LIFE IN 19TH CENTURY SAN DIEGO

April, 7, 2011 Presented by Ladan Moshiri

San Diego State University - EDTEC 671

OVERVIEW OF THE EXHIBIT

Provide visitors with the knowledge of how people lived in San Diego in the 1800’s and the challenges they faced.

– Allow visitors to experience the sights, sounds, and the overall feel of life in the 19th century

– Teach visitors about how people living in that era prepared food, made clothing, traveled, and attended school

INSTITUTIONS

The inspiration for this exhibit came from Old Town San Diego State Park in San Diego, California

Old Town San Diego in 1874. The view is from Presidio Hill, including the San Diego River, which at that time ran into the

bay.

NEED FOR AN EXHIBIT

• Currently, Old Town San Diego State Park offers limited hands-on activities for the visitors, so, the guests do not have the opportunity to truly observe and experience how people lived in the 19th century. For this reason, Old Town San Diego State Park could benefit from adding such an exhibit

• This exhibit will encourage more people, especially; teachers and students to visit the park and learn about San Diego history in greater depth

TARGET AUDIENCE

• Students• Teachers• Parents• Families• All other park visitors

OUTCOMES

1. Increase visitors’ knowledge of the following facts about living in the19th century

a. How people lived in San Diego in that time periodb. The process involved in growing and preparing foodc. Types of clothing worn and the process involved in

making fabric, clothing, and accessories d. Transportation e. Classroom settings and school rules

2. Promote appreciation of the modern conveniences (regarding food, clothing, transportation and school activities)

3. Increase interest in San Diego/California history

EXHIBIT OVERVIEW

• The exhibit is designed so that the visitors experience life in the 19th century San Diego by visiting a fictional family living in that era

• In the “Welcome Center” visitors first watch a short video about the history of Old Town San Diego and some facts regarding how people lived in that time period

• The video concludes by introducing the fictional family and their farm

• Visitors then “travel” through the family farm to learn about food preparation, clothing, transportation, and school activities

EXHIBIT CONCEPT LAYOUT

1. “Welcome Center” –for visitors to watch an introductory video and be introduced to the characters and different sections of the exhibit

2. Visitors then follow pathways through different sections of the family farm to learn abouta. Food and gardeningb. Clothingc. Transportationd. School

(The suggested tour is shown on next slide)

Start Here

1. The Kitchen

3. The Weaving and Sewing Work Area4. The Stable

5. The School House

2. The Vegetable Garden

Key

Walkway:Entrance and Exit

Finish

THE WELCOME CENTER

Welcome Desk– To sell tickets

– To distribute tour maps and activity sheets

– To collect the activity sheets and hand out certificates to visitors who completed all the activities

– To provide the teachers with group activity packets

– To give out free tickets to field trip visitors

THE WELCOME CENTER (CONT.)

• A station where visitors watch the video and meet the fictional family members

• Visitors enter from one side of building, purchase tickets, watch videos, and then must show ticket to enter exhibit through opposite door

• Two station where the visitor exit interviews are conducted

(The suggested layout is shown on next slide)

En

tran

ce

To E

xh

ibit

Welcome Desk

Tele

vision

Mon

itor

Television

Monitor

Key:

Staff :

Visitor:

SECTIONS IN THE EXHIBIT

This exhibit will consist of the following four sections:

1. The food section This section will have two parts:

1. The Kitchen2. The Garden

2. The weaving and sewing section3. The stable4. The school

This section is designed to allow the visitors get a feel for how food was prepared in the 19th century San Diego.

The kitchen will be a replica of a 19th century kitchen and will include the following objects:

•A working outdoor brick oven•Pots and pans•Spoons and forks•Spice jars•Spice grinders•A table and chairs

THE KITCHEN OBJECTS

Kitchen in Casa Machado Y Stewart in Old Town San Diego Historic Park

In the kitchen, the visitors will be greeted by a woman dressed in the 19th century attire posing as the mother of the fictional family and the tour guide for the kitchen and the vegetable garden.

Also, a woman dressed in attire from that time period will be preparing fresh tortillas.

The visitors can touch all the objects in the kitchen, lean how to roll tortilla dough, examine the outside brick oven, sit at the kitchen table, and enjoy fresh baked tortillas.

THE KITCHEN ACTIVITIES

Outdoor brick oven in Casa Machado Y Stewart in Old Town San Diego Historic Park

THE GARDEN OBJECTS

Vegetable Garden in Casa Machado Y Stewart in

Old Town San Diego Historic Park

The purpose of this area is to provide the visitors with a better understanding of how people tended to their vegetable gardens with the tools available in the 19th century San Diego.

The garden will be a replica of a 19th century garden and will feature the following objects:

• Tools used for gardening in that time period

• Shovels• Baskets for gathering

vegetables

THE GARDEN ACTIVITIES

Vegetable Garden in Casa Machado Y Stewart in Old Town San Diego Historic Park

In addition to the main tour guide, one or two people dressed in the 19th century attire will be taking care of the vegetable garden while describing the gardening methods and tools used in the 19th century San Diego.

The visitors may touch the shovels, and the baskets in the garden to have a better understanding of how people took care of their vegetable gardens with the tools available in the 19th century San Diego.

The purpose of this section is to give the visitors the opportunity to learn how people made their clothes in the 19th century.

This area will be a replica of a 19th century weaving and sewing work area, in San Diego and will include the following objects:

•A spinning wheel to make yarn for clothing•A loom for making fabric•A sewing kit

WEAVING AND SEWING OBJECTS

A Spinning Wheel to Make Yarn for Clothing and Rugs in Casa Machado Y Stewart in Old Town San Diego

Historic Park

In this area, a lady will pose as the daughter of the fictional family and act as the tour guide.

Also, three more ladies dressed in the 19th century attire will be present: one will be making fabric at the loom, another will be sewing, and the last one will be making bracelets and teaching the visitors how to make them.

The visitors will be able watch someone using the loom, touch the fabric, the sewing table and the sewing kit. Also, they will learn how to make some bracelets.

WEAVING AND SEWING ACTIVITIES

A Loom for Weaving Fabric in Old Town San Diego Historic Park

The purpose of this area is to inform the visitors about how the people living in the 19th century took care of horses and used horses and carriages as methods of transportation.

This section will include a replica of a stable from the 19th century San Diego and will feature:

•Horses•A carriage•19th century tools

TRANSPORTATION OBJECTS

Stable in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park.

In this area, a man will pose as the father of the fictional family and act as the tour guide.

Also, three more men dressed in the 19th century attire will be present: one will be cleaning and feeding the horses, another one will be repairing and cleaning a wagon and the last one will be serving as a carriage driver.

The visitors will have a chance to touch some of the tools, feed the horses, and enjoy a carriage ride to get a feel of how traveling was in that time period.

TRANSPORTATION ACTIVITIES

Wagon in Old Town San Diego State Historic Park

SCHOOL OBJECTS

Mason Street School House, Old Town. Earliest San Diego City-Owned School 1865-1872

The purpose of this area is to provide the visitors with the opportunity to see how the schools were in the 19th century San Diego. Also, the visitors will learn about the school rules and activities.

This section will include a replica of a school from the 19th century San Diego and will feature:• A school house• Tables and chairs• A Blackboard• Writing pads

SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

Classroom in Old Town San Diego School

In this area, a boy will pose as the son of the fictional family and act as the tour guide.

Also, a lady dressed in the 19th century attire will pose as the teacher.

The visitors will be able to write on the blackboard, sit at the chairs and benches, and write on the writing pads used by the students in that era.