Before Oceanside got started, these verdant coastal hills had become the old Maxwell farm. Back in the early 1920's, two brothers - Hud and Jud Rosenberg - moved to the area, purchased the farm and most of the rest of the local property, and began to develop a resort. By the middle of that decade, they had many attractions in place to entice visitors to build their vacation dream house in Oceanside. They had campgrounds, picnic areas, a store, the large dance hall, playgrounds, a small zoo - they even bored a tunnel through Maxwell Point for the convenience of beachcombers.

In the midst of all this excitement, Lloyd and Berni Hughey, still newly married, arrived on the scene. The Oceanside hills were almost devoid of houses then, and the young couple had their choice of just about any lot they wanted. They eventually decided in favor of the magnificent view (they had also considered the convenience of a level lot), and in 1927 they purchased the first of the lots where the Castle now stands. The next year they started construction, and in 1929 the Hughey's were enjoying their own beach cabin - a tiny 18 by 20 structure containing two 6 by 8-foot bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. There was also a small four-foot wide, open porch across the front. The bathroom was a small detached structure at the rear of the house, but even then it boasted real "indoor" plumbing.

Construction in those days was difficult at best. Materials had to be hauled in from Portland, and roads ranged from poor to nonexistent. Lloyd acquired an old truck to haul materials; at one memorable point during construction, not only did the lumber slide down the steep hill to the construction site... so did the truck! But in spite of the many obstacles, the original house was "completed" in 1929, with Lloyd doing essentially all the building himself.

Actually, construction has never stopped, and continues to this day. Almost as soon as the job was first finished, the basement was enclosed. Shortly after that, the north half of the porch was enclosed, and some years later the remainder of the porch was closed in ... with a growing family, there was a constant need for more space. Eventually, one of the bedrooms gave way to a need for a dining area. The children slept in the loft at the top of the ladder (which was located where the maple and wine colored hutch is today in the mid-level unit), right under the rafters.

About 1955, the tower was extended up to enlarge the living room. Several years later, they raised the roof and extended the "tower" upward, creating what is now the Crow's Nest. The round turret-shaped structure was intended to add a "lighthouse" atmosphere to the cabin.

About the time Lloyd "retired", he added the gift shop and studio (now the Potter's Wheel) and the ceramics workshop and kiln below it. Lloyd and Berni made Oceanside their permanent residence in 1968, and Berni taught ceramics classes and operated her ceramics business for several years after that. Since her childhood days, Berni had always dreamed of living in a castle, and so the tiny cabin grew bit by bit to become "Berni's Castle" - a name now widely known throughout the area.

In keeping with the tradition of the Castle, the evolution continues. In 1995 we bought Berni's Castle and began what was to be a simple remodel of the workshop space. However, excavating under the entire structure for a new foundation, jacking up the front (west side) of the house ten inches to level the floors, adding additional square footage to take advantage of the view and adding interior stairs and hallways to make it possible to connect the bottom two levels without having to go outside, certainly was not the "simple remodel" it started out to be. Five years, many dollars and countless man-hours later the Castle is once again ready to share its hospitality.

Welcome to Berni's Castle! We're sure you will enjoy your stay.