Hollywood Days and Diana Knight -
A Love Story
by Dee Beaugez, MA
|
Castle of
Dreams
By Dee Beaugez,
Publisher of www.horsereview.com
| I share with you the part of
the story of the Castle of Dreams, as it was told to me by my mother, Dolores
Fuller Burchett (Diana Knight). Ms. Fuller, her father and his partner purchased the
1,400 acre ranch and castle in Antelope Valley, California after Richard P. Shea died. She
turned it into a working horse and cattle ranch. I grew up with her teachings of
kindness and horsemanship. I am currently writing her book about the Castle of
Dreams. |
Pictured above is Ms. Fuller (circa
1939)
on her stallion, Buckles outside her Castle.
RICHARD SHEA & HIS DREAM CASTLE
Ever since he was a boy,
Richard P. Shea had dreamed about owning a castle. He made his fortune in
real-estate development in Los Angeles, California. After making a fortune of some
$8,000,000 by selling subdivisions in the Wilshire district, Shea was ready to retire and
build his Castle of Dreams.
He retired and traveled to Europe gathering costly relics and studying the architecture of
castles. From Scotland he brought architects and set them to work building his dream
castle in Antelope Valley, 25 miles outside of Lancaster, California.
MAP |
CASTLE COST $500,000 IN THE 1920's
Castle of Dreams is pictured after a snow
fall.
The Castle, with its 17 rooms
and fabulous furnishings cost more than $500,000. It had 5 foot thick walls,
hand-carved grillwork on the doors and a huge stone step entrance to the front door.
Within a 1939 Los Angeles Times article, it was written, "Like a mirage, the castle
stood in solemn splendor until early 1929, when Shea lost his fortune."
After losing his money, another tragedy took it's toll - Shea's wife died. Now he
sat helpless as his precious furnishings were sold one by one. He was alone,
disillusioned and without hope. One day, as the story goes, he walked out of his Castle
of Dreams forever. He went to a pier in Venice, tied a little bag containing
his wife's ashes around his waist and leaped to his death in the ocean. He drowned
alone and penniless.Near the
entrance way to the castle remained a stone plaque that read, "My Dream Come
True." My Mom, her family and future husband purchased the Castle of Dreams
and turned it into a working ranch. |
THE CASTLE AS A WORKING RANCH --
From Hollywood Days and
Diana Knight - A Love Story
By Dee Beaugez
Look for the book in 1999.
My mom loved horses and
taught me that kindness was the only way to learn to work with them. She taught me
the only way to communicate with the majestic horse was with kindness and by watching and
listening. Because of her wisdom and teachings I have had the good fortune of
loving and caring for them thoughout my life.
Today I gain great pleasure from seeing my daughters ride. Jessika, 17, has chosen the
western way. She has a gift for kindness and handling horses from the ground up.
Diana, 20, has entered the competitive world of showing hunters and jumpers. It has
not been easy for Diana due to her poor health, but she has been blessed by being schooled
by some fabulous trainers. I pray that she will follow in her grandmother's
footsteps.
I dedicate my mom's book, Hollywood
Days and Diana Knight - A Love Story, to my husband, Donalad, and to the
women and their horses who have made a real difference for Diana, Jessika and me:
Sara Brinckner
Ruth Faigin
Katie Gilman and Nicole Gilman
Val Glatthar
Vickee Greer
Nancy Hall and Erin Hall
Jeannie LaBlanc
Mary Love and Beth Love
Lynn Mullens - Meadow View Farms
Janet Pakko - Botherll, WA
Patti Lowry-Parrish, artist and illustrator
Gudrun Ongman, author of The Sleep Ponies
Pam Runquist, United Animal Nations
Shirley Sepulveda
Carol Hinckley Smith
Linda Vogedes - University of Nevada-Reno
Barbara Waller
Jeane Westin, President United Animal Nations
Julie Winkel - Maplewood Stables |
A MAP TO THE CASTLE OF DREAMS
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