OBHS presented The History of Famosa Slough Featuring Jim Peugh, , April 16, 2015  Jim Peugh, Chair of Board of Directors of Friends of Famosa Slough, will give the history of Famosa Slough that runs from being an ice age coastal canyon, a part of the estuary of the San Diego River, a dump
for construction rubble, a planned construction site, to a City-owned urban
wildlife preserve and hot spot for bird watching and nature study.
He discussed the successful campaign to get the City to buy it for conservation in 1990. Also the restoration that has occurred, the current uses by people & wildlife, including endangered Ridgway’s Rails and California Least Terns.
Famosa Slough is owned by the City of San Diego as a Wetland Preserve. It is a part of the City’s Multiple Habitats Protection Area for the protection of at-risk, threatened, and Endangered Species. It has also been identified as a No-Take Marine Conservation Area under the State of California’s Marine Life Protection Act. And it is a nice place to watch, hear, and study coastal wetlands. The Friends of Famosa Slough partner with the City to help manage and improve its value for wildlife and for visitors.

Thurs., March 19, the Ocean Beach Historical Society Presented a wonderful speaker… Margaret Francis worked on the decoding machines as seen in the movie “The Imitation Game”. Margaret Francis is a WWII Veteran of the WRENS (Women’s Royal Navy Service) in England. She worked on the decoding machines (the bombe) 10 miles from Bletchley Hall at Gayhurst Manor.
Margaret talked about her experiences bringing history to life. She is an excellent storyteller, and very funny, remembering with vivid details some of her experiences. She is 91 years old and has lived in San Diego since the 1957. She gave us a very entertaining night packed with historical information.

Congress of History  of San Diego & Imperial Counties present: FRI., MAR. 6 & SAT., MAR 7, 2015, “BALBOA PARK: 1915 & BEYOND”
A 2-DAY CONFERENCE, 9AM to 4 PM, Registration only $35 ($25 Seniors, $15 Students) Registration form at: http://congressofhistory.org
You weren’t born in time to attend the 1915 Panama-California Exposition but you can relive the excitement at the 50th Congress of History Conference! Two days of dynamic speakers with special stories about the event that made a lasting impression on San Diego. Don’t miss the fun in 2015. See the speakers, authors, and exhibitors. History comes alive in Balboa Park!

Feb.19, 2015 the OBHS presented Highlights of O.B.’s Historic Beach Cottages: History, Architectural Details and the Mills Act
Featuring members of the Ocean Beach Historical Society board Kathy Blavatt, Jane Gawronski & Tom Gawronski who were happy to present this special program about O.B.’s Historic Beach Cottages, a subject that is near-and-dear to their hearts. All three have local planning board experience and been advocates in preserving our historic structures. Tom and Jane own historic Ocean Beach homes including the famous “Red House”.
Kathy has interviewed cottage owners, collected photos and written about O.B.’s historic homes.
These presenters talked about the importance of the Mills Act , the role the cottages play in the Ocean Beach Community Plan (approved at San Diego City Council 2014), and in retaining our beach town character. Cottage owners were encouraged to talk and show photos of their houses towards the last segment of the program. We learned some great new information from the audience at the program, but what to encourage people to donate records, photos and historical information to the OBHS Archives before these are lost forever.

Also for those that want more information on the Mills Act see our Preservation page.

The OB RAG did a great job reporting on this important issue… this is very timely since the Feb. 19, 2015 OBHS program is about the importance of keeping our cottages. Excerpt: Ocean Beach Planning Board Votes Against Demolition of 100-Year-Old House, by FRANK GORMLIE on FEB. 5, 2015—In a bold move that would put a smile on any preservationist, the Ocean Beach Planning Board last night voted against approving a proposed development for 4677 Niagara that included the demolition of the current house, originally built in 1915.

At their monthly meeting, after the developer’s presentation and a lengthy question and comment session, the Board voted 8-2-1 against the developer’s application for a permit to build two condos on the lot, once the lot had been cleared of the old hundred-year-old structure. Full report at: http://obrag.org/?p=91623

Ocean Beach Historical Society Program, Jan. 15, 2015 presented: “Tales from the Trails: San Diego’s Rich Outdoors History” by Author Thomas Leech. Leech’s program focused on stories linked to our natural environment and the early colorful characters who played key roles in shaping San Diego. How Father Junipero Serra, Kit Carson, Hatfield the Rainmaker, Ysidora Bandini, and the Cisco Kid fit in? Leech included many intriguing aspects of local history.
Thomas Leech is a long-time San Diegan and has attended the OBHS programs for years. For several years Leech was Editor for the Outdoors Forum for San Diego Magazine online. This led him to write OUTDOORS SAN DIEGO: HIKING, BIKING & CAMPING with co-author Jack Farman.

This holiday season the Ocean Beach Historical Society honor of the Centennial Anniversary of the San Diego Peace March of 1914. The huge downtown parade was the brain child of Madame Katherine Tingley, AKA “The Purple Mother”, leader of the Theosophical Society on Point Loma. 2,000 people, including 600 Marines led by Col. J. H. Pendleton marched down C Street on Sept. 28, 1914. The San Diego Union claimed it was “the greatest parade for universal peace held anywhere in the United States since the outbreak of the European War” (World War I).
Historic Details of marchers in the 1914 parade included: Police Chief Keno Wilson, Mayor Charles O’Neall, members of the City Council and the Board of Education, San Diego school children, students from the State Normal School in University Heights, Civil War veterans, and representatives of such diverse groups as the Holland Society of San Diego, the San Diego Scottish Social Club, the Federation of Women’s Clubs, and the Red Cross Society.

Peace Be With You This Holiday Season….1914 Reenactment Photo: Dedi Ridenour (seated), is portraying Madame Tingley, AKA “The Purple Mother,” with OBHS board members, archivist & friends of the Ocean Beach Historical Society filling in as her peace-loving followers.

Nov. 20, 2014- The Ocean Beach Historical Society Presented “THE BOAT PEOPLE” Former FREE-ANCHORAGE Live-Aboards! Featuring (who we feel should be doing Stand-Up) Gillian Lancaster & Friends: After hearing about  the Duckman, Zeke and BooBoo, and learning the names of some of the boats, such as the “Love Shack”, “Rapture”, “Gillian’s Box”, you quickly realize why many of these people ended up living or hanging out in Ocean Beach.  On Nov. 20th were introduced to many of these free-spirited individuals, like our speaker Gillian, who love the sun and water and being in a place with a relaxed lifestyle. We learned the history of the  FREE-ANCHORAGE (off Shelter Island), live-aboards and their challenges… and better yet we enjoyed a night of humorous tales with lots of giggles and laughter as these mates were reunited!

OCT. 16, 2014, the OBHS presented: READING BETWEEN THE LAMPPOSTS: THE LITERARY GIANTS OF LOMA PORTAL IS A BOOK ABOUT STREET NAMES, This program featured a unique book that is about a special neighborhood project coordinated by friends Elaine Fotinos Burrell and Karla Lapic.
The neighborhood of Loma Portal, has the curious distinction of its streets being named after (mostly) 18th century authors in alphabetical order. From (Louisa Mae) Alcott to (Emile) Zola, the lives of these 26 authors were researched by 26 neighborhood families, and compiled into this book. Each biographical essay is written in its own style, describing the early life of the historic author, a list of works, and excerpts of writings. A true collaborative effort of celebration of  this cherished Loma Portal neighborhood.