A wall and a fence by a parking lot in Old Town San Diego have been decorated with murals by artist Memuco (@memuco). I spotted them today during a short walk.
You can see these creations for yourself near the intersection of Congress Street and Twiggs Street.
A gentleman I spoke to at nearby shop The Art of Cigar told me Memuco used both spray paint and brush for his colorful rendition of Quetzalcoatl, which was finished a couple weeks ago.
Painting on the fence’s many vertical slats must have been an interesting undertaking. The snaky, scaly effect he achieved is quite wonderful!
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Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is already getting ready for Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos. Today I noticed that bigger than life Catrinas in beautiful dresses were being set up on barrels outside Fiesta de Reyes and Barra Barra!
I watched as a Catrina’s calavera (sugar skull) was removed from one figure, then attached to a second. Need to match those colors!
I was told that for Día de los Muertos, there will be a total of 51 Catrinas and skeletons set up at Fiesta de Reyes and Barra Barra!
I was also told that the celebration of Día de los Muertos in Old Town this year will be bigger and better than ever! The State of California’s Arts in Parks program is inviting local artists, culture bearers, chalk artists, piñata artists, traditional craftsmen and musicians to play a role!
I can’t wait to go! It’s a little over a month away. Meanwhile, lots of very fancy Catrinas will be greeting visitors to Old Town!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!
Does the roof of the 19th century Verna House in the above photo seem unusual? Perhaps that’s because it’s a uniquely sloped mansard roof, one of very few built on the Pacific Coast in the Victorian era.
The quaint little house stands at 2476 San Diego Avenue in Old Town. Today it serves as the Whaley House Museum Shop, where visitors can purchase museum admission, books and assorted gifts. Like the nearby Whaley House itself, the shop in the Verna House is operated by Historic Tours of America, the folks behind San Diego’s popular Old Town Trolley Tours.
I knew nothing about this house and its history until I spotted the above plaque while walking down San Diego Avenue several days ago. The plaque was placed on the house’s exterior earlier this year. It reads:
The 1870’s French-Mansard style home was named after San Diego restaurateur Cesare Verna and his wife Maddalena Daniele. In 1965, after the death of Maddalena, the house was moved from 319 West Ash Street near Downtown and placed next to the Whaley House to be saved from demolition. Today the Verna House is a vital part of the Whaley House Grounds and county park, and is a shining example of San Diego’s rich architectural history.
Twenty years ago, when the Verna House was maintained by the Save Our Heritage Organisation, the old structure was restored. Here’s an interesting article that provides description and photographs.
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I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
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James W. Robinson was hanged for stealing a rowboat from San Diego Bay. He was convicted of grand larceny. He was buried in San Diego’s Old Town, a short distance from where the hanging took place.
Perhaps you know James Robinson from his nickname, Yankee Jim. The hanging ground where he was executed in 1852 is now occupied by the Whaley House Museum. The historically important Whaley House lays claim to being the most haunted house in America. Some say Yankee Jim’s ghost can still be seen in and around the museum.
A plaque was placed on the south side of the Whaley House earlier this year. I took photographs of it a couple days ago. It describes the hanging of Yankee Jim, shortly before Mr. Whaley bought the old hanging ground to build his house.
The plaque reads:
On the 18th of September, 1852, James “Yankee Jim” Robinson was the last man to be hanged at this site after being convicted of grand larceny. The simple gallows consisted of two posts, a horizontal beam, and a mule-drawn wagon. Catholic priests conducted the final ceremonies and Yankee Jim was allowed time to deliver a farewell speech to the crowd that had gathered. Undersheriff Crosthwaite gave the order, and a whip was applied to the mules, leaving Yankee Jim to hang. Mr. Thomas Whaley, present during the execution, purchased this property shortly afterward. By all accounts, he built his brick home where the gallows originally stood.
Many years ago I visited the El Campo Santo cemetery where Yankee Jim was buried. I documented many of the gravesites, including his. I revisited the early San Diego cemetery again after discovering the Whaley House plaque.
The grave marker, which appears to contain errors, reads:
James W. Robinson, who was known as “Yankee Jim”, suffered the extreme penalty for stealing the only rowboat in San Diego Bay. The verdict of the jury was as follows: “Your jurors in the within case of James W. Robinson have to return a verdict of guilty and do therefore sentence him, James Robinson to be hanged by the neck until dead. Cave J. Courts [Cave Couts], foreman of the jury.
The poor fellow could not believe that he was to be hanged until the very last moment. He appeared to think it all a grim joke over, at worst. A serious effort to impress him with the enormity of his evil ways. He was still talking when the deputy sheriff gave the signal. Then the cart was driven from beneath him, and he was left dangling in the air. Surely the punishment was far more wicked than the crime. Yet the example must have proved effective in discouraging theft.
Yankee Jim converted to Roman Catholic Church prior to his death, thus his baptismal name of Santiago (Spanish for James). His godfather was Philip Crosthwaite, the deputy sheriff who gave the signal for his execution.
Information compiled from the History of San Diego, by W. E. Smythe, and other sources.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or X (formerly known as Twitter)!
Whenever I visit Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, I like to walk over to the Blacksmith Shop to see what might be new. Then I explore the old wagons, carriages, anvils, a tyre bender, and other remnants from the past that are gathered nearby in a sheltered area.
This afternoon the first thing I spotted was two coffins!
