To me, Hearst Castle is more than a State Historical Landmark, more than a world-class museum, more than an architectural marvel. Hearst Castle is personal, it’s family history.
That connection was my initial inspiration to do whatever I could to help preserve and protect this treasure. The longer I worked as a board member for The Foundation at Hearst Castle (called Friends of Hearst Castle when I joined in 2009), the more vivid the stories that my grandmother used to tell me became.
It was 1924 when my grandmother, Norma, was orphaned at the age of five and came to live with her maternal grandparents, Manuel and Mary Sebastian. Her mother, Annie (my great-grandmother), was Manuel and Mary’s second eldest of nine children and their first daughter.
My great-great grandfather, Manuel Sebastian, owned Sebastian’s General Store in the village of San Simeon just below Hearst Castle. Manuel bought the store in 1914 and also owned the nearby Bay View Hotel, but not the land under the hotel. The hotel is where young Norma first came to live with the family.
Some of the family poses on the steps of Sebastian’s General Store around 1921 with Sebastian’s Bay View Hotel in the background. My great-grandmother, Annie Sebastian Bassi, stands front, left. Norma, my grandmother, is at her skirt. Great-great Aunt Mary C. Sebastian is front, right. Great-great Aunt Irene is front, center. (Photo courtesy of Kristin Rasmussen)
Norma was born in 1918 and the Castle was born just about a year later, with construction beginning in 1919. I like to think she and the Castle grew up together. Of the nine children of Manuel and Mary Sebastian, four were still living at home in 1924 when Norma joined them. Since she was the first child of the eldest daughter, she wasn’t that much younger than her youngest aunt and uncle. In fact, she and her Aunt Reenie shared a bedroom in the hotel for several years.
Grandmother Norma’s experiences — and her stories about our family and living in this unique place at this unique time — are about people (even if sometimes she didn’t know who they were), the community that the Castle created, events that occurred in the village and up the hill, boxes of beautiful things, and how things change.
In a series of short essays, I plan to share a few of these stories with you, just for fun.
Hearst Castle Archives
Pete & Louise Sebastian donated an oral history to Hearst Castle in the 1970-80s and Mary Hansen (née Sebastian) donated dozens of photos in 2015, some of which we plan to share throughout the “View from the Past” series.
The following images give a wonderful sense of the village of San Simeon, Sebastian’s General Store, and the Bay View Hotel during the time Grandmother Norma grew up there.
Enjoy!
Images donated to CA State Parks by Pete & Louise Sebastian. ©Hearst Castle®/CA State Parks
Images donated to CA State Parks by Pete & Louise Sebastian. ©Hearst Castle®/CA State Parks
Images donated to CA State Parks by Pete & Louise Sebastian. ©Hearst Castle®/CA State Parks
Images donated to CA State Parks by Pete & Louise Sebastian. ©Hearst Castle®/CA State Parks
Images donated to CA State Parks by Pete & Louise Sebastian. ©Hearst Castle®/CA State Parks
About the Author
Kristin Rasmussen grew up in Ventura, CA, playing at the beach, sailing with her parents, and riding English hunters and jumpers; but her family has roots in San Luis Obispo County that run more than 130 years deep. After attending Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Kristin didn’t want to leave the area or her family history, so she and her husband Jim made it home.
After her parents purchased a vineyard in Paso Robles 1995, Kristin and her brother helped them to grow grapes and produce wine for what is now Rasmussen Vineyards, a boutique winery that is still a family passion. Kristin is also a certified financial planner and member of the Financial Planning Association, serving clients at her KMR Wealth Advisory, LLC in San Luis Obispo and surrounding communities.
Kristin was elected to the board of directors for The Foundation at Hearst Castle in 2009 and served three terms. Her contributions and continued support of our nonprofit organization are greatly treasured.
Besides wine and the process of making wine, Kristin enjoys reading and writing, history, travel, art, racecars, snow skiing, and of course, the beach.
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