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| Old Town San Diego State Historic Park Old Town State Historic Park is where the city of San Diego began. The original mission and presidio were nearby; the town developed below as retired soldiers and settlers built homes here. In the mid-1830s, Richard Henry Dana, Jr. described Old Town as "about forty dark brown looking huts.. and three or four larger ones, white-washed...". Today's Old Town recreates the setting of California life during the Mexican and early American periods, 1821-1872. It became an historic park in 1968. Three original adobes have been restored, the Casa de Estudillo, Machado y Stewart and Machado y Silvas. Buildings now house museums, shops and restaurants. The Stars and Stripes was first raised over the plaza in 1846 by Marines from the U.S.S. Location: Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, plaque located W side of plaza at 4016 Wallace Street, San Diego |
| Old Town Plaza This square was the center of public life and recreation in Old San Diego from the earliest days. Promenading gave way, on some Sundays and feast days, to bull-and-bear fights, and bullfights in which there were no professionals -- anyone was welcome to join in for as long as he chose. On such occasions fences enclosed the dusty open space across the streets entering it. Games, ceremonies, and trials were held here, too. On a pole in the plaza the American flag was first hoisted in Southern California to signify United States domination. It was on July 29, 1846; Lieutenant Stephan C. Rowan, of the U. S. Sloop-of-War Cyane, landed and occupied the town with blue jackets from the ship, and men of Fremont's California Battalion. San Diego had to be taken again in November. Then the Mexican flag was cut away from the pole and carried off by Senora Maria Antonio Machado de Silvas, who wanted to save it from disgrace, even, as she thought, at the risk of her life. There being no halliards with which to send up the American flag, Albert B. Smith climbed the pole and nailed it fast. After the American conquest the plaza, renamed Washington Square, continued to be the center of San Diego life. To bullfights and Judas hangings were added noisy Fourth of July celebrations, with oratory, band concerts, and cannon fire. The place could be very full of racket on any Saturday night. A coroner's daughter recalled in later years that two or three fatalities over a weekend, from gunfights, were not unknown. In those days the town's best saloons and billiards parlors faced on the square. From 1850 to 1876 the old cannon in the plaza, El Capitan, was set in the ground muzzle down, for use as a whipping post for Indians who misbehaved. Location: Old Town Plaza (Washington Square), Old Town San Diego State Historic Park |
| Heritage Park Victorian Village This 7.8-acre county park is dedicated to the preservation of San Diego's Victorian architecture. Expansion downtown after WWII threatened these structures with demolition on their original sites. Public and private funds paid for the acquisition, relocation, and restoration of these buildings. Now owned by the county, the structures are leased to private and commercial entities responsible for interior renovation and operation in keeping with the park's Victorian theme. Wedding services, a doll shop, bed and breakfast inn, law office, antique store, and a community meeting place operate in Heritage Park.
5201 Ruffin Rd., Suite P San Diego, CA 92123-1699 (858) 565-3600 for reservations (858) 694-3049 for information |
| The Whaley House The Whaley House is a two-story Greek Revival style brick residence in San Diego's Old Town, was designed by Thomas Whaley and completed in 1857. The home, acclaimed as the "finest new brick block in Southern California" by the San Diego Herald, contained mahogany and rosewood furniture, damask drapes, and Brussels carpets. Whaley established his general store in this residence, and solicited cash customers only. The Whaleys moved to San Francisco but returned to San Diego in 1868. Whaley family members would live in the house for nearly a century. From October 1868 to January 1869, the Tanner Troupe Theatre operated out of the front upstairs bedroom. The San Diego County Courthouse utilized the former granary in August 1869 and rented three upstairs rooms for records storage. After the establishment of New Town San Diego by Alonzo Horton in 1868, the town focus changed to present day downtown San Diego. During a March 1871 raid, courthouse documents were removed from the Whaley House and taken to Horton's Hall on 6th and F in San Diego. After the County's exit, Whaley connected the former granary and courtroom to the residence, changed