Adjacent to the Old Town San Diego State Historic Park is nearby Heritage County Park which features several restored Victorian homes and the city’s first synagogue. Several of the exteriors of the Victorian architecture of wealthy San Diego residents in the late 1880s-1890s have been restored although the interiors are currently undergoing improvements.
The Historic Buildings at Heritage County Park
Senlis Cottage: 1896, moved to Heritage County Park in 1981 (Queen Anne Cottage)
Built in 1896, this modest four-room dwelling was home to gardener Eugene Senlis and his wife Lena. Eugene was employed by Kate Sessions, a renowned San Diego nurserywoman and horticulturalist.
Sherman-Gilbert House: 1887, moved to Heritage County Park in 1971 (Stick Eastlake Style)
The Sherman-Gilbert House, recognized by its central tall square tower and abundance of millwork details, was originally built and owned by John Sherman who is deemed a master builder.
Bushyhead House: 1887, moved to Heritage County Park in 1976 (Eastlake Style)
This cheery yellow Eastlake style home, marked by a two-story projecting bay window and a richly ornamented porch, was built in 1887 by Edward Wilkerson Bushyhead.
Christian House: 1889, moved to Heritage County Park in 1976 (Queen Anne style)
Boasting an extensive wrap-around porch, tall corner tower, and scalloped siding cladding the second floor, the Christian House is a vibrant example of a Queen Anne Victorian home, a style known for its decorative layers and variations. This home was owned by Harfield Timberlake Christian and his wife Myrtle.
McConaughy House: 1887, moved to Heritage County Park in 1981 (Italianate Style)
The home’s original owner and builder, John McConaughy, was renowned in San Diego for founding the area’s first cargo and passenger service, which operated between the city and the backcountry town of Julian.
Burton House: 1893, moved to Heritage County Park in 1976 (Classic Revival Style)
Henry Guild Burton, the home’s original owner, was a retired Army physician who served in the Second Seminole War, Mexican-American War, and the American Civil War
Temple Beth Israel: 1889, moved to Heritage County Park in 1978 (Synagogue architecture)
Constructed as San Diego’s first synagogue and the second oldest extant in the Western United States, Temple Beth Israel originally stood at the corner of Second Avenue and Beech Street downtown.
Heritage County Park arose from County Parks’ commitment to the preservation of San Diego’s cultural as well as natural resources. The park is a joint project with the Save Our Heritage Organisation.
Brisbane Coral Tree – Erythrina x sykesii (Australia)
A document with more information by SOHO can be found here. San Diego Parks & Recreations have more recent information here
Note that my photos are from February 2009 and that the exterior colour of these houses may well have altered.
I have lived in the UK for most of my life, but when young I definitely had wanderlust and even ended up living in South Africa for several years which was a wonderful experience. I now look forward to a long and leisurely retirement doing what I like most - gardening, photography, walking and travelling.
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23 thoughts on “Postcards from Around the World”
The interiors should be sorted by now. Which one do you fancy?
According to the recent publications work on the interiors will be ongoing in 2025-26 so still not habitable I’m afraid. I quite fancy the McConaughy House though, a simple elegance to it and I can see myself sitting on that upstairs veranda looking out over the magnificent coral tree.
I’d have further to fly to visit you but I might make an effort 🤣🩵
Gosh, they don’t look a bit like British Victorian buildings, do they? Manchester it ain’t!
No, very much the style of colonial countries, some beautiful Victorian homes in Australia – those in Sydney are worth millions today.
Lovely old houses! The remind me of the houses in Ronneby, Blekinge, Sweden. The old houses there are well kept and people live happily in them despite tourists looking over thefences. Are these houses inhabited?
They aren’t inhabited, though it appears work is being done on the interiors, maybe in time they will be used as tourist accommodation. They are certainly very grand.
An appealing selection of houses indeed. I wish we had built more houses with porches in this country. I would love to have a porch to sit on!
Best wishes, Pete. x
Similar houses can be found in South Africa – I guess we don’t have the climate for sitting out on a veranda, I must say it is very nice to sit in the shade on a hot day. Swing seats are the best!
Those old homes are so characterful. My mum did a cross stitch of them years ago.
Yes they are stunning. I fell in love with the Queenslander houses on my first visit to Australia, I also love the little (and now extremely expensive) Victorian cottages in and around Sydney with the lace bargeboards and iron railings.
