Mason Street School, San Diego
Among the wonderful attractions to see at the Old Town State Historic Park, the first publicly built schoolhouse in the county, dating to 1865, is a rather modest structure, having just one room. Made of wood and with a roof of shingles, it measures 24 by 30 feet, and has a 10 feet high ceiling. Now imagine that grades one through eight (about 35 students) were all taught in this tiny space at the same time, and you'll agree that it was a "Little House on the Prairie" kind of school experience!
On going inside, you may see the wonderful potbelly stove that heated the entire building, as well as replicas of the wooden benches used by students before having personal seats and desks. Eventually, after seven years, the school was considered too small, and a larger, two-story one was built. The original one-room building was moved to a new location in the 1870s to serve first as a home and then as a tamale factory. In the 1940s it was about to be bulldozed to make way for a highway overpass when the Historical Days Association arranged to have it brought back to its original site and restored.
A free 'tour' of the whole place takes about 10 minutes, and you can stop by at the bookshop, too.
On going inside, you may see the wonderful potbelly stove that heated the entire building, as well as replicas of the wooden benches used by students before having personal seats and desks. Eventually, after seven years, the school was considered too small, and a larger, two-story one was built. The original one-room building was moved to a new location in the 1870s to serve first as a home and then as a tamale factory. In the 1940s it was about to be bulldozed to make way for a highway overpass when the Historical Days Association arranged to have it brought back to its original site and restored.
A free 'tour' of the whole place takes about 10 minutes, and you can stop by at the bookshop, too.
Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in San Diego. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "GPSmyCity: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.
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Mason Street School on Map
Sight Name: Mason Street School
Sight Location: San Diego, USA (See walking tours in San Diego)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Sight Location: San Diego, USA (See walking tours in San Diego)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:
Walking Tours in San Diego, California
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.5 Km or 0.9 Miles
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.7 Km or 1.1 Miles
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Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
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Travel Distance: 2.3 Km or 1.4 Miles
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Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.2 Km or 0.7 Miles
The Native American culture in the area, however, goes back thousands of years. Historically, this land had been a home to the Kumeyaay people who settled on the banks of the San Diego river since around 1000 AD. The first European explorer to... view more
Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 1.2 Km or 0.7 Miles
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