulted in the destruction of the rear of the house. However, there was little damage to other structures in Half Moon Bay at that time. John Johnston leased the house to Angelo Cassinelli in 1912 and sold him the property in 1916. It was eventually sold by E.J. Cassinelli in 1965.

Johnston House postcard dated 1906

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