SAN DIEGO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
1649 EL PRADO 3, SAN DIEGO, CA 92101 www.sandiegohistory.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: The mission of the San Diego History Center is to preserve our regions history - tell the diverse story of our region past, present and future educate and enrich our community and foster civic pride.

Educational Programming & Publications:Educational programming is offered for K-12, family, and adult audiences. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educational programming has been available online, and will include regular online interactions with History Center educators for the fall semester of 2020. The History Center will continue to serve K-12 students at both the Junpero Serra Museum in Presidio Park and History Center in Balboa Park, providing history-related educational opportunities tied closely to school common core curriculum. The History Center also serves as one of the core founding institutions of School in the Park a multi-visit museum program that blendsformal and informal learning by utilizing the rich resources of museums and educational institutions in Balboa Park. The program is designed with standards-based curriculum to integrate what is learned at school with learning connections from Balboa Park institutions. In addition, the History Center hosts public programs(now virtually) that draw diverse audiences to learn about how the region is shaped by its past, as well as create civic dialogue about the regions future.The History Center publishes The Journal of San Diego History, which has been published continuously since 1955 and with the COVID-19 pandemic will now be published on a bi-annual basis. Under the co-editorship of Drs. Andy Strathman (Cal State University San Marcos) and David Miller (University of San Diego), the publication remains one of the few scholarly publications in the nation dedicated to the history of a specific region. Publication of the Journal of San Diego History is made possible by grants from the Robert D. L. Gardiner Foundation, Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation, Quest for Truth Foundation, and Margie and JohnWarner.With the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Diego History Center has suspended publication of The Times magazine that was produced in collaboration with San Diego Magazine and is instead providing a twice monthly e-newsletter San Diego History Center NOW!In collaboration with the San Diego Union Tribune and Pediment Publishing, the History Center has produced a series of San Diego Memories volumes authored by former San Diego Union Tribune writer Roger Showley, featuring photographs from the San Diego History Center and San Diego Union Tribune Photo archives. Thevolume San Diego Memories II: War and Peace - the 1940s to 1950s was completed, and the fourth in the series of publications is in production.The History Centers website (www.sandiegohistory.org) serves as the digital portal to the institution, and has more than one million unique page views annually. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the website focus is centered on History Happening Now! Initiatives to collect experiences of the pandemic and social justice and Learn at Home! providing digital strategies and learning opportunities for students and parents sheltering in place.

Exhibitions:- In July 2019, the History Center hosted the City of San Diego 250th Civic Commemoration of the founding of Mission San Diego de Alcala, the event that defined the founding of contemporary San Diego. As part of the ceremonies, the flag of the Kumeyaay Nations was raised for the first time in Presidio Park, formally cknowledging their contributions to the creation of contemporary San Diego.- Dedicated a new exhibition at the Junpero Serra Museum, in partnership with the San Diego River Conservancy and funded through the State Coastal Conservancy, that fulfills a near-decade long process to rejuvenate the Serra Museum. The History Center successfully completed restoration of the exterior west faade and is working to raise funds for the North Tower and east faade restoration.- The History Center was honored by San Diego Pride with the Stonewall Community Award, for the exhibition LGBTQ+ San Diego: Stories of Struggles + Triumphs. The San Diego History Center was a featured participant in the 2019 San Diego Pride Parade.- Additional awards based on the LGBTQ+ Exhibition include: San Diego Rotary Peacemaker Award, and the Human Rights Campaign of San Diego.

Museum Collections and Research Archive:Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Diego History Center has begun a process to reexamine and update its collection policies, as well as undertaking an inventory and examination of its existing collections. The institution has undertaken a strategic planning process to digitize the collections and make them available toa world-wide audience. The plan is being provided by the Balboa Park Online Collaborative (BPOC) and is funded by the Legler Benbough Foundation to BPOC.The History Center has historically had three main collecting areas - the Object Collection, the Document Archives, and the Photography Collection. The Objects Collection contains approximately 16,000 items, including objects that are extraordinary, objects of daily life, decorative arts, fine arts, and one of the most notable historic clothing collections in the country. The Document Archives consist of County records, maps, unpublished manuscripts, newspapers, architectural records, ephemera, and one of the largest oral history collections in California. The History Centers collection of historic photographs include approximately 2.5million images and is one of the most important regional photography collections in the United States. The History Center adds to collections on an ongoing basis, primarily through donations. Items from the Collections are used in exhibitions; reproductions of images can be seen in books, magazines, reports, film, television, advertising, and on the walls of numerous San Diego regional businesses, organizations, and homes.During the fiscal year, the History Center finalized the transfer of the NBC7 San Diego News archive, as well as received a significant fine art donation for its collections.

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