These beautiful quilts are on public display at Threads of the Past, in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
I recently visited Threads of the Past, a living history exhibition in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park. Not only did I see a number of beautiful quilts, but I learned about spinning and weaving. I was even able to watch a skilled artisan work an old-fashioned loom!
Here are some fascinating photos that I took inside Threads of the Past. I know very little about weaving and needlework, so I’m afraid I can’t provide much commentary. I do know that I really enjoyed looking at all the colors and patterns. I also learned a bit about San Diego’s past from the friendly members of Old Town’s Historic Quilt Guild and Fiber Arts Guilds. They’re keeping history alive! With great skill, they have produced beautiful textile artwork that visitors to Old Town can appreciate with their own eyes!
Threads of the Past is located near San Diego’s first courthouse. You can find it among the many other museums and historical attractions in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
Should you visit San Diego’s Old Town, look for this sign outside the Threads of the Past living history activity center.Shelves full of colorful fabric woven with geometric patterns.Two quilts on one wall greet visitors as they enter Threads of the Past. On the left is a modern version of the 1850s Juana Machado Quilt.According to family lore, this applique quilt was made by Juana Machado in the 1850s. Juana was born in 1814 to a soldier of the San Diego Presidio and his wife.Threads of the Past contains several small looms and a variety of educational displays.Some colorful fabric circles arranged on a table.As you can see, this Inkle Loom is quite narrow. It’s used to make woven bands for belts and straps.A rather simple wood Colonial Loom on display in Threads of the Past.One display explains shearing sheep for wool, then carding, combing, and spinning wool.Several hand carders. Carding is gently spreading washed and dried wool in preparation for future processing, like spinning.All sorts of very colorful threads!A living demonstration of an old-fashioned hand loom at Threads of the Past, in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
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Through this door is where the tour of the Villa Montezuma begins. Once inside, visitors turn left into a reception room, then proceed into truly magnificent performance and drawing rooms.
Four times a year, people are allowed inside the amazing Villa Montezuma. That’s part of the agreement between the City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department and the Friends of the Villa Montezuma, who are working hard to restore this historic gem in San Diego’s Sherman Heights neighborhood. I went on one of those half hour tours yesterday. Wow!
A couple years ago I walked past this eye-popping 1887 Queen Anne Victorian mansion, built by famed musican and spiritualist Jesse Shepard. I then posted a blog with a few outside photos. Well, guess what? All I can present today are more outside photos! Because photography isn’t allowed inside the Villa Montezuma at this time. But I can provide a little info about the tour, and try to convince you to go on one yourself.
Stepping into the Villa Montezuma is like stepping into a tiny royal palace. I’m not exaggerating. When I was young, I was fortunate to visit many of the most elegant palaces and chateaus of Europe, and the interior of Jesse Shepard’s home, which includes a splendid reception room, performance hall and drawing room, easily matches those esteemed places when it comes to lavish, luxurious decoration. Jesse Shepard (who later wrote under the pen name of Francis Grierson) was a pianist and composer who performed for many of Europe’s royalty, including the Czar of Russia and the Prince of Wales in England. So he was no stranger to a kingly lifestyle!
Should you enjoy an inside tour of the elaborate Villa Montezuma, which is built entirely of redwood, you’ll see fantastic art glass created by John Mallon of San Francisco. (Mallon also created the stained glass windows for San Diego’s 1889 courthouse, each window representing the Great Seals of the 42 states. You can see those windows today in downtown’s Hall of Justice.)
Jesse Shepard loved art, music and literature, and the stained glass windows in his mansion pay homage to his favorite artists. In the splendid room where he performed concerts for guests, windows feature the faces of Beethoven and Mozart, Raphael and Rubens; you’ll also see an expansive window devoted to Sappho, the classic Greek lyric poet, and four windows representing the four seasons. In the drawing room you can see more stained glass featuring Shakespeare, Goethe and Corneille.
The effect of these windows is truly astonishing. Their magical light shines on warm, ornate woodwork and wood floors, an embossed silvery ceiling, satin curtains, a variety of beautiful fireplaces, and artful touches that include influences from Innsbruck and Japonism. Stepping into the Villa Montezuma almost seems like falling into a dream of long ago.
Restoration of the Villa Montezuma is ongoing. The foundation was recently strengthened, along with the roof and chimneys. Still to go is the repainting of the exterior, fence restoration and landscaping the grounds. Once all is complete, it is hoped the mansion will be open full time as a permanent museum!
