New Hearst Castle historian is bringing a ‘breath of fresh air’ to State Parks job
Did you know that the coastal bluffs of what is now Harmony Headlands State Park used to be leased to Chinese immigrant families who harvested seaweed from the rocks below?
Or that Alexander Hazard, a 19th century settler, planted a cluster of eucalyptus trees in what is now Montana de Oro State Park?
Those are just some of the tidbits discovered by Amy Hart, the recently appointed historian for the San Luis Obispo Coastal District of State Parks. The district includes Hearst Castle in San Simeon, as well as parks in Cayucos, Los Osos, Morro Bay and other North Coast spots.
Hart stepped into a newly expanded role in November 2019, taking over from longtime Hearst Castle historian, author and lecturer Victoria Kastner. She’s receiving coaching from Kastner as well as current Castle museum director Mary Levkoff and former museum director Hoyt Fields, who’s worked at William Randolph Hearst’s former estate for more than 50 years.
The 30-something Hart is digging into and documenting the Castle’s history, plus the background of the district’s other parks.
“It’s fascinating to find out what Amy’s learning about all the parks,” said Dan Falat, the district’s superintendent. “She’s doing a great job.”
Hart is the fourth historian that Fields has worked with at Hearst Castle.
“What a breath of fresh air Amy brings to the department and to the San Luis Obispo Coast District,” he said of his protégé.
“I have had the pleasure of working directly with Amy on several projects,” he said, “and it is so nice to have someone with an open mind” and no preconceptions who takes everything into consideration before making a qualified decision.
“Coming from a different department gives her a broader range in making those decisions,” Fields said, adding that Hart “follows all the rules and regulations we must adhere to, especially with regard to a historic house museum, and based decisions on discussions, mitigatable issues and what is reasonable to protect the art and environment.”
State Parks historian studied at Cal Poly
Hart was born to a teacher mom and radio journalist dad in Oakland. The historian has always “wanted to enter a career that would give back to my community and have a positive influence on broader society,” she said.
She studied political science at Cal Poly and joined the Peace Corps after graduation —living and working for two years in Burkina Faso in West Africa as a health education volunteer.
After returning home to California, Hart went through Cal Poly’s graduate program, earning her master’s degree. She then earned a history doctorate degree at UC Santa Cruz.
Hart, who also lectured at Cal Poly, now lives in Edna Valley. She enjoys yoga, hiking, cycling and being outdoors with her dog, a “puggle,” or pug-beagle mix.
She also loves wine tasting — a passion she’s taken to the next level by making wine at home.
“I always valued the ability of public historians to reach a much wider audience and enable the public to recognize and experience the living history around them,” Hart said. “So, when I learned about the historian position at California State Parks, it immediately piqued my interest.
“This was an excellent opportunity to share my love of California and its rich history with local residents and visitors, while working to preserve that history and make it accessible to as many people as possible.”
The job does not disappoint.
At Hearst Castle, “I am amazed at the number of languages I hear spoken each day,” Hart said. “We are so lucky to have a historical resource like this that attracts people from all over the world who are eager to learn about this part of our local history. Most students don’t express that level of enthusiasm for history!”
Going forward, Hart said she hopes to “continue to preserve those historical resources we already recognized as important to our local narrative, while also highlighting those underrepresented stories” of the other parks.
“I’m also hoping to make these historical resources more accessible to the public by digitizing our records and sharing the histories online,” she said.
Sifting truth from legend is “a constant work in progress, with new voices being brought in,” Hart said.
“I think of history as a narrative of our past that is constantly being made more complete as new perspectives and voices are brought in,” she said, “so I look forward to continuing to add to the rich history of our community and sharing that past with present and future generations.”