windows and doors, and altered the front portico. On October 31, 1956, the County of San Diego purchased the historic Whaley House, and undertook a major renovation of the property, which is still evident today. In September of 2000 Save Our Heritage Organisation assumed the stewardship of the property for the County of San Diego and is in the progress of restoring the house to its original appearance. The Whaley House is open to the Public Regular Hours: 10 am to 4:30 pm ~ every day except Wednesday Regular Admission: adults $5.00, seniors $4.00, and children $3.00 Purchase tickets in the SOHO Museum Shop next door. The Whaley House is located in Old Town San Diego at 2482 San Diego Avenue, San Diego CA 92110 www.whaleyhouse.org |
| The Adobe Chapel Until 1858, Old Town San Diego, a small pueblo of a few hundred inhabitants, had no parish church. The Presidio Chapel had been abandoned in 1842 and the Mission San Diego de Alcala was closed in 1846. The church vestments and artwork form the Presidio and Mission had been entrusted to Jose Estudillo and the Casa de Estudillo Chapel was used until the 1850s when tradition says that a larger chapel in the Casa de Aguirre served the community. Don Jose Aguirre elected to provide a church with funds from the proceeds of a pending lawsuit if he won the case. He did win the case and in February 1858, he purchased the adobe home of John Brown originally built in 1850 and with the addition of a second story the home was converted into the chapel. The floors are reputed to be the first wooden floors in Old Town; John Brown had brought the lumber from Mesa Grande. Don Jose Aguirre purchased the home of John Brown on Conde Street in Old Town in 1858. The home was made into a chapel. The Adobe Chapel was the first parochial church in the first parish of California after the secularization of the missions in 1832. Father Juan Molliner served as the resident priest for San Diego from 1857 until 1863. In the 1889s the church was covered with wood siding and a shingle roof replaced the tile one. The chapel continued in use until 1917 and was used for a kindergarten until 1922, when it was boarded up until being restored in 1937. The Adobe Chapel was dedicated on November 22, 1858, to the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin, the patroness of the city and port of San Diego. The Chapel was the first parochial church in the first parish in California after the secularization of the Missions in 1832. Fr. Molinier served the people until 1863. In 1866, Fr. Antonio Ubach became the parish priest serving old town until 1907. Fr. Ubach was the model for Father Gaspara of Helen Hunt Jackson's 19th century novel, "Ramona". He stated that the Adobe Chapel was the marriage place of the real-life Ramona and Alessandro. And in the book it is described as such. In the 1870s the adobe church was covered with wood siding and a wood shingle roof replaced the tile roof. The chapel continued in use until 1919 when a new church was dedicated. All of the religious art and artifacts the Mission and Presidio statues, vestments, chests, bells and which had been handed down each time from chapel to chapel were transferred from the chapel to the new church and later these were sent to other churches in California and Arizona. The chapel was used for a kindergarten until 1922, when it was abandoned and boarded up. The Roman Catholic Church owned the chapel property until 1936 when ownership was transferred to the City of San Diego. The city demolished the original structure to make way for a new street, but salvaged as much of the original building as possible including original doors and windows, the altar, portions of the confessional and various other pieces of the building, and its benefactor Don Aguirre who had been buried in the chapel tombstone was moved as well. In 1937 the Works Progress Administration (WPA) reconstructed the chapel with funds provided by the City, the WPA and private donations. In 1932 the Chapel became California Historic Landmark No. 49. From 1970 until 2004 the San Diego County Historical Days Association has acted as custodian for the city running the chapel as a museum. In November 2004 Save Our Heritage Organization (SOHO) took over these museum operations for the city. SOHO's plans are to return the chapel to is original appearance. Goals include replicating and acquiring as possible the original art and artifacts for the chapel. The chapel is available for community meetings or special events and is also available for weddings. Hours: Daily 10-4 www.sohosandiego.org Mailing address: San Diego County Historical Days Association 3966 Mason Street San Diego, CA 92100 |
