“When I was a little girl in San Simeon…” often began an interesting tidbit from Grandma Norma. When she was growing up in San Simeon, most of the people who lived there were employed either to support Hearst Castle or to work on building it. Some people came to town already employed by W.R. Hearst and many others who already lived in town became employed by Mr. Hearst at some point. As a child, even Grandma Norma got hired.
“When I was a little girl, the warehouse in town stored much of Mr. Hearst’s things,” Grandma Norma explained to me. “Sometimes he would decide that he wanted a particular item in storage at the warehouse brought up to The Castle. The curator, Mr. Williams, paid my friend Mamie and me to clean and shine up whatever Mr. Hearst wanted, before it went up the hill.”
One of her jobs was particularly memorable.
“Mr. Williams handed me a rather large wooden box and told me to polish what was inside so it could be taken up to The Castle,” Grandma shared. “Inside, lying on a velvet cushion, was a gold goblet embedded with jewels. I’ll never forget it!”
Grandma Norma told me there were many people that came to San Simeon to work for Mr. Hearst while she was young. She said the “upper” positions could come with a house to stay in or sometimes a home to rent. She thought that was the case for Mr. Williams and his family.
Curator Wm. R. Williams lived in this house across the street from Hearst Castle in the 1930s.
Williams, William R. appears on line 49 of the San Simeon, CA census record from 1930.
I found a William R. Williams listed on the “Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930” for San Simeon, California, which would have been when Grandma Norma was 11 or 12, so that makes sense. He is listed as a 54 year old married Canadian with the occupation of Antiques Caretaker at a Private Estate. (It is very hard to read, but I think that’s what it says.) I don’t know how long Mr. Williams and his wife lived in San Simeon, but while he was there, he made quite an impact on a little girl.
I am pretty sure that my grandmother never told this story until she was in her eighties, when I really started to ask her about the details of her childhood. The story itself, and the fact that I hadn’t heard it until then, illustrates the character of the people of the village of San Simeon. Just imagine what beautiful pieces she saw, and even touched.
This is the second in a series of short stories Kristin plans to share. Click here to read the first, “A View from the Past: Meeting Norma (Sebastian) Bassi Monson.”
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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