When I was commissioned to research and write a coffee table book called San Diego Then and Now, I had the opportunity to research dozens of historic images. It was fun to see how many of the San Diego sights had changed over the years.
The photo collection at the San Diego Historical Society numbers over two million images, samples of which are kept in separate books, divided by subject or neighborhood. I checked the Kensington neighborhood book to see if there was a photo of my previous 1926 house, but no luck.
However, I did find