Meanwhile, go on a tour if you’re in San Diego. The guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. You’ll see much of the house, even some less elevated parts like the kitchen and washing room. You’ll learn all about Jesse Shepard, including strange mysteries concerning his life and the absolutely magnificent way he died!
Folks gather for a free half hour tour. The public can venture inside the Villa Montezuma four times every year. (The upper floor isn’t open to the public yet.)The Friends of the Villa Montezuma is a nonprofit dedicated to restoring and maintaining the amazing Villa Montezuma mansion in San Diego.Photo of southeast corner of the Villa Montezuma Museum. The 1887 Queen Anne Victorian mansion contains numerous beautiful stained glass windows.Looking upward at the elaborate tower. I was allowed to closely approach this outside part of the Villa Montezuma on a tour day.A balcony just outside Jesse Shepard’s bedroom, which is adjacent to the elegant drawing room!Unusual curved bay window of the drawing room features stained glass images of Shakespeare, Goethe and Corneille. One must be inside to appreciate the grand effect.A light-filled chapel-like nook in one corner of Jesse Shepard’s performance room features stained glass depicting the four seasons.
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The San Diego Zoo is 100! And this evening, it is celebrating with a big centennial festival in its beautiful home: Balboa Park!
Late this afternoon, I walked through Balboa Park to check out the beginning of the huge San Diego Zoo Centennial Festival! As you might’ve guessed, our world-famous zoo has turned a hundred years old!
The San Diego Zoo began when the 1915 Panama-California Exposition came to an end in 1916. The exposition’s veterinarian, Harry Milton Wegeforth, heard the caged lions roar. He turned to his brother and said: “Wouldn’t it be splendid if San Diego had a zoo! You know…I think I’ll start one.”
The rest is history. A century of amazing history!
The big festival today featured all sorts of fun and educational stuff, as you’ll see in my photos. I can hardly believe the size of the crowd that turned out!
I went home before dark and missed a world-record attempt in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion–the most hand puppets performing at one time. Regrettably, I also missed the opening of the big mystery boxes–gifts from the zoo to the San Diego community. As of this moment–as I publish this post–they still haven’t been opened! I’ll provide an update when I learn what was inside!
UPDATE!
From what I read the following morning, the three huge gift boxes on stage contained a puppet elephant, a puppet condor, and an 11-foot-high puppet lion that roared at the conclusion of an epic evening performance!
I should’ve stayed to watch! Apparently the Broadway-style show was amazing, and featured Tony and Grammy Award-winning singer Heather Headley, lots of dancing, the performing puppets, and an inspiring light show. If you want to check out some pics, here are a bunch of good ones!
A huge crowd walks down El Prado in Balboa Park, enjoying exhibits and entertainment celebrating the world-famous San Diego Zoo’s centennial.People listen to live music in the Plaza de Panama. Many people wore hats or shirts decorated with animals.Sign lists the various activities at the San Diego Zoo Centennial community celebration.Zoo staff and volunteers help kids create animal-themed art.These mariachis were almost ready to perform!Street magician excites a kid.Musicians were everywhere. It was a big party for San Diego.A botanicals exhibit explained how the San Diego Zoo isn’t merely saving endangered animal species, but saving rare plants, too! I’m going to blog about this shortly!Look who I spotted giving an interview. The celebrated and much-beloved zoo spokesperson Joan Embery!Lots of cool zoo gifts and fun commemorative stuff was for sale, of course!Another exhibit showed how the zoo helps wildlife researchers using modern digital recording technology in the field.Several local high schools were having their proms tonight, and I spotted many fancy dresses throughout Balboa Park. I’m not sure about this photo shoot!It’s still two hours before the main programming begins, but people are already gathering in the Spreckels Organ Pavilion. There are the large mystery boxes!This super friendly San Diego Zoo team member answered several of my questions. Every zoo representative I talked to was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and really nice.Some dancing up on the stage. At eight o’clock, the main program would begin.A tiger roams through Balboa Park.
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You can go kayaking on a cool Eco Tour and try to spot green sea turtles in San Diego’s South Bay! Image courtesy of Ocean Connectors. Photograph by Harry Orgovan.
