Tom and Barbara McCarthy's Pine Avenue home had a San Antonio Road address when it was the home of Edward and Emma Carothers. In the early years of Los Altos, they brought a bit of culture to this rustic town and shed some light on events as well.
In 1893, Leander Hoskins arrived here from Wisconsin to teach at Stanford University. One of his first investments was the purchase of 15 acres on San Antonio Road for $110 an acre. Five years later he sold half of his property to his parents, James and Araminta Hoskins, who developed it into their home and a working apricot orchard. When James died in 1903, the estate sale listed a horse carriage, plow, 430 fruit trays and 400 fruit boxes.
Edward and Emma Carothers bought the entire 15 acres of Hoskins land in 1905. Edward was an attorney, and he presumably hired out the orchard work. The couple advanced local interest in social and cultural activities by hosting meetings of the Music and Literary Club, established in 1907, with 56 charter members.
Kerosene lamps gave a warm glow to the evening gatherings which included travel discussions, literary readings, civic discussions and musical entertainment. Edward and Emma Carothers also hosted Fourth of July picnics under the oak tree in their front yard and Halloween and New Year's Watch parties.
The active Music and Literary Club was the area's first civic organization and was dedicated to making Los Altos a "more desirable place to live." It negotiated with the Electric Light Company for local electricity and pressured County Supervisors to water down dusty San Antonio Road in the summer and gravel its muddy surface in the winter. Mr. and Mrs. Carothers also opened their home to the youth of Los Altos whom they felt "were not spending their time productively."
Edward Carothers used his legal talent to help draw up the contract for a new clubhouse in 1908. It was built on donated land, directly across from the Carothers' residence on San Antonio Road. The Club's name was changed to the San Antonio Club and later was acquired by the city of Los Altos. Long-term Los Altos residents fondly remember ballroom dancing lessons as Los Altos Grammar School pupils when the club was used as an adjunct to the school. Today the San Antonio Club is a preschool.
The original Hoskins/Carothers house still exudes a stately presence on its current one-third-acre site. Its magnificent oak tree continues to dominate the front yard, and in most respects the house is unchanged. The driveway to San Antonio Road was long ago replaced, and the house is now accessed from Pine Lane. The house is listed in the Los Altos Historical Resources Inventory.
- Adapted by Don McDonald for History House of Los Altos.