The Ocean Beach Historical Society is off for December.
OBHS hopes to see you at the January program. We have some wonderful speakers lined up for 2026. Have a happy holiday, and we look forward to seeing you next year.

Ocean Beach Historical Society, Nov. 20, 2025, “El Presidio’, featured Richard Carrico, at Water’s Edge Community, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., O.B. Think you know the early history of Spanish settlement in San Diego? Know where the first mission in San Diego was located? Were Kumeyaay prisoners executed at the San Diego Presidio? What the heck did those early Spanish colonists eat? Our favorite speakers and local historian and author Richard L. Carrico gave us answers those questions and many more. Richard walked us through the mid-1700s up to 1845 and literally uncovered lost stories and histories. In addition to his presentation on the history and archaeology of the San Diego Presidio and Presidio Hill, Richard signed his newly released book, El Presidio de San Diego: Excavating Southern California’s Lost City. See you in Jan. 2026, at Water’s Edge Community. All OBHS programs are FREE!

Join us Thursday, October 16, 2025, 7:00 pm, at the Ocean Beach Historical Society program “Lot 9, Block 86 of Point Loma Height, Then and Now“, at Water’s Edge Community Center, 1984  Sunset Cliffs Blvd., O.B. One of the first houses on the hill, this beautiful old residence on Narragansett Avenue has been home to three generations of Ferol Henkels’ family. Over the decades, the beautiful interior has evolved into a museum, filled with photographs and artifacts that recall the past of Ocean Beach and San Diego. Please join us on October 16, as we explore this Ocean Beach treasure house.
OBHS Programs are always FREE.

SOME PEOPLE KEEP HISTORY ALIVE by retelling it, some by writing it, some by advocating for and protecting the places that hold it, and a rare few do all three. Eric DuVall is one of those rare few. Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) is proud to announce the 2025 recipients of the People In Preservation (PIP) Awards, honoring outstanding individuals, organizations, and community groups whose work in historic preservation has enriched the cultural and architectural fabric of San Diego County. Each of this year’s awardees reminds us that saving our cultural heritage takes many forms. Some are lifelong advocates, writers, and culture keepers who ensure our stories endure, while others represent landmark projects that drive cultural tourism and strengthen our local economy. Together, their efforts keep San Diego’s unique character and sense of place alive and ensure our shared heritage continues to inspire, connect, and enrich our communities today and for generations to come. SOHO applauds these remarkable individuals who demonstrate what’s possible when dedication, skill, and vision are applied to the ongoing work of protecting our past.  Please join us in congratulating the 2025 People In Preservation Award recipient.

On September 18, 2025, the Ocean Beach Historical Society hosted an outdoor presentation, “Tour of Liberty Station,” by Lisa Johnson. We met on the back side of the NTC Dick Laub Command Center, where we picnicked and listened to Lisa discuss the history of the last 20 years of NTC’s transformation into Liberty Station. Lisa also gave us details on the Art Districts that she heads up, which have some interesting art and historic collections and projects, which you may want to stroll through. All OBHS programs are FREE, see you next month!

Brovo!!! A pack crowd joined the Ocean Beach Historical Society as Eric DuVall presented The Mystique of Lomaland, on Thurs., Aug.21, 2025 at Water’s Edge Community Center – 1984  Sunset Cliffs Blvd., O.B.
In 1897 some mysterious East Coast “crusaders” purchased more than 100 acres of property on the top of the Peninsula. The property was hard to get to. There was no community known as Point Loma at the time, and nobody knew who those out-of-towners were. The crusaders, known as The International Brotherhood and Theosophical Society, led by Katherine Tingley, were bringing art, music, classical drama, and some decidedly non-Christian ideas to the wild west town of San Diego. How did that go? Surprisingly well, but it was a bit of a bumpy ride.  Programs are always FREE!