At last weekend’s Earth Day on the Bay, I learned about some awesome Eco Tours on San Diego Bay and the Pacific Ocean. Experienced guides take you by kayak around the Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge to search for green sea turtles, or by bicycle around San Diego Bay to view all sorts of migratory birds, or by boat off our coast to spot gray whales and other marine life! These tours are provided by Ocean Connectors.
Why am I blogging about this? What makes these tours so amazingly cool? Ocean Connectors uses the money they make from their San Diego Eco Tours to directly benefit local students! Every year, Ocean Connectors introduces hundreds of kids in the National City School District to the beautiful natural world along San Diego’s coast, educating them about migratory wildlife and stewardship of the environment–all at no cost!
That’s right! Thousands of students in Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Grades have had an experience of a lifetime thanks to Ocean Connectors. In their formative years, these young people, many from low-income situations, have ventured out from the city and have experienced profound wonders they otherwise might have missed. They are taken on fun and inspiring educational field trips that are sometimes described as the best day of their lives!
Thanks to Ocean Connectors, local school students can learn about marine wildlife during a whale watching tour off the San Diego coast. Image courtesy of Ocean Connectors. Photograph by Ralph Pace.
Seeing green sea turtles, wild birds taking flight, and majestic gray whales out on the wide blue water deeply affects a young person’s view of the world, teaches one about the web of life, helps one to grow into a thoughtful, responsible adult. I know this is true. Because I had a similar experience when I was growing up.
Back in junior high school, I went on a sea adventure with some classmates along Alaska’s Inland Passage. I saw breaching humpback whales, bald eagles, even an orca. That memory is still vivid in my mind. That unforgettable experience broadened my horizons, made me appreciate the wonders of nature, gave me a sense of belonging to a larger world, a world that should be carefully preserved. I’ve been an avid hiker and lover of the outdoors during my adult life, and I have no doubt my own personal adventure those many years ago is one big reason why.
So . . . have you been considering having your own unforgettable adventure in ecotourism? Would you like to possibly spot one of the 60 green sea turtles that spend part of their lives feeding on eel grass in San Diego’s South Bay? Would you like to bike around the Bayshore Bikeway and see hundreds, even thousands of wild birds? (And some are quite rare!) Would you like to head out onto the ocean with trained, knowledgeable naturalists, and see gray whales, dolphins, and a huge variety of other sea mammals and coastal wildlife?
Ocean Connectors’ mission is to educate, inspire and connect people to the outdoors. And one of those people could be YOU!
Click here to have your own unique Eco Tour in San Diego. Book a tour, and you’ll benefit kids in San Diego’s South Bay! It’s a win-win!
Someone learns about the amazing Eco Tours and the educational programs provided by Ocean Connectors during Earth Bay on the Bay at the Maritime Museum of San Diego.
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Visitors and members of the Maritime Museum of San Diego enjoy a spring Sunday aboard HMS Surprise. The Star of India’s masts rise in the background.
A sunny spring Sunday. So I just walked along the Embarcadero. To no place in particular. I started late this morning at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, where Earth Day on the Bay was taking place. I checked out the exhibits for a few minutes, talked to a few cool people, then walked around outside. And I just kept on walking. Life is good on San Diego Bay.
Today was Earth Day on the Bay at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. Exhibitors on the passenger deck of the steam ferry Berkeley demonstrated the work they’re undertaking to protect the environment.It’s Sunday, which is volunteer work day at the Maritime Museum. If I heard correctly, these guys near the San Salvador were applying tar to some steel cables that will be used on the HMS Surprise.Two parrots on the Pearl Harbor memorial plaque near the USS Midway.
In the above photo you can see the rear of the Navy Bicentennial Commemorative Plaque. As you might recall, that plaque’s mysterious origin was revealed in detail by a few of its creators here!