| Chapel of the Immaculate Conception With the exception of San Diego Mission itself, this is the oldest church in San Diego. Built in the 1850's as a home by John Brown, a Connecticut Yankee, it had the first wooden floors in San Diego. The lumber used was cut near Mesa Grande and brought in by Brown. A few years later Don Jose Antonio Aguirre, a wealthy rancher, became involved in a lawsuit and made a pledge to provide San Diego with a church if he won. He did, and bought Brown's adobe for $350, and converted it into a church. (Don Jose was buried under the floor, beneath a marble slab in the small side chapel.) On November 21, 1858, Father John Moliner, who became pastor, dedicated it and Old Town had its first church. Father Antonio Ubach, the Gaspara of the novel Ramona, officiated here for many years. The chapel was described in the book: In a neglected weedy open stood his chapel, a poverty-stricken little place, its walls imperfectly white-washed, decorated by a few coarse pictures and by broken sconces of looking glass . . . a few cheap candles lighted the room. Everything about it was in union with the atmosphere of the place, the most profoundly melancholy in all Southern California. It was here that California's most famous lovers, Ramona and Alessandro, were married. The original building was superseded as a church by the one on San Diego Avenue in 1916. In 1937 it was rebuilt a few feet away from its original site, and was rededicated. Location: 3950 Conde Street, between Congress St and San Diego Ave, Old Town, San Diego |
| Alvarado House (Alvarado Provisions) As is the case with many of Old Town's historic dwellings, Alvarado House lives now through its incarnation as Alvarado Provisions general store. Operated as a "disorderly house" (illegal liquor sales) by Francisco Alvarado in the mid 1800s, the house was maintained through 1874. Today, the location serves up all kinds of pre-packaged "general store" treats, including vintage sweets from Walnettos to rock candy and licorice. The store's wood-plank floors creak with the footfall of curious tourists, and a strong scent of sassafras hangs in the air. A comfortable place to stop, with its low-lit, cooling shade inside and welcoming benches outside, tiny Alvarado Provisions sells jerky, baking mixes, coffee, spices, jellies and cookbooks. The small store also has an extensive collection of hot sauces -- as do many tourist shops in San Diego. |
| Casa de Bandini Born in Peru, Juan Bandini came to California with his father, master of a trading vessel, in 1819. He became a Mexican citizen and son-in-law to Jose Maria Estudillo in 1822. La Casa de Bandini was completed in 1829 and soon became the social center of Old Town. Juan Bandini held various offices during the Mexican regime. When Americans took over, he supplied them with horses and supplies from his rancho. In the early 1850s, Bandini was forced to sell his home because of financial losses. Alfred Seeley purchased the crumbling home in 1869, added a second story and opened the building as the Cosmopolitan Hotel. Later the building was used as a store pickle factory and motel annex, and now hosts a Mexican restaurant. Phone: (619) 297-8211 Hours: restaurant opens at 11 daily, 10 on Sunday |
| Casa De Carrillo A restored remnant of this house, at the east end of Wallace Street, serves the Presidio Hills Golf Course as a clubhouse. This is the oldest of the adobe mansions now standing, having been built in the second decade of the Nineteenth Century, among the pear trees of Don Francisco Maria Ruiz, the Comandante of the Presidio. Ruiz's orchard has a reputation for being the oldest in Southern California. He occupied one room of the Carrillo house, and he apparently started the building, in order to be able to live near his trees. A kinsman, Joaquin Carrillo, moved in, bringing his family, which occupied the place for many years. At his death Ruiz left the pear garden to the Carrillos. Later the grove passed into the hands of the Sotos, and Louis Rose, from whom it took the name Rose's Garden. Josefa Carrillo carried on her famous romance with Henry Fitch here. From this house Andres Pico spirited her to Fitch's ship and a wedding in Peru, when her father and Governor Echeandia, an admirer, were away. Fitch returned with his bride to be punished by the church, build a house across Juan Street, and become the richest merchant in town. When Ruiz died in 1839 and Joaquín soon afterwards, son Ramon Carrillo sold this property to Lorenzo Soto. It was transferred several times before 1932, deteriorating gradually, until George Marston and associates restored the house and grounds and deeded them to the City of San Diego as a golf course. Location: About 100 ft NE of Juan St on Wallace Street, Presidio Golf Course, San Diego |
