William Randolph Hearst III moves in…

by | Aug 23, 2021

Patty Hearst’s uncle, William Randolph Hearst III, purchased the property in the early 1970’s to serve as a place to hide his sister after she had been kidnapped by the Symbonese Liberation Party. It was the Hearst family who named the farm Silver Penny after a...

1960’s

by | Aug 23, 2021

A family from San Francisco, the Goldies, purchased Silver Penny Farms in the 1960’s and used it for many years as a country get-away.  They were beloved by the Lakeville community and helped fund the new fire station across the street.
The Town of Lakeville

The Town of Lakeville

by | Aug 23, 2021

In 1859, William Bihler purchased the 8,000 acres, and drained Tolay Lake in order to plant potatoes and corn. The town of Lakeville grew around this farm and attracted Irish immigrants to the area who worked the farms and established a close-knit community. The town...
General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo’s

General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo’s

by | Aug 23, 2021

The property was part of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo’s 66,000 acre ranchero, “acquired” from the native Alaguala Nation in 1834. There was a huge demand in San Francisco for fresh food to feed the Gold Rush population which was growing very quickly with the...