Some folks out fishing on the Tuna Harbor pier were catching spotted seabass! This one was too small and was quickly returned to San Diego Bay.This sneaky gull perched atop a docked bait boat seemed to be watching those folks fishing nearby!Someone zooms by riding a bucking water scooter over the sparkling blue water.Close-up photo of a colorful float inside a lobster trap. I just walked along the pier, looking out at boats, water and the beautiful San Diego skyline.Skaters take a break in the sunshine near Tuna Harbor.Someone relaxes on a spring Sunday by maneuvering a remote control model sailboat in Tuna Harbor. Another cool sight along San Diego’s always lively Embarcadero.Fun marine artwork depicts a pod of dolphins in the ocean. A window of the Wyland Galleries in Seaport Village.Colorful banner fluttering in the sea breeze proclaims Life is Good. I always enjoy walking past Alamo Flags in Seaport Village.Just some bright yellow flowers.A street magician, cyclists, and the Californian tall ship out on San Diego Bay.Papa Alex is a very friendly, happy, soulful psychic. He often hangs out between Seaport Village and Embarcadero Marina Park North. His motto is: “Peace and love. No drama.” Sounds wise to me!Wow! Look at those massive bubbles flying through the air! This fun could be found on the grass at Embarcadero Marina Park North.And high above those bubbles was this kite. I love San Diego.Tourists rent some wheels near the Marriott Marquis and Marina.I rested for a bit on the fishing pier at Embarcadero Marina Park South. Here comes the Stars and Stripes racing yacht, carrying passengers enjoying a unique adventure on the Big Bay.And there goes the Silvergate, ferrying people over to Coronado Island. What a glorious spring day!
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Fascinating exhibits inside the Casa de Aguirre Museum in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
Many visitors to Old Town San Diego State Historic Park might think the Casa de Aguirre is just a shop brimming with colorful crafts and wares. But a closer look reveals that a small museum is located inside.
Here are some photos which provide a glimpse of what you’ll discover should you step into the museum. Read the captions, and you’ll learn how Casa de Aguirre is one of the most important sites in Old Town, and how its occupants shaped San Diego’s early history.
Casa de Aguirre in Old Town was originally built around 1853. The adobe mansion was one of the first houses in San Diego, owned by Don Jose Antonio Aguirre, a prosperous merchant and rancher. The present building is a reproduction.Bronze bust of Don Jose Antonio Aguirre, near entrance to Casa de Aguirre. Born in Spain, he owned several ships and warehouses and imported goods from Peru and China to trade for cowhides and tallow.Don Jose Antonio Aguirre was known for his charity and funded many projects in early San Diego. He, his wife and children are considered to be one of our city’s founding families.Bust of Father Antonio Ubach, Last of the Padres, 1835-1907. Antonio Dominic Ubach ran St. Anthony’s Indian School on this site from 1886 to 1891.Plaque describes how Father Ubach advocated for California’s Native Americans and lobbied government to protect the Indians and their lands. He was loved by many. His last words were: “Have charity.”Casa de Aguirre in Old Town San Diego today contains a shop visited by many tourists and a small museum in back.One side of El Museo Casa de Aguirre. Excavated artifacts are on display, recalling what life was like here in the mid to late 19th century.Visitor to the small museum watches a video which includes information about archaeological discoveries, the history of the casa and the lives of those who were sheltered here.St. Anthony’s Indian School Artifacts Tell a Story. Many objects on display include porcelain cups, goblets, bottles, a saltshaker and beer mug.Sign describes additional historical finds, including buttons, toys, harmonicas, slate board and pencils, lice combs, toothbrush handles, shoe parts, medal rosary and religious medallions.Marbles, doll parts and tiny children’s tea sets, recovered from San Diego’s past.Dozens of buttons on display. They were fastened by living fingers, now long gone.Two old pipes.Numerous bottles and jars are exhibited in the Casa de Aguirre Museum. They were used for medicine, mustard, chemicals, perfume, whiskey, beer, sarsaparilla…People interested in collecting antique bottles would be mesmerized by the large assortment on display.Don Antonio and Rosario Aguirre in Old Town History. The museum is located in what was once the bedroom and servants quarters in the Casa de Aguirre. The present-day adobe is a reproduction.Don Antonio Aguirre, 1799-1860, was one of San Diego’s most important figures back when our burgeoning Southern California city was just a very, very small town.A model of how the Casa de Aguirre appeared a century and a half ago.
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One of San Diego’s oldest surviving landmarks, the 1910 Broadway Fountain, designed by Irving Gill, will be an iconic part of the new Horton Plaza Park.
I walked by the Horton Plaza Park construction site this morning. The huge project appears to be almost finished!
Horton Plaza Park’s Grand Opening Celebration will be held on May 4, 2016, from 6:30pm to 10:00pm. Located at the center of downtown San Diego, on the south side of Broadway between the historic U.S. Grant Hotel and the popular Westfield Horton Plaza shopping mall, the park will surely be jammed that evening with people wanting to check things out!
