The school was built in 1865 and was the first public school house in san Diego.
This I kind of stumbled on by chance as there are no big signs heralding its existence, and I found it because I stopped to look a a plaque and an old well, and there, in a small garden and surrounded by the strange combination of trees grass and cacti, was the school house.
The school house itself is a single story structure with the American flag flying outside and small steps up to the door.
The school is now a historical landmark, and is open to the public. The school is opened by volunteers dressed in the clothes of the 19th Century, which seemes a bit hot considering the weather outside. However, it does give a sense of history. Inside, the school is actually just one room with two rows from front to back of desks complete with ink wells and attached chairs.
There are lots of posters and information about the former students and teachers and one of the most amusing was the list of punishments- not nice if a girl was found loitering in the yard with the boys or vice versa!
The volunteers are really friendly and obviously love what they do because they have plenty of time to talk to visitors and have lots of information at their finger tips. They do like to encourage you to sit on the chairs and think about the education over one hundred years ago, which I was more than happy to do.
Apparently, there are ongoing adult education classes on California History held two evenings a week at the school, so it continues to be used not only as a tourist site but also as an eductation site.
**Other bits of information…**
The school is open 7 days a week, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and entry is free as are the brochures and information leaflets about the school
The address is: 3966 Mason Street San Diego, CA 92110
**What I thought**
A very small but obviously important historical site. The volunteers are helpful and informative, the site interesting and the grounds are pleasant to walk around. The school is right in the middle of the Old Town so although it won't be a long visit, there is no need to travel far from everything else to see it.
A site worth the stop
Thanks for reading
Daniela x
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