Category Archives: Exhibits

July 6,1820 – April 16,1862      United States Boundary Commissioner and Surveyor

WIlliam Heath Davis Jr. was born in 1822 in Honolulu on the island of Oahu then part of the Kingdom of Hawaii (1795-until the coup d’etat in 1893). His grandfather was Oliver Holmes born in 1777 in Massachusetts, and his grandmother was Mahi Kalanihoʻoulumokuikekai, the daughter of a high chief of Oahu who was killed […]

  Maria Estudillo, as the wife of William Heath Davis, was the link between Old Town San Diego and New Town built on the bay.  Dona Maria de Jesus Telesfora de los Santos Reyes Estudillo was born in Santa Barbara, California on January 5,1829. Her parents were Juana Martinez and Don Jose Joaquin Estudillo.  In 1834, her father was elected the first alcalde (mayor) of Yerba Buena (San Francisco) where the family had moved, […]

The Sandwich Islands Gazette January 27, 1838 “ Married on Friday evening, January 21st by Reverend Lowell Smith, Mr. William Heath Davis to Kaimiaina.” This short newspaper notice appeared just before William Heath Davis received a letter from his stepfather, John Coffin Jones. Mr. Jones, who was in Santa Barbara, California at the time, reiterated […]

New Town initially thrived. Davis completed his wharf at the foot of Market Street. It was 600 feet long and L-shaped. Goods that were unloaded from the ships were then transported by pack or wagon train to Fort Tejon, Fort Yuma, Fort Mohave, San Luis Rey, Chino, Santa Isabel and San Bernadino. A supply building, […]

    Still – most San Diegans, who lived in Old Town which was the county seat, were slow to embrace the new site. This was further complicated by a financial depression in the mid 1850s, rumored Indian attacks, the threat of a possible war between the southern and northern states and heavy damage to […]

Ghosted: The Horton Principle San Diego, CA ― The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation in conjunction with the Southern California arts and culture duo ARATA are pleased to present Ghosted: The Horton Principle, an engaging exhibit that explores the legacy and possibility of Horton Plaza, architect Jon Jerde’s 1985 Postmodern urban mall. Who killed Horton Plaza? […]

Explore our current Exhibit, “William Heath Davis and the Building of New Town San Diego in 1850