Cool features of the new urban park include a large amphitheater, three pavilions featuring food and beverages, an interactive fountain that folks are welcome to splash in, and some very unique 23-foot high luminaries–cool metal sculptures with lights that change colors!
There are plans to host hundreds of events at this large outdoor venue every year, including concerts, civic celebrations and gatherings, and even special movie screenings.
As a downtown resident, I can’t wait!
The elaborate Horton Plaza Park will celebrate its Grand Opening on the evening of May 4, 2016.Construction of this new downtown San Diego park has been ongoing for a couple years. The original public plaza on this city block dates from 1895.The cool 23-foot tall luminary sculptures are visible rising behind the construction fence. The NBC building reflects the morning sun in the background.Workers are getting the new park ready for its early May opening. There will be an amphitheater, food pavilions and an interactive water fountain that people can splash in!The walkway next to the Balboa Theatre leading from Fourth Avenue to the Westfield Horton Plaza shopping mall is also being improved, with many new trees and benches.Horton Plaza Park in downtown San Diego promises to be a fun and spectacular urban gathering place!
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Making fresh tortillas for people walking down the sidewalk. Eat these hot with melted butter and you’re in heaven.
I enjoyed an exhilarating walk through Old Town today.
Here are some colorful photos of what you might discover while strolling down San Diego Avenue, just south of Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.
You’ll find all sorts of shops, Mexican restaurants and cantinas, a few historical sights, and sidewalks full of smiling tourists and locals enjoying one of San Diego’s favorite destinations.
A guitarist walks down a sidewalk in Old Town. You’ll find plenty of music and energy up and down San Diego Avenue.There are tantalizing sights everywhere you turn. The commercial part of Old Town is a popular destination for tourists visiting San Diego.Many colorful items for sale at shops up and down San Diego Avenue are from Mexico, or have a Mexican theme.I love rocks and minerals, so of course I had to poke my nose in here.Just a riot of color in one window! Mexican culture adds a great deal of life to San Diego and this region.I blogged about this public art a while back. Beyond the crazy cowboy shootout is the entrance to the Old Town Chamber of Commerce.
I stepped inside the Old Town Chamber of Commerce Information Center and checked out a few cool exhibits. In the event you ever visit Old Town, make sure to stop here to grab a map, brochures, and a bunch of valuable coupons for nearby restaurants and businesses!
A cool model of a Spanish galleon (I believe) and some useful free literature inside the Visitor Information center.Several interesting historical photographs can be found inside the Old Town Chamber of Commerce. This one from 1898 shows tiny Old Town San Diego at the base of Presidio Hill.Vintage photo of the famous Whaley House, the oldest brick house in California, built in 1854. (That’s what it reads. Every source I’ve seen says the house was actually built in 1857.)The Whaley House as it appears today on San Diego Avenue. It’s reputed to be the most haunted place in America! (Just to be careful, I stayed across the street. Those spooks didn’t have a ghost of a chance!)The Sheriff’s Museum on San Diego Avenue. I’ve yet to visit this place! So much still to do!The El Campo Santo Cemetery in Old Town is where many of San Diego’s earliest residents are buried.Many curios and crafts for sale in Old Town shops are related to Mexico’s traditional Día de Muertos, or Day of the Dead.A festive banner in a perfect San Diego sky.Rounding a corner, searching for more unique discoveries!This shop contains all sorts of Old West-themed stuff for sale. There’s so much on display, it boggled my mind!A walk down San Diego Avenue in Old Town San Diego is never dull!
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Dinghy landing’s colorful boats by San Diego Bay. One end of Coronado Tidelands Park’s popular beach.
Yesterday I took another fun, leisurely walk! I went from the Coronado Bay Bridge end of Tidelands Park up the sunny Bayshore Bikeway to the Coronado Ferry Landing. And I took lots of pics, naturally!
Perhaps you can see why Coronado is one of my favorite places.
I feel very fortunate to live in San Diego. There are so many cool and beautiful sights. And I swear every day is amazing.