A full house attened the Thurs, July 17, 7 PM, The Ocean Beach Historical Society presention: From Lomaland to the Mediterranean Riviera, The Story of Sunset Cliffs and Neighboring Subdivisions, Featuring Ron May, at Waters Edge Community Center at 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., O.B., The presentation was based on the 2004, City of San Diego, Historical Nomination of the Joseph E. and Esten Shreve House, 4510 Alhambra Street in Point Loma.
Ron May lived in Point Loma from 1955 to 1962 and his family owned apartments in OB until 1973. During his 28-year career saving archaeology and historical buildings with State Highways, County of San Diego, and United States Navy, he also spent 32-years of weekends and evenings exploring the 18th century Spanish fort on Ballast Point, a Chinese fishing station, United States Army Fort Rosecrans, and a whale hunting station before retiring in March 2000 to co-found Legacy 106, Inc, where he studied over 1,000 historical buildings and wrote over 320 nomination reports to the City of San Diego with a 98% success rate. In 1989, Spanish King Juan Carlos III honored Ronald V. May as Knight’s Officer, Order of Civil Merit. Over those years, he published over 70 journal articles and, in 2001, co-authored “Shadows of the Past” at Cabrillo National Monument, available on the Internet.

45th Annual Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-Off, SATURDAY, JUNE 28, 2025, was GREAT! Many folks came to our Ocean Beach Historical Society booth to see historic O.B. photos, learn about O.B., purchase items, and become OBHS Members.

Join the Ocean Beach Historical Society, June 19, at 7:00 PM for A Parable of San Diego’s Bungalow Courts with Dr. Diane Kane at Waters Edge Community, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., O.B.

A new property type, the bungalow court first appeared in San Diego in the years after the 1915-1917 Panama California Exposition, when thousands of visitors became permanent residents of San Diego. The bungalow court was considered a quick and affordable solution to increase the housing supply during a period of critical shortage. Bungalow courts first appeared in Pasadena in the 1910s to accommodate seasonal tourists. Often located within a few blocks of streetcar lines, bungalow courts offered the convenience, low maintenance, and communal lifestyle of apartment living, with the privacy and open space afforded to single-family houses. Although the centralized landscaped court was a common feature, many variations in architectural style and lot configuration occurred. This lecture will explore the development, proliferation, and eventual decline of the bungalow court in San Diego. What replaced bungalow courts, and how have newer property types fared with livability, communality, and affordability?

OBHS is excited to have Dr. Diane Kane back with us June 19, at 7:00 pm.  A specialist in 19^th and 20^th century American Architecture and Urban Planning, Dr. Kane has taught Western and American art, architectural history and planning to both professional and general interest audiences for over 35 years.  Please join us! All OBHS Programs are FREE!

A large crowd attended the Thurs., May 15, 2025, The Ocean Beach Historical Society featured guest Dr. Tom Demere, who presented The Geology and Paleontology of Sunset Cliffs. at Water’s Edge Community Center, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd., O.B. Tom Demere’s covered the Point Loma Peninsula’s general geologic history and fossils, with a special focus on Sunset Cliffs. Some 120,000 years ago, global sea level was approximately 20 feet higher than today, and the Point Loma landmass was an island (“Loma Island”) separated from the mainland by a combined “Mission Bay-San Diego Bay.” Tectonic forces, together with sea level fluctuation, resulted in uplift of the peninsula, leaving the ancient sea floor high and dry, with a relatively thin veneer of locally derived wind- and stream-deposited sediment that covered the old sea floor. The resulting, nearly level landform (uplifted marine terrace) makes an ideal place for the homes, businesses, roads, and alleys that characterize much of the communities of Ocean Beach and Sunset Cliffs. 
We learned about fascinating aspects of the local geologic history including how and when the resistant bedrock strata exposed in the sea cliffs formed, the time about 20,000 years ago when the global sea level was approximately 400 feet lower than today, the subsequent relatively rapid rise sea level, and the impact that sea level rise has and is having on the sea cliffs. All OBHS programs are FREE!