Seton Castle Restoration Ground-Breaking Ceremony Speeches

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January 21, 2005
Speech given by Christa Coggins-Franklin

Thank you for having me here today.

Being a relative newcomer to Santa Fe, it has been exciting for me to get to know the Santa Fe side of the Seton family. Although we had enjoyed getting to know Dee and Dale over the years, it has been especially meaningful, for me, to finally get to know Julie.

I grew up hearing stories from my mother about living in the estates conceived, designed and constructed by ETS in Greenwich, Connecticut. For example, I remember hearing how everywhere he built an estate in the backwoods of Greenwich, Seton would damn up a stream to create a lake. And he would always have some sort of menagerie at the house, including de-scented skunks.

Many of Seton’s trademark architectural elements from his estates back East were incorporated out here in the Castle where we can see carved lintels and whimsical paintings of animals and Indian symbols.

Dee searched for a long time for the right entity to purchase the Castle. I think that, in the Academy for the Love of Learning, she succeeded in finding all of the right elements in a buyer: energized leadership and staff who care about Seton’s legacy; appreciation of an eclectic collection of miscellany as well as real treasures; a commitment to the preservation of the Castle, and a willingness not only to use the Castle as a venue for retreats and trainings but also for those interested in learning about Seton himself.

My family and I are honored to be able to help with this endeavor, and look forward to the work ahead and to the bringing together of the two parts of the Seton family.

Thank you.