A guy wading in San Diego Bay tries his hand at some fly fishing. Moored boats (where some people live) and the San Diego–Coronado Bridge are visible.People walk and ride down the Bayshore Bikeway. Head the opposite way and you’d go under the Coronado Bridge, then along Glorietta Boulevard and the Coronado Golf Course, then finally south down the Silver Strand.Skateboarders enjoy the City of Coronado Skatepark located at Tidelands Park.A fun, artistic seat that just had to be photographed. I discovered it at the edge of the Coronado Tidelands Park playground.Looking through purple blooms out at the blue bay during a leisurely Saturday walk.At the Coronado Island Marriott Resort and Spa pier you can rent jet skis and kayaks for fun on the water. (A cool glint of light is reflecting off a skyscraper downtown!)Colorful lounges and a fire pit for apartment dwellers near the Bayshore Bikeway.A fisherman caught something while I watched! Lots of sailboats out on blue San Diego Bay today.These little bay overlooks with railings are popular spots to take in the scenery and sunshine.Look at all the weekend activity! Standup paddleboarders, a big group of kayakers, and the Coronado ferry is coming in!Tourists and locals alike can rent watercraft on this little beach just south of the posh Il Fornaio restaurant.Perhaps you can see why this is one of my very, very favorite places! I’m so thankful to live nearby!That big group of people in kayaks is rowing toward the Coronado Ferry Landing. The Manchester Grand Hyatt towers rise across the bay.Shorebirds dot a little sandy beach just south of another fine Coronado restaurant, Peohe’s.Now we’re finally heading into the sunny Ferry Landing Marketplace.Some more kayakers are passing the dock at Peohe’s, as outside diners watch. Night views of downtown San Diego lit up across the water are awesome.Some folks hurry to catch the Coronado Ferry! I think they just made it!Bicyclists relax after a ride along the Bayshore Bikeway. Another perfect day.
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Do you like to read short pieces of thought-provoking fiction? You might enjoy checking out Short Stories by Richard.
There’s more than refreshments and snacks at the National City Depot. There’s a huge, cool collection of local railroad and trolley history!
If you’re a train or streetcar lover, prepare to go nuts! The friendly guys at the National City Depot, which is home to the Trolley and Railroad Museum operated by the San Diego Electric Railway Association, allowed me to take loads of photographs a couple weekends ago! The place is so crammed with cool stuff, I hardly know where to start!
(Before I get started, however, I learned the National City Depot is in desperate need of volunteer docents and cashiers. So if you live around San Diego and have some free time, please consider this opportunity. Railroading enthusiasts would be in heaven. If you’d like, you might actually roll up your sleeves and help work to revitalize several vintage streetcars. You can have a great time preserving and enlivening our local history of trolleys by explaining exhibits and sharing knowledge with curious visitors, tourists and school students. SDERA’s stated mission is to restore and preserve the history of electric railways and trolleys in the San Diego region. Click here for more info.)
As you can see from the first photo, the depot has a number of old railroad cars and streetcars sitting outside on either side of it. The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System, MTS, has provided the private association with three old Vienna streetcars and one Presidents Conference Committee (PCC) streetcar. The latter is undergoing restoration, and will eventually be used as a cool tourist attraction, running over the Coronado Belt Line of the San Diego and Arizona Eastern Railroad!
You might recognize the name San Diego Electric Railway. It was the mass transit system built by locally famous “sugar heir” and entrepreneur John D. Spreckels. His network of railroads was established in 1892, and active streetcars served a large area of the city for many decades. The San Diego Electric Railway Association proudly displays some examples of the rolling stock that were utilized in those glory years of electric streetcars.
The National City Depot has its own fascinating history. It was built in 1882 by the Santa Fe Railroad, and became the first Pacific Coast terminus station of their transcontinental line. Today, it’s the last representative of the original stations built on the West Coast by the five different transcontinental railroads. After various changes in its operations over the decades, the depot was abandoned in the 1960s and suffered severe neglect. Before finally reopening as a museum, it was also used as a unique building for a couple of restaurants. It’s now owned by the city of National City.
I learned so much during my visit, my brain is still whirling. If I’ve captioned the photos incorrectly, or have made some sort of factual error, please leave a comment!
Here come the photos, just a taste of what you might see should you swing on by. Enjoy!