What a great spot, Jude. I didn’t know about it at all. I love the collection you’ve shared. Wonderful architecture.
I think they have stopped moving buildings to the park now, but it’s nice that some have been restored. Apparently the park is used for weddings and other events. A lovely spot.
I love the lookout tower on the Sherman-Gilbert House – such a pretty house too. It’s great that these lovely old buildings have been preserved. (Now I’m imagining what it would be like to have such a lookout and a fine view to look at… 🙂 )
Some very fancy houses! I would like the house with a lookout on the coast.
Ah yes, I’d love a coastal view!
These houses remind me of those we saw in Cape May, New Jersey – fascinating that they should look so similar when on opposite sides of the country! I think I’d choose the McConaughy House myself 🙂
Well I don’t know where these were actually moved from, though I suspect the San Diego area. Similar houses are to be found on Cape Cod and New Hampshire too – and lived in. I do like the clapboard / weatherboard style. In fact I like the ones you find in Kent and East Sussex too! Though not many of those have the wonderful verandas.
Never would have guessed this is San Diego. thanks for sharing, the photo are wonderful.
Nice that they have saved such lovely buildings. There’s a lot to see in San Diego!
I absolutely love these, though some of them are ever so slightly bonkers! I have always coveted a tour or turret, the ones here in Scotland being rather more solid sandstone of course.
*tower! Not sure I can even blame autocorrect for that. Maybe i thought I was speaking French, 😉.
That’s true, you do have a lot of turrets or towers in Scotland.
TRAVEL WORDS 
The interiors should be sorted by now. Which one do you fancy?
According to the recent publications work on the interiors will be ongoing in 2025-26 so still not habitable I’m afraid. I quite fancy the McConaughy House though, a simple elegance to it and I can see myself sitting on that upstairs veranda looking out over the magnificent coral tree.
I’d have further to fly to visit you but I might make an effort 🤣🩵
Gosh, they don’t look a bit like British Victorian buildings, do they? Manchester it ain’t!
No, very much the style of colonial countries, some beautiful Victorian homes in Australia – those in Sydney are worth millions today.
Lovely old houses! The remind me of the houses in Ronneby, Blekinge, Sweden. The old houses there are well kept and people live happily in them despite tourists looking over thefences. Are these houses inhabited?
They aren’t inhabited, though it appears work is being done on the interiors, maybe in time they will be used as tourist accommodation. They are certainly very grand.
An appealing selection of houses indeed. I wish we had built more houses with porches in this country. I would love to have a porch to sit on!
Best wishes, Pete. x
Similar houses can be found in South Africa – I guess we don’t have the climate for sitting out on a veranda, I must say it is very nice to sit in the shade on a hot day. Swing seats are the best!
Those old homes are so characterful. My mum did a cross stitch of them years ago.
Yes they are stunning. I fell in love with the Queenslander houses on my first visit to Australia, I also love the little (and now extremely expensive) Victorian cottages in and around Sydney with the lace bargeboards and iron railings.
What a great spot, Jude. I didn’t know about it at all. I love the collection you’ve shared. Wonderful architecture.
I think they have stopped moving buildings to the park now, but it’s nice that some have been restored. Apparently the park is used for weddings and other events. A lovely spot.
I love the lookout tower on the Sherman-Gilbert House – such a pretty house too. It’s great that these lovely old buildings have been preserved. (Now I’m imagining what it would be like to have such a lookout and a fine view to look at… 🙂 )
Some very fancy houses! I would like the house with a lookout on the coast.
Ah yes, I’d love a coastal view!
These houses remind me of those we saw in Cape May, New Jersey – fascinating that they should look so similar when on opposite sides of the country! I think I’d choose the McConaughy House myself 🙂
Well I don’t know where these were actually moved from, though I suspect the San Diego area. Similar houses are to be found on Cape Cod and New Hampshire too – and lived in. I do like the clapboard / weatherboard style. In fact I like the ones you find in Kent and East Sussex too! Though not many of those have the wonderful verandas.
Never would have guessed this is San Diego. thanks for sharing, the photo are wonderful.
Nice that they have saved such lovely buildings. There’s a lot to see in San Diego!
I absolutely love these, though some of them are ever so slightly bonkers! I have always coveted a tour or turret, the ones here in Scotland being rather more solid sandstone of course.
*tower! Not sure I can even blame autocorrect for that. Maybe i thought I was speaking French, 😉.
That’s true, you do have a lot of turrets or towers in Scotland.