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Images and Stories of a Historic California Beach Resort

Traci Bliss

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A member of a family that settled in the community of Seabright, California in the 1870's, Traci Bliss has co-authored a book detailing the neighborhood's history. Traci Bliss has also made speaking appearances on behalf of the book, Santa Cruz’s Seabright.

Seabright is well known for its beach, which adjoins the Seabright neighborhood. The area's sandstone cliffs provide a spectacular view overlooking the beach and the historic Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

Ironically, what was perhaps Seabright’s signature attraction was demolished in 1967. The Scholl Marr Castle, built in 1929, resembled a medieval stronghold, served beach-goers with hamburgers and snow cones and provided bathing suit rentals. Traci Bliss, as a youngster, was quite a fan of the Castle.
In addition to the Castle, the book covers other aspects of community life, including the volleyball scene, from which emerged an All-American, Don Hall.
Illustrating the book are some 220 photos, many of them from local archives. Other images came from the private collections of long-time residents. In all, the co-authors interviewed about 50 sources for the book.