When I asked Todd in the Blacksmith Shop why coffins had strangely appeared, I learned they’re props to be used in the State Park during Día de los Muertos. (The one that appears newly painted had me worried!)
I then learned something new concerning the wooden carriage that will be constructed for El Capitan, the historic Spanish cannon that used to sit in the middle of Old Town’s plaza.
It has been a couple of years, but now the carriage project is definitely underway. A new carriage will be built with the help of the Maritime Museum of San Diego!
Todd held up a small cannon model made with a 3D printer. Once completed, El Capitan’s new carriage should appear somewhat similar. (The current carriage, built in the 1980s, has deteriorated quite a bit because it never was painted.)
To read more about Old Town’s 18th century Spanish cannon and this slowly developing project, check out thesetwo past blog posts!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
An amazing Independence Day celebration was enjoyed today at Old Town San Diego State Historic Park!
It has been four years since the last 4th of July event of this magnitude in the State Park. That’s because of COVID and its unfortunate impacts on the park. But Old Town’s celebration of our nation’s birthday is back!
Many families turned out for the free fun. There were tables with crafts, a bluegrass band, historical demonstrations, authentic costumes, and old-fashioned games for the kids. The event provided a taste of how Independence Day might have been celebrated in early San Diego, back in the mid-19th century.
To all the people who make Old Town San Diego State Historic Park so wonderful–thank you!
A big 4th of July banner on the Robinson-Rose House, the State Park’s Information Center.Lots of folks were kicking back on the grassy, shady central plaza.Kids were enjoying crafts under some canopies.The Hot Pursuit Band plays old-time bluegrass music.One table concerned the living descendants of early San Diego.A visitor learns how thousands of people now living in San Diego have descended from the first residents of Old Town.
If you’d like to investigate the genealogy of San Diego families, check out this website.
To learn about the Descendants of Early San Diego, check out this website!
A look into the past of San Diego.Spinning on the porch of Threads of the Past.This year’s “Sanitary Commission” quilt at Threads of the Past. The colorful blocks were sewn by kids.What did San Diego look like in 1776? I chose the most barren-looking photo. The only structure back then was a 1769 Spanish fort, El Presidio Real de San Diego.A perfect Fourth of July afternoon for a picnic in the plaza near the historic Casa de Estudillo.Nostalgic games on the plaza included wheelbarrow races.As usual, Old Town San Diego State Historic Park’s active Blacksmith Shop drew a crowd.A smile in the garden of La Casa de Estudillo.And another smile in the courtyard!Celebrate the USA. Happy 4th!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
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The architecturally exquisite Sessions Building in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is now home to Toby’s Candle & Soap Shop. Originally, however, it was owned by Milton P. Sessions. Beginning in 1929, he operated a flower and ceramic shop out of this building, which was designed by his friend, renowned architect Richard Requa.
Does the Sessions name sound familiar? That’s because Milton was the nephew of the famous Kate Sessions, who is often referred to as the Mother of Balboa Park. She helped him as a young man get his start as a nurseryman.
Should you walk into Toby’s Candles, you can view a couple of old black and white photos framed on the wall left of the front counter. They show what the Sessions Studio looked like almost a century ago.
The La Jolla Historical Society wrote this excellent article on Facebook five years ago about Milton P. Sessions. Among his notable accomplishments, he provided the landscaping for the Roads of the Pacific at the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition in Balboa Park. I blogged about the “forgotten” Roads of the Pacific recently here.
When you visit Toby’s, make sure to watch the skilled artisans making fancy candles! You might see something like this!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Cinco de Mayo is being celebrated all this weekend in Old Town San Diego!
I walked around Old Town today to experience the energy. I observed a big crowd wandering through the State Park, navigating San Diego Avenue’s sidewalks, and dining in festive Mexican restaurants. Many people were smiling!
This year Cinco de Mayo is scaled down. I was told it’s for financial reasons. San Diego Avenue is not closed to traffic as it usually is, and there are no stages on the street with live performances. But that hasn’t stopped this fun annual fiesta!
As I meandered about, I took some photographs that you might enjoy…
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Most people visiting Old Town San Diego State Historic Park will not see the spring flowers now blooming in one beautiful but scraggly garden. That’s because the garden is a bit hidden, located near a walking path that is seldom traveled.
The garden can be found behind historic buildings that line the west edge of the State Park’s central plaza. If you walk into Old Town from the nearby trolley station, you’ll likely pass the path that leads behind these modest buildings, including Casa de Wrightington, San Diego House, U.S. House and Casa de Machado y Silvas.
I saw roses today and many other flowers!
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Days are longer. The air is warmer. Flowers are blooming in the Land of the First People in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park!
A few days ago I strolled through The Iipay ~ Tipay Kumeyaay Mut Niihepok (Land of the First People) area at the north end of the State Park, and I noticed a whole lot of color.
I’m no expert when it comes to identifying flowers and plants, but I do believe I recognized Bush Sunflower, Yarrow and Cleveland Sage, all native to the San Diego region.
I do know that what I saw is beautiful.
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Thanks for visiting Cool San Diego Sights!
I post new blogs pretty often. If you like discovering new things, bookmark coolsandiegosights.com and swing on by occasionally!
I live in downtown San Diego and love to walk around with my camera! You can follow Cool San Diego Sights via Facebook or Twitter!
Cool San Diego Sights! 