History of the MOORE ESTATE Part One: Ground Breaking
Grazia slips the book about the Moore Estate into the crook of her arm and carefully takes it to her room. It’s heavier than it should be in her opinion and wonders if it’s the material it’s made of or the information within it that makes it such a heavy tome.
She locks her door and sits on the small sofa – light set and brandy at the ready. She opens the first page and sees that the information was compiled in 2005 by a woman named Priscilla Schneider. A note has been written in.
Priscilla Schneider | 1957-2005
Grazia whispers, “She died the year the book was finished?” in Italian. She reads on, looking at the important dates and summaries pages.
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(( Music to set the scene ))
1921
Oil man and inventor Sterling Goodman and his soon to be wife Asaunta Di Donato of Pesaro, Italy decide to put down roots in California. Asaunta makes certain demands of her fiancé. She needs to be close to the ocean, trees, and glorious views. She wants to design the home from the ground up. And most importantly, she wants the famous architect E. Varelli of London to design and build the home to her specifications. Wanting to make his lovely bride-to-be happy, he agrees to her requests and the two of them begin the complex processes.
1923
Sterling and Asaunta Goodman find their ideal location – a 40 acre plot of land in the Clairemont River Valley just outside of the logging town of San Ravelo, California.
1923
E. Varelli makes the first trip to California from his home in London. He takes up temporary housing in the Clairemont River Valley and begins working with Asaunta Goodman on house designs.
1924 - March
Ground breaks on “Asaunta’s Fantasia”. Much is said about the unusual blueprints and unique, forward-thinking designs. The estimated cost is astronomical, but the concerns are offset by a sudden win for Goodman in the oil industry adding to his millionaire status.
1924 – May
Sterling and Asaunta Goodmans two year old son Randal Goodman dies of natural causes. Asaunta isn’t seen for a full month while she grieves.
Work comes to a halt for several weeks - Two workers go missing and another worker is found brutally murdered on the Goodman home site. As the investigation continues, one of the missing men – Jorge Lythcher , 21 years old – is implicated in the murder. He is never found.
1924 – July
Work continues on Asaunta’s Fantasia.
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| Tabitha Oslow - circa 1923 |
1924 – July
Sterling Goodman’s sister Rebecca passes away from Influenza two months after her husband Jonathan Oslow passed away. Their surviving 9 year old daughter Tabitha Oslow is sent to live with the Goodmans.
Asaunta and Tabitha Oslow work with E. Varelli to design the addition of a special room off the main building that was to be her bedroom.
1924 – September
E Varelli is called back to London. It is rumored that this was due to a special project - the start of the home of Helena Markos, the infamous “Mater Suspiriorum”.
1925 – August
Asaunta’s Fantasia is completed.
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Grazia is taken aback by the mention of Mater Suspiriorum, the oldest of the infamous Three Mothers. Dark witches. She shivers, pours a glass of brandy, and continues reading.
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1925 – September
The Goodmans move into Asaunta’s Fantasia.
1925 – Year’s End
Reports from the Goodmans and those associated with them state that the time leading up to 1926 was lavish and lovely. The Goodmans host parties regularly and spare no expense making each party a wondrous affair.
Staff at the manor house say that the Goodmans are very good to them, making sure they are taken care of and well paid. In turn, a job at Asaunta’s Fantasia was one of the most sought-after positions in the area.
Sterling and Asaunta’s generosity is not limited to their home. The Goodmans put a large amount of money into the Clairemont River Valley and invest heavily in the logging industry in San Ravelo.
Several guests of Asaunta’s Fantasia report hearing strange noises and seeing ghastly apparitions when staying at the manor. Many think that it is the work of the Goodmans – perhaps one of Sterling’s inventions meant to shock and entertain.
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Tabitha Oslow-Goodman - February 5th, 1926 |
1926 – February
On February 8th, 1926, a horse given to Tabitha Oslow-Goodman for her 10th birthday suddenly runs amuck three days after her birthday event. The rampaging animal cripples the stableboy, then proceeds to run at the manor and jump through the window facing the garden – impaling itself on the complex metalwork there and dying instantly. The reason for the previously calm animals change is never found.
1926 – May
Asaunta Goodman starts The Sisters of Light – a group developed to put positive energy back into the community through various philanthropic means. The group grows rapidly over the next six months, going from nine members in May of 1926 to 28 members in November of 1926.
Small spiritual and paranormal meetings are said to be commonplace within the Sisters of Light.
1926 - October
It is rumored that Asaunta Goodman faints when she hears that Harry Houdini passed away in Michigan that day.
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| Bernie Logan |
1927 – December
The bodies of two African American members of staff Asaunta’s Fantasia - Bernie Logan and Thomasina Patton - were found hung by the neck from a tree on the grounds. A large cross is set ablaze on the property near the bodies. The Goodmans are devastated and withdraw behind locked gates until February of the next year. A reward is set for information regarding the case – the equivalent of $50,000 in 2005.
1928 – February
San Ravelo
The bodies of seven men are found in a ritualistic murder scene in the historic Gammen House. A full report of the scene is not given in the papers at the time, but the terms “slaughter house” and “ungodly affair” are used to describe the scene. Large letters T, P, B, and L are said to be carved into the bodies and painted on the main wall in the blood of the murdered men.
When asked about the case, Sterling Goodman is quoted as saying, “It is sad that true, lawful justice could not be carried out on these men if they were involved in the murders of Mr. Logan and Ms. Patton.”
