Presidio & Serra Museum in Old Town San Diego, California

Presiding over the hill on the south side of I-8 just west of Mission Valley in San Diego is the tall white bell tower of the Junipero Serra Museum, a 1929 white washed adobe structure built by the site of the original Presidio where Padre Junipero Serra and Gaspar de Portola established California's first mission and military fort after having claimed the area for Spain in 1769. The site is sometimes referred to as "The Plymouth Rock of the West Cost" and has a good bird's eye view of the bay and the (then) mouth of the San Diego River (it was diverted since then to accommodate the shaping of Mission Bay to the north).

The Mission, which also served as the southern terminus of the famous El Camino Real, the royal road that connected all 21 Franciscan missions in coastal California, was moved further inland in 1774 to avoid conflict with local Indians over water source. The original mission and the fort here were quite thoroughly destroyed by the Kumeyaay Indians after many raids. El Jupiter, one of the two cannons the Spaniards installed to protect the fort, is on display at the Serra Museum.

The Presidio served as the Mexican Governor's residence after Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, and was abandoned in 1835 when the missions were secularized. This area was the center of local activities until the bay front was developed into today's downtown proper. Thanks goodness George Marston, one of the founders of the City of San Diego, bought up the Presidio area in 1907 (so that it wouldn't be commercialized) before donating it to the City in 1929. Even though none of the building of the original Mission and the Presidio remains, it is of some consolation that the site itself is preserved for us latecomers to visit and think back to the time 200 or so years ago when the area was first developed.

Today, the Serra Museum is kept by the San Diego Historical Society and houses a fine collection of the area's historically important artifacts. It is an austere looking Spanish Revival structure designed by William Templeton Johnson along the same style as the original missions of Alta California are.

There is really nothing left of the original Spanish fort at the Presidio, though... At least not above the ground. When the Mission was moved up the river, the place was totally run by the military and drew a lot of Indian raids (and the Indians like to clean up their raiding by burning everything to the ground). All that is left of the original Presidio now is a field of grass-covered shallow mounds (with some strangely angular shape, if you look closely) just down the hill from the Serra Museum. A little low wall encloses the place... with a little hidden recess at one corner where a couple of statues of the Franciscan padres and a cross coexist with some gentle shade trees.

It is a serenely quiet place where you can sit in a shade while breathing in the atmosphere and contemplate on things (or just read a book) in the afternoon. I'm afraid the view isn't much, though you can see a bit of the bay beyond the treetops from the steps of the Serra Museum. It doesn't cost you anything to walk around on this historic ground... just a bit of an uphill walk from Old Town (lot of parking spots there along with being the transfer station for the trolley lines (blue and green lines) along with the Amtrak trains... and a lot of buses (click here to find the MTS bus that would get you there the quickest). Arriving by car from I-8, exit at Taylor St, turn left on Presidio Dr and follow it to the top of the hill.

The Junipero Serra Museum is only open to the public from 10AM-4:30PM Friday to Sunday now (due to lack of funding). Admission is $5 per adult, no fee for children under 6 yrs old. It is also available for school tours by appointment (call 619-232-6203 x 112) from 9:30AM-2:30PM Tuesday - Friday nowadays.

Junipero Serra Museum: 2727 Presidio Drive, San Diego, CA 92103. Tel: (619) 232-6203
Free admission to ground, $5 per adult for museum. Serra Museum hours: Fri - Sun: 10AM-4:30PM.