The National City Depot was built in 1882. It was the first Pacific Coast terminus station of the Santa Fe Railroad’s transcontinental line.Plaque in front of National City Depot, the first Pacific Coast terminus station of Santa Fe’s transcontinental railroad. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 1023.Sign describes Santa Fe Rail Depot in National City. It’s the only original transcontinental railroad terminus still standing.Inside the small depot are display cases full of model trains and streetcars, plus artifacts and memorabilia. The walls are covered with old photos and historical information.The famous old train station sits alongside BNSF tracks which are still active. The National City Depot played in instrumental role in American railroad history.There’s so much cool stuff crammed inside the museum, a railfan could spend hours closely examining all of it!A magazine article on display for train buffs and history enthusiasts to check out. Buses finally replaced the old network of San Diego trolleys in 1949.One of many old photos in the museum depicting San Diego’s very rich electric streetcar history.A collection of old lanterns. Everything imaginable concerning San Diego railroads and trolleys can be found inside the National City Depot.Faded writing on the brick fireplace recalls when the eventually abandoned depot was used as a restaurant. Black panels on the walls cover graffiti.One section of a wall has lots of photos of vintage streetcars and trolleys.A second room inside the National City Depot contains a huge model train layout! The exhibit is run when the depot is open Thursdays to Sundays from 9am to 5pm. It appears that SDERA members have a lot of fun!The best photo I could get of a big antique Raymond and Wilshire safe in the historic transcontinental depot. I had to squeeze up against the model train layout.Now we’re outside beside the depot at a picnic bench! I like these two planters in the shape of steam locomotives!Two of National City Depot’s three old Austrian streetcars. These were going to be used by MTS for the San Diego Trolley in the Gaslamp Quarter, but couldn’t meet ADA standards, as I understand it.Sign inside one Vienna street car details the history. They were originally built at the Simmering Machine and Railcar Works, Simmering, Austria.Now we’re stepping like a passenger into one of the old Austrian streetcars!The controls used by this electric streetcar’s operator. Notice a seat that folds under the dashboard.Looking back where passengers would sit. There didn’t seem to be much capacity in the small cars.Now we’re checking out Birney Car 336, out in the open lot beside the National City Depot. This is one type of streetcar that transported people in San Diego decades ago.Birney Car 336 was built by the St. Louis Car Company in 1917, and first served in Bellingham, WA. It later was used for dining inside the Old Spaghetti Factory in San Diego, from 1971 to 2004!Inside the old Birney Car. I’m hungry for some spaghetti! Where are the chairs?Cool vintage advertisements along the car’s ceiling include this one for Burma-Shave.A big, heavy tamping machine used for maintaining railroad tracks and placing them more firmly onto packed ballast.A second ballast tamper outside the National City Depot. I always wondered what these unusual machines that you see on train tracks are for.Part of the machinery that pushes down on the steel rails and ties. This makes sure train tracks are solidly in place and level.Gazing back north past various rail exhibits outside the National City Depot. Isn’t this fun?Now we’ll check out PCC Car 539, which was donated to SDERA by the Metropolitan Transit System.PCC Car 539 was built in 1946 by the St. Louis Car Company. It served as a streetcar in St. Louis until 1956. Restoration is underway. One day it might run nearby as a tourist attraction.Inside the fabulous PCC car. The San Diego Trolley now has two completely restored cars of this type, running in a downtown loop called the Silver Line.I believe this is a Fairmont Speeder Car. Tiny crew cars were used to transport a few individual workers up and down tracks. I’d love to ride one!Oh, man! I bet you’d love to sit in one of these seats and ride the rails! Just turn the throttle to go!Seriously? This one is basically a bicycle for train tracks! Except it has four wheels! And a bike chain, of course!This luggage cart near the entrance to the National City Depot was donated by the Maritime Museum of San Diego–it evidently was aboard the steam ferry Berkeley at one time.One of several cool vintage handcars. Just like you see in those old Western movies.This unusual three-wheeled handcar reminds me of a canoe outrigger!San Diego Electric Railway Association’s fun Herbie is a Brill streetcar replica. A parade and car show’s popular Streetcar on Wheels!An antique open air streetcar at the National City Depot. This a grip car, like the cable cars in San Francisco. Few people realize that San Diego had a cable car line that briefly ran from the Gaslamp to University Heights in the early 1890s!Elegant number 54 is a unique composite, built using two different San Diego Cable Railway cars. I see panes of stained glass. The yellow paint is peeling.The third Vienna streetcar in the National City Depot’s collection, number 6888, is yellow.There’s a ton of very cool stuff to see at the National City Depot, in San Diego’s South Bay!
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