Presidio Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Presidio Park |
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Presidio Park
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 Presidio Park
Location in San Diego
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| Location | San Diego, California |
| Governing body | City of San Diego |
| Official name: Serra Palm | |
| Reference #: | 67 |
Presidio Park is a special historic park in San Diego, California. It's famous because it's where the very first European settlements in the Western United States began. These were the San Diego Presidio (a fort) and the San Diego Mission, both started in 1769.
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A Look Back in Time
The San Diego Mission moved a few miles away in 1773. But the fort, called the Presidio, stayed on Presidio Hill. The fort was built to protect against attacks. Over time, people felt safer. They started moving to Old Town, which was at the bottom of the hill. Because of this, the old fort was slowly left empty. By 1835, it was just ruins.
George Marston's Vision
In 1907, a kind man named George Marston bought Presidio Hill. He owned a department store and was a leader in the community. Marston wanted to save this important historical place. The city couldn't help pay for it. So, Marston decided to build a private park himself.
He hired an architect named John Nolan to design the park. In 1925, the beautiful Serra Museum was built inside the park. It was designed by architect William Templeton Johnson. Marston then gave the entire park to the city in 1929.
Exploring Presidio Park Today
Presidio Park is about 40 acres (16 hectares) big. It offers amazing views of San Diego city. You can also see the San Diego River valley and the huge Pacific Ocean. The park is a great place for picnics and playing games. You can even rent parts of the park for weddings or other special events.
A very important spot in the park is where Junípero Serra planted a palm tree in 1769. This spot is now a California Historical Landmark. While no original buildings from the fort remain, archaeologists sometimes dig here. They look for clues about the past. A fenced area shows where the old chapel and fort walls once stood.
The Junípero Serra Museum
The Junípero Serra Museum is inside Presidio Park. The San Diego Historical Society runs it. This museum teaches visitors about how San Diego was founded. It was built in 1925. Its Mission-style architecture sometimes makes people mistakenly call it "the Presidio."
The museum displays items found from archaeological digs. It also has old objects and information about Spanish settlement. You can learn about the early history of California. The museum also has programs about the Spanish, Mexican, and Native American heritage of the San Diego area.
The Serra Museum was the first home of the San Diego Historical Society. George Marston, who gave the park to the city, started this group in 1929. The organization later changed its name to the San Diego History Center. In 1982, it moved to Balboa Park.
