Some family members feel one exhibit calls the character of the
family matriarch, Margaret Breen, into question
When the Castro Breen Adobe re-opened this March after three years of renovations, California State Parks employees were excited to present what they felt was an informative and entertaining look at the history of San Juan Bautista and two of the mission city’s most famous families.
A few of the Breens disagreed.
“I would say that it’s been dumbed down,” said Philip Hudner, a Breen descendant on his mother’s side. “It’s been grossly changed from the way it was for 150 years. It’s not even a historic house anymore, it could be somebody’s new house.”
While the majority of the 50 or 60 Breens who attended the adobe’s grand opening last month seem to be pleased with the structural changes and new exhibits featured in the house, several family members who remain particularly close to their heritage worry that the make-over tarnishes the adobe’s historical spirit, and feel that one exhibit in particular calls the character of the family matriarch, Margaret Breen, into question.
A panel entitled “The Elusive Margaret Breen” attempts to reconcile three different accounts of Margaret’s moral fiber. The first paragraph quotes journalist J. Ross Browne’s depiction of Margaret Breen as a “cannibal” with a “wild piercing expression of the eye,” in reference to the Breen family’s experience in the Sierras with the Donner Party, which the exhibit says “captured the lurid imaginations of newspaper readers.” This passage is a particular point of contention with the Breens who disapprove of the new exhibits.
“We couldn’t believe the state would say something like that,” said Hollister resident Betty Breen. “Margaret Breen was a wonderful person, and to see her desecrated that way was a shock to all of us.”
“I understand it was taken from a newspaper, but I couldn’t believe they would re-print that in the woman’s own home,” said Hudner. “Those statements were gross, pejorative, not necessary and untrue.”
The next paragraph of the exhibit, however, points out that two women who were trapped along with the Breen family credited Margaret with saving their lives, and described her as a kind, thoughtful and intelligent woman. The Breen family has always maintained that their ancestors did not engage in cannibalism, regardless of what other travelers in the Donner Part were forced to do.
“We feel very strongly that it is our job to show both sides of the story when we put together an exhibit,” said Pat Clark-Gray, the Monterey District’s Interpretive Specialist. “If somebody took that quote out of context, they might be upset, but we put a lot of effort and research into our work.”
While Betty Breen and Hudner say complaints have been made to the state parks, neither Dave Schaechtele, public information officer for the Monterey district of California State Parks, or Clark-Gray were aware of any formal grievances.
“This is kind of a surprise to us,” said Schaechtele. “We wanted the adobe to appeal to everyone, and a tremendous amount of research and fact-finding went into this project… All the comments I’ve heard have been enthusiastic and positive.”
The Castro Breen Adobe was home first to the Castro family, a governing family from Mexico. When the Breen family came to settle in San Juan Bautista a few years after surviving their expedition with the Donner Party in the 1840s, the Castro family’s view towards an American presence was less than kind. However, probably due to a connection through their shared Catholic faith, the Castros took the Breen family into their home, where their descendants lived until the building was made part of the state park system in the 1930’s.
The $1.65 million renovation began in 2003 after the adobe was identified as a vulnerable structure in need of reinforcements given its close proximity to the San Andreas Fault. Initially the project was merely designed to take care of safety concerns, but State Parks eventually decided to update the adobe’s exhibits, as well.
“Our historian told us that some of the period rooms which had been on display for over 40 years were simply not accurate, and our first responsibility is accuracy,” said Clark-Gray. “We also wanted to make sure the Castro side of the story was equally told and recognize that they were just as important, because a lot of the students who come to visit (the adobe) come from a Mexican heritage.”
The adobe features seven different exhibit “themes” downstairs, including “Life in the Plaza,” “Gold Discovery,” and Breen and Castro Family history. All told, they represent the efforts of about a dozen historians, University of California Santa Cruz Professors and state parks staff and nearly four years of work. A special emphasis was placed on ensuring that the exhibits were accessible to 4th and 5th grade visitors. Thousands of students in those grades take field trips to San Juan Historic Park every year to compliment social studies work focused on early California history and the missions. Rooms decorated in period fashion, with furniture from both the Breen and Castro families as well as pieces collected from around the state, are upstairs.
Some of the Breens, however, feel that this new approach also is inappropriate in a building that once served as a family home, and would prefer that an emphasis be placed on re-creating rooms as the Breens and Castros might have lived in them, rather than multi-media displays.
“Those exhibits should have been put up in an entirely separate museum, and not be cluttering up a historic site,” said Hudner.”The exhibits really dominate the home.”
In comparison, Bob Picha, a descendent of the Castro family who attended the adobe’s ribbon cutting ceremony, says he and the roughly 20 Castros who attended couldn’t be happier with the adobe’s new look.
“I thought it was very cool. I know it was a controversial move, but they did a great job,” he said. “You can see that the Castros weren’t villains, they were humanitarians. They did some nice things for their community along the way, and they really helped out the Breens.”
Local resident and retired judge Tom Breen, who also was present at the adobe’s re-opening, has said that he has no problem with the new exhibits, but could not speak for other Breens.
“We’re open to making changes if anything in inaccurate, but we haven’t heard anything put positive comments,” said Clark-Gray.
The Castro-Breen Adobe is part of the San Juan Bautista State Historic Park, which is open for visitors from 10am to 4:30pm daily. For more information call 623-4526.