| Casa de Estudillo This house, an excellent example of a Mexican Californian mansion, stands on the southeast side of the plaza in Old San Diego. It has been one of California's outstanding show places for many years. Prefect Don Jose Antonio Estudillo built the house; at about the same time the Bandinis raised theirs across the street, and brought up his children there. One, Jose Guadalupe, was elected to a number of high positions, including State Treasurer, while living in it. Formerly a cupola, which served the family as a choice observation post for the bullfights, surmounted the house, bear baitings, and other amusements in the plaza. Within the house is a private chapel; the Estudillos allowed priests who came down from the Mission to use it, before the church was built on Conde Street, to minister to the needs of San Diego's residents. One room also was rented to the county as its school, a little later. The original adobe house was bought and restored in 1910 by John D. Spreckels, under the direction of Architect Hazel Waterman; Mr. Legler Benbough donated it to the State; furnishings were provided with the assistance of the National Society of Colonial Dames of America. For many years, the building was mistakenly known as "Ramona's Marriage Place" from Helen Hunt Jackson's novel. The museum now features furnished rooms and a working kitchen and large courtyard. Location: SE corner of San Diego Ave and Mason Street, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park Hours: 10-5 daily, Admission: free Location: About 100 ft NE of Juan St on Wallace Street, Presidio Golf Course, San Diego |
| Casa De Lopez Built about 1835 by Juan Francisco Lopez, one of San Diego's early Spanish settlers, the Casa Larga, or Long House, was among the first substantial houses built in the Pueblo of San Diego. In 1846 it was the home of Juan Matias Moreno, secretary to Pío Pico, California's last Mexican governor. Location: 3890 Twiggs St on west side of right entrance to restaurant, Old Town, San Diego |
| Casa de Machado y Silva Jose Nicasio Silvas, who built this house between 1830 and 1843, lived here for many years with his wife, Maria Antonia Machado, and children. Their home stayed in the family for over 100 years, and subsequently became a boarding house, saloon, restaurant, art studio, souvenir shop, museum and church. |
| Casa de Machado y Stewart A restored adobe (mud-brick) home from the 1830s, was built by Jose Manuel Machado. Jack Stewart, a native of Maine, married Machado's youngest daughter, Rosa, in 1845 and the couple moved in with the Machados. Descendants of the Stewarts occupied the house until 1966. Wander behind the house to discover one of the loveliest garden spots in Old Town. |
| Casa de Pedrorena Miguel de Pedrorena, a native of Madrid, came to San Diego as a ship's agent and in 1842 married one of the Estudillo daughters. He claimed the lot adjacent to the Casa de Estudillo, but died in 1850 before he could build a home, which was later built on the site in 1869 by his son, Miguel Jr. In 1871, ownership transferred to Isabel Pedrorena de Altamirano and remained as a family residence until 1907. The building currently houses a gem, jewelry and rock shop. On the east side of San Diego Avenue, between Twiggs and Mason Streets, was this, the home of Don Miguel T. de Pedrorena. Handsome and debonair, he was conspicuous as a leader in social life as in public affairs. Don Miguel came from one of the best families in Madrid, and received his education there and at Oxford University. He proved himself a courageous military leader during the Mexican War, serving as a captain in the United States cavalry. He was in the forefront of the attack against Fort Stockton when it was finally taken. Earlier he had helped by burying underneath his house or in the patio behind it, El Jupiter, the old bronze gun now at the fort, in order to prevent its being brought into action against the Americans. Don Miguel was a member of the Constitutional Convention at Monterey in 1849. He joined William Heath Davis and some others in the abortive founding of New Town in 1850, the year he died. His house passed into the hands of his son-in-law, Jose Antonio Altamirano, who raised his family there also. Altamirano owned the little frame house next door, where the San Diego Union was first published. It has been connected with his name, traditionally, rather than the larger adobe. Location: 2616 San Diego Ave, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park Hours: Daily 10-4 |
