Old Town San Diego

Today we toured Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. The park is made up of restored and reconstructed buildings of San Diego’s past, dating from 1821 to 1872. Old town was the original site of settlement near the bay, originally a Spanish settlement it became a Mexican settlement when Mexico gained it’s independence and then an American settlement when the U.S. declared war on Mexico in 1846. Old Town was abandon due to several reasons (including the end of the fur trade, an earthquake and disease), caused residents to move away or relocated to “new town”, now known as the gaslamp district which was being constructed on the harbor.

We began our tour by taking a narrated walk through some of the original structures that have been restored; the speaker gave us a glimpse into the lives of the buildings’ owners. After the tour we walked the area looking at other restored buildings that housed museums or information, other reconstructed buildings contain shops.

Our narrated tour took us into the Machado house which was also a restaurant. Meals could be purchased with fur pelts, more pelts bought larger, more balanced meals. The kitchen was interesting as food and supplies were stored on shelves that were suspended by rope from roof beams; this was done so shelves didn’t topple during earthquakes and to keep insects that crawl on the ground from climbing the shelving legs and infesting food.

 

The Machado House/Restaurant.

 

The restaurant portion of the home.

 

The kitchen.

 

Note the suspended shelves; the stenciling is traditional Mexican decoration, the tree trunk represents the male of the house and the flowering represents the female.

 

The narrator took us through the small Courthouse building which housed the Judge and Sheriff Offices, it was one of the first brick buildings built in California when the technology to make and lay bricks was brought here by soldiers who arrived during the war with Mexico. The original jail cell was on display outside, the cell could house a number of inmates so in one of the first acts of jail reform citizens had a roof installed. The jail cell’s metal box construction reminded John of the first jail building he worked in.

 

The brick Courthouse.

 

A police report from 1888.

 

John back at the jail controls; 5 to 10 people in here must have been interesting.

 

The Estudillo house was a large multi-room home when it was begun in 1827, it was built by Jose Estudillo and his brother-in-law Juan Bandini who were wealthy land owners. The house was later abandon when the economy changed due to the end of fur trading in the area and the families moved to what is now Los Angeles after they were unable to pay taxes on their land.

 

The Estudillo house.

 

The courtyard/garden.

 

After the narrated tour we walked through the reconstructed Seeley Stable; Albert Seeley operated a stagecoach line between San Diego and Los Angeles and this building contains exhibits including wagons and horse-drawn coaches. The upper level of the building contains American Indian artifacts from various southwestern tribes. Next to the stable we saw the Cosmopolitan Motel which is being refurbished; Albert Seeley purchased the original single story adobe building and had the second floor constructed of wood to house people that his stage coaches brought to San Diego.

 

 

Some of the wagons and coaches displayed inside the Steeley Stable:

A two wagon hitch used to hall freight.

 

 

 

 

A Studebaker Farm Wagon; yes the Studebaker Co. that later built automobiles.

 

The Cosmopolitan Hotel being restored; adobe 1st floor and wood 2nd story construction.

 

We also visited the Colorado House that now contains a Wells Fargo history museum, the McCoy House, the Mason Street School and the garden outside the Stewart House.

 

 

A Wells Fargo Strongbox.

 

McCoy was the Sheriff when the house was built.

 

The Stewart House and garden.