Asaunta Goodman refuses comment.
1929 – April
The first report of the Wildwood Lights. Two bright blue lights said to drift through the forest on the grounds of Asaunta’s Fantasia. After the third sighting, an article in the paper suggests that the lights are the spirits of Bernie Logan and Thomasina Patton. Sneaking onto the Goodman property to look for the lights becomes a local rite of passage.
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| Wildwood Lights photograph - circa 1982 |
1929 – September
Asaunta’s Goodman loses her battle with Tuberculosis. Sterling and Tabitha lay her to rest on the grounds in the small cemetery by their chapel – the first body buried on the Asaunta’s Fantasia grounds.
1929 – September
Tabitha Oslow-Goodman says that Asaunta Goodman is still roaming the halls of Asaunta’s Fantasia. She sets up a small shrine to her adopted mother and is frequently heard speaking to her in various areas of the house. The family doctor says that it is just part of the grieving process, but also suggests keeping a close eye on the child in case things get worse.
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| Photo taken on the second floor of the Moore Estate - 1978 |
1930 – March
Extensive, additional structural work begins on Asaunta’ Fantasia. The work is done with great amounts of secrecy with a small group of workers and engineers. Truckloads of concealed machinery are brought in over the next six months and the work goes on until April of 1931. Several fires are said to have occurred during construction. Goodman retained a full-time fire brigade on the premises during the end of construction.
Noted spiritualist Ariadna Samano is seen visiting several times during the construction and shortly after the completion of the work.
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| Ariadna Samano - 1924 |
1931 – June
15 year old Tabitha Oslow-Goodman takes a leadership role in The Sisters of Light. With her stepfather’s help, she starts “La casa di Asaunta per i bambini smarriti” (( Asaunta’s Home for Lost Children )) later that summer. The home provides shelter for over 50 homeless children in the Clairemont River Valley and surrounding area.
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| Asaunta’s Home for Lost Children |
1931 through 1934
Reports of strange lights on the grounds of Asaunta’s Fantasia and spectral visions within the manor continue to grow. Spiritualists from the US and various other parts of the world request access to the manor, but only a handful of them are allowed entrance.
Sterling and Tabitha become more and more withdrawn. While their efforts in the valley continue to provide care for many, their strange lifestyle and withdrawn nature prove to be a source of rumors and slanderous statements.
1934 – April
Sterling Goodman starts another secret structural project. E. Varelli is consulted again and Mr. and Mrs. Vincenzo and Elisabetta Conti oversee designs of unknown electrical and spiritual construction.
Tabitha takes the opportunity to travel through various locations in the United States, but Sterling Goodman forbids her to pursue her efforts to travel to Europe due to the growing escalations overseas.
1934 – July
Tabitha Oslow-Goodman returns home upon receiving news that her stepfather Sterling is missing. The search for him continues for weeks, but no sign of him is found. Mr. and Mrs. Vincenzo and Elisabetta Conti and the workers that were on the property are questioned, but no evidence of their involvement is found.
1935 – August
Tabitha Oslow-Goodman shuts down half of Asaunta’s Fantasia and releases much of the staff.
1935 – September
Sterling Goodman is found wandering in the woods just north of San Ravelo. He’s badly burned and raving mad. He keeps repeating, “She can finally rest. My Asaunta can finally rest.” He was taken to St. Justine’s, but soon succumbs to his burns and internal injuries.
He is buried next to his wife Asaunta on the grounds of Asaunta’s Fantasia.
Tabitha Oslow-Goodman continues to meet with The Sisters of Light regularly.
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| The Sisters of Light gathering - 1938 |
1940 – December
Tabitha Oslow-Goodman marries playboy Siegbert Werner after meeting him in New York City. She keeps her family name. Together, they sell off over 75% of her stepfather’s businesses. Reports say that over 50% of the gains are put back into charities and several unnamed groups.
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| Siegbert Werner |
When rumors spread that the couple is funding the German war effort, full time security staff needs to be hired to repel angry, pro-US groups.
Tabitha Oslow-Goodman is later reported to have saved the lives of over 220 men, women, and children fleeing Germany during the war by funding several anti-Nazi groups in Germany and Italy.
1946 – December 27th
Tabitha Oslow-Goodman and Siegbert Werner are found dead in Asaunta’s Fantasia.
Reports vary about their passing – from murder suicide, to a gas leak in the home, to ritual murder.
Mayor Ronald Carver seals the case, scene, and the investigation out of respect for the family and their years of service to the community.
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| Mayor Ronald Carver |
“Some sort of…demon…tore those two lovely people apart. Something filled with hate killed them and two of them ladies that used to meet up there in that Light Sisters group. Nothin’ human could have done that to good folks like them.”
Quote from Officer Peter Hinde (Ret) interviewed for the Clairemont River Valley Centennial Documentary in 1983. The footage was never aired publicly.
1946 – 1951
The Sisters of Light and Tabitha Oslow-Goodman’s lawyers maintain the upkeep of Asaunta’s Fantasia and make sure it remains empty.
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Grazia looks around her room. The windows…walls….floors…all take on a greater significance now. She slips a napkin into the book to save her place, stands up with her brandy, and moves to the window. She looks back towards the garage area, then out over the grounds. The darkness of the new moon makes it difficult to see.
She whispers, “I wonder who will go with me to look for these Wildwood Lights…” Grazia smiles.