| Casa de Wrightington The Wrightington adobe was built in the late Mexican period with a wing constructed in 1852. It served as the personal residence of Thomas Wrightington and his family. After his death in 1853, his widow Juana Machado Alipaz de Wrightington remained in the house until the late 1890s. Dr. George McKinstry, Jr. used a room in her house for his personal residence and office for almost thirty years. He and Juana Wrightington provided medical care for Native Americans in San Diego County. Hours: 10-5 daily; Admission: free |
| Derby-Pendleton House Lieutenant George Horatio Derby (1823-1861) arrived here in 1853 to divert the San Diego River back into False Bay. Derby is remembered best as Squibob or John Phoenix, for his humorous pieces published in the San Diego Herald, and Phoenixiana, first printed in 1855. Not currently open to the public. Mailing address: Save Our Heritage Organization 2482 San Diego Avenue San Diego, CA (619) 297-9327 |
| Johnson House George Alonzo Johnson, a steamboat operator on the Colorado River and later a California State Assemblyman from San Diego, built this small frame home for his family in 1869. His home was at the Penasquitos Rancho about twenty miles from Old Town. He lost the Rancho in 1880 moved into the Old Town House, where he lived until his death in 1903. Displays include artifacts from the Spanish and early American periods, as well as archaeological tools and techniques. |
| Robinson-Rose House James Robinson came to San Diego from Texas in the spring of 1850 and developed a successful law practice. He built this two-story structure in 1853 to serve not only as his family residence but also as the home of the San Diego Herald, the San Diego and Gila Railroad office, as well as other private offices. Robinson died in 1857 and his widow Sarah Robinson sold the building to Louis Rose, who probably purchased it as a family residence. Fire destroyed the roof in 1874 and the building fell into ruins by the turn of the century. The reconstructed building now serves as Old Town State Historic Park's visitor center and has on display a wonderful model of Old Town as it looked in 1872, created by Joseph Toigo. Hours: 10-5 daily; Admission: free |
| Silvas-McCoy House State Park archaeologists excavated in Old Town San Diego in 1995 to recover information needed to reconstruct a large residence built in 1869 by James McCoy, a well-to-do Irish immigrant who served as San Diego's sheriff and state senator. Prior to 1851 the property belonged to Maria Eugenia Silvas, descendant of a Spanish Colonial soldier who came to Alta California in the 1770s. The Silvas-McCoy House is currently under construction as the visitor center for Old Town San Diego. The interpretive center will serve as the main entryway to the Old Town historic park. Interpretive exhibits include:
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| Mason Street School Originally erected near its present site on the north side of Mason Street in the block west of San Diego Avenue, this school house has occupied various lots around Old Town since being moved to make way for the second, larger Mason Street School. Built in 1865, this was the first public school house in San Diego. Mary Chase Walker was its first teacher. She received a salary of $65/month. After eleven months she quit teaching and married Ephraim Morse, who was president of the school board at the time. The trustees of School District Number 1, San Diego County in 1865, built it. Although the county had operated a public school in rented buildings and houses for some years, this is reputed to be the first publicly owned schoolhouse in the county. Sit at the desks. Books and California on display; adult education classes in California history; fourth grade tours. Hours: 10-4 Daily; Admission: free Mailing address: San Diego County Historical Days Association 3966 Mason Street San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 297-1183 |
| Serra Museum Just up the hill from Old Town, at the site of the original San Diego presidio, this museum holds artifacts from the presidio excavation, temporary and permanent exhibits, l6th-18th century Spanish furniture. Museum is available for private events and special bookings. Operated by the San Diego Historical Society. 2727 Presidio Drive Mailing Address: PO Box 81825 San Diego, CA 92138 (619) 297-3258 Hours: Friday-Sunday 10-4:30; Admission $5, children under 13 free |
| Sheriff's Museum Interactive exhibits from the 150-year history of the Sheriff's Department; displays include guns, badges, handcuffs, uniforms, patrol car, helicopter, motorcycle, jail cell and courtroom. 2384 San Diego Avenue San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 260-1850 Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10-4; Admission: free |
