The Aptos History Museum began in the 1980s when Carolyn Swift, the curator of the Capitola Museum, gave a photograph of the Aptos Railroad Station to John Hibble. John was a history buff who, along with his wife Karen, were (and continue to be) directors of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce which was then located in Redwood Village. John's photo collection began to grow, other historical items were d
onated by community members, and this growing collection was displayed at the Chamber of Commerce. When the Aptos Chamber moved to its current location on Old Dominion Court, the collection expanded somewhat and was displayed within the Chamber office, but most of John's collection remained in storage. In 2005, additional office space in the Chamber building became available, and Karen Hibble determined that the Aptos History Museum deserved to have its own larger facility and become a real museum. She and John appealed to the community, and an advisory committee was formed. The new space was repainted and made ready, and new display cases were built. John's now sizable collection was retrieved from storage and dusted off, and a crew of volunteers worked for many months to set up and organize the new museum. The Aptos History Museum opened its expanded facility on May 24, 2006, and it has since garnered enthusiastic reviews and numerous citations of merit. Most notably, the Museum received the Aptos Community Achievement Award in 2006.
