Hastings Adobe (Santa Barbara, California) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Hastings Adobe |
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Hastings adobe - Trussell-Winchester adobe
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| Location | 414 West Montecito Street, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara County, California |
| Official name: Hastings adobe | |
| Designated | December 31, 1956 |
| Reference no. | 559 |
The Hastings adobe, also known as the Trussell-Winchester adobe, is a very old and special house in Santa Barbara, California. An "adobe" is a type of building made from sun-dried mud bricks. This house is one of the oldest homes in Santa Barbara, built way back in 1854.
It is so important that it became a California Historical Landmark in 1956. This means it's officially recognized as a place with a lot of history. The house has seen many changes and families over the years.
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A Historic Home in Santa Barbara
This historic house has two names: the Hastings adobe and the Trussell-Winchester adobe. It was built in 1854, making it nearly 170 years old today! On December 31, 1956, it was officially named California State Historical Landmark No. 559. This landmark status helps protect the house and its history for future generations.
Who Built This Old House?
The first owner and builder of this unique home was a man named Horatio Gates Trussell. He was born in 1814 and came all the way to California from Maine. Horatio was a sea captain who had traveled the world.
A Sea Captain's New Home
When Captain Trussell visited Santa Barbara, he fell in love with the city. He also met and married Ramona Eayrs-Burke on September 1, 1851. Ramona's stepfather, Isaac Sparks, was a successful merchant and rancher. He gave the couple the land for their new home.
Captain Trussell built the house using adobe bricks and wood. It was located near where West Montecito and Castillo streets are today. Instead of using the common Spanish tile roofs, he chose wooden shingles, like those found in New England. He even used timber from a shipwrecked boat called the SS Winfield Scott, which sank in 1853. The Trussell family had 10 children and later moved to a bigger house nearby.
The Winchester Family's Story
After the Trussell family, a banker named William M. Eddy bought the house in 1878. He was from New York. Then, in 1882, another family from Maine, the Winchesters, bought the house. Uriah Winchester (born 1814) had moved to California in 1869.
Changes and New Owners
Uriah Winchester made some changes to the house. He added a new room and made some of the other rooms larger. The Winchester family had six children. One of his sons, Robert, became a doctor. His daughter, Charlotte, married Stanley Bagg, who owned a newspaper called The Tombstone Epitaph in Arizona.
In the 1920s, the Winchester family began to sell off parts of the land around the house.
Preserving History for Everyone
Charlotte's daughter, Katherine Bagg, later married John Hastings. Katherine Bagg Hastings lived in the house for many years. When she passed away in 1955, she did not have any children. In her will, she left the house to the Santa Barbara Historical Society. This generous gift helped make sure that this important piece of Santa Barbara's past would be saved and shared with everyone.
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