| Wells Fargo History Museum Cave Couts, who married Ysidora Bandini, built the Colorado House in 1851. This building was a successful hotel, saloon and gaming parlor. Museum covers the topics of banking, mining and overland travel in the early American West. Exhibit features an authentic 1867 Abbot-Downing Concord stagecoach, an audio-visual theater, plus documents, maps, photos, early coins and balance scales. Mailing address: 2733 San Diego Ave San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 238-3929 Hours: 10-5 daily, Admission: free |
| Mission San Diego De Alcala On Sunday, July 16, 1769, Fathers Junípero Serra, Juan Vizcaino, and Fernando Parrón raised and blessed a cross to establish Alta California's first mission. Relocated from Presidio Hill to this site in August 1774, the mission was the Mother of those founded in California by the Franciscan Order. The present buildings, first completed in 1813, were rebuilt in stages from 1915 to 1931 after many years of deterioration. They have been in use as a parish church since February 1941. Location: Mission San Diego de Alcala, 10818 San Diego Mission Rd, San Diego |
| El Campo Santo (Cemetery) This adobe-walled cemetery, now a restful stop for visitors of the bustling Old Town area, was first established in 1849 as a private burial place for then prominent San Diego elite. Since then, it has held the remains of all those dearly departed, from outlaws to the parish priest. El Campo Santo once included the adobe chapel on Conde Street, in which were buried José Antonio Aguirre, María Victoria Domínguez Estudillo and Cave Johnson Couts, distinguished early San Diegans. Between 1849 and 1897, 477 persons were buried in these grounds. Antonio Garra was the most eminent of many Native Americans interred here. A number of graves were relocated after 1874. A street railway bisected the cemetery in 1894. The wall around this portion was built in 1933. Restoration has continued to the present (1994). One story tells of an Antonio Garra, (Chief of the San Luis Rey Indians) who rebelled against the settlers in 1880. He was apparently executed, then buried on this site but not before being forced to dig his own grave! Location: On San Diego Ave between Arista and Conde Sts, San Diego, plaque currently in storage |
| First Brick San Diego Courthouse The Mormon Battalion arrived in San Diego in January of 1847 to support the American military garrison in the pueblo during the Mexican War. When not engaged in military duties, they assisted the community by building the first fired-brick structure in Old Town. Originally designated as a town hall and schoolroom, once the state legislature incorporated San Diego as the first city in California, it became the office for Mayor, City Clerk, Board of Supervisors. Reconstructed in 1992, the First San Diego Courthouse Association is planning reconstruction of the original jail cell behind the building. Mailing address: First San Diego Courthouse, Inc. c/o Tim Konold, President 401 West A Street, Suite 2600 San Diego, CA 92l01 Hours: 10-5 daily; Admission: free |
| Mormon Battalion Memorial Visitor's Center The Mormon Battalion arrived in San Diego in January of 1847 to support the American military garrison in the pueblo during the Mexican War. Five companies totaling over 500 men had been mustered in at Council Bluffs, Iowa on July 16, 1846. Along with 32 women, they made the longest march in military history consisting of 2,000 miles from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to San Diego. Mailing address: 2510 Juan Street San Diego, CA 92110 (619) 298-3317 Hours: 9am - 9pm every day of the year |
| United States House Charles Noell and John Hayes operated a general store out of this two-story pre-fabricated building as early as 1850. In 1854, Hayes leased the structure to Robert Lloyd and Edward Kerr, who named it the U.S. House. Other business ventures at this location included an auction house, butcher shop and a match factory. This structure, like many in Old Town, burned in the fire of 1872. Hours: 10-5 daily; Admission: free |
| San Diego Union Museum This wood-frame structure was prefabricated in Maine and shipped around the Horn in 1851. It became the first office of the San Diego Union newspaper. The building is restored, as it was when the Union printed its first edition on October 10, 1868 and was published as a weekly. It contained four pages and, as was common in those days, the first and last pages were mostly literary efforts -- a short story, some dreary humor and a few ads. Gatewood, an attorney, advertised his services in an ad, but the biggest ad on the page was from George Irvine, a meat packer in San Francisco. Visitors can view the original print room with a Washington press and the editor's office. Hours: Daily 10-5, Admission: free |
| San Diego Presidio Soldiers, sailors, Indians, and Franciscan missionaries from New Spain occupied the land at Presidio Hill on May 17, 1769 as a military outpost. Two months later, Fr. Junípero Serra established the first San Diego Mission on Presidio Hill. Officially proclaimed a Spanish Presidio on January 1, 1774, the fortress was later occupied by a succession of Mexican forces. The Presidio was abandoned in 1837 after San Diego became a pueblo. Location: Next to parking lot across Presidio Dr from Serra Museum, Presidio Park, Old Town, San Diego |
| Black Hawk Smithy & Stable J.B. Hinton launched this business in the 1860s, providing blacksmith services, coach repairs, feed and accommodations for horses and teamsters. Blacksmithing and other demonstrations. Hours: Wednesday and Saturday 10-2 |
| Congress Hall This building was originally a two-story public house built by George Dewitt Clinton Washington Robinson about 1867. From this building one of the last survivors of the pony express rode north. Location: Vacant lot, S side of 2734 Calhoun St, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park |
| Fort Stockton Fortified briefly by Carlos Carrillo in 1828, this site became Fort Dupont (July-November 1846) after American forces took Old Town during the Mexican War. Retaken and held briefly by the Californios, it fell once more to the Americans, who renamed it Fort Stockton and used it as campaign headquarters for ending the Californio revolt in early 1847. The Mormon Battalion stayed here later that year. The post was abandoned on September 25, 1848. Location: Top of hill W of Presidio Dr in Presidio Park, Old Town, San Diego |
| Plaza San Diego Viejo (Washington Square) This plaza was established as the center of the Mexican Pueblo of San Diego, which elected its first ajuntamiento in 1834. On July 29, 1846, at 4 p.m., Lieutenant Stephen C. Rowan, U.S.N., from the U.S. sloop-of-war Cyane, raised the American flag over the plaza. Location: Old Town Plaza (Washington Square), Old Town San Diego State Historic Park |
| Racine and Laramie Tobacco Store Juan Rodriguez, a Mexican soldier who had received the land as compensation for his service, probably built his home here in the 1830s. It burned in the Old Town fire of 1872 and has been reconstructed and furnished with period pieces to recreate the Racine and Laramie store, which sold cigars, tobacco and stationery, as it was in 1869. Hours: Daily 10-5 |
| Seeley Stables Albert Seeley ran the San Diego-Los Angeles Stage Line, which was put out of business in 1887 after the coming of the railroad. Reconstructed stable and barns house a fine collection of horse-drawn buggies, wagons, carriages and other western memorabilia. Hours: 10-5 daily; Admission: free |
| Serra Palm Site of the palm planted in 1769 by Padre Junípero Serra when he arrived at San Diego. Here the four divisions of the Portolá Expedition met on July 1, 1769. The famous 'El Camino Real,' most celebrated trail in California, begins here. Location: Presidio Park, SE corner of Taylor St and Presidio Dr, San Diego |
| Casa De Cota This adobe house is said to have been constructed about 1835 by Juan or Ramon Cota. Location: NW corner of Twiggs and Congress Sts, Old Town, San Diego |
| The Exchange Hotel This tablet marks the site of the Exchange Hotel. Here, on June 29,1851, Masons met for the first time in San Diego and organized the lodge which became San Diego Lodge No. 35, F. & A.M., the oldest lodge of Masons in Southern California. Location: 2729 San Diego Ave, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park |
| Light-Freeman House Built in 1830, this was originally a small adobe saloon and provision store, owned by two black men, Richard Freeman and Allen Light. In 1856 it was known as the American Hotel. |
| McKinstry Dentist Exhibit According to the census report on the file in the Historical Society library in the Serra Museum. George McKinstry Jr., was born in Canada about 1815, his family moving to Hudson in New York shortly thereafter. After 1865, McKinstry, spent the lsat part of his life practicing medicine in Old Town San Diego and surrounding Indian Villages. He was not known to have ever married. He lived at the Thomas Wrightington adobe in Old Town, which still exists and it is open to the public. Wrightington died in 1853 and his widow Juana Machado Alipaz de Wrightington lived in the home until the 1890s. Juana Wrightington distinguished herself as nurse and professional partner McKinstry, who used rooms in her adobe house for his personal residence and office for almost thirty years. He and Juana provided medical care for Native Americans in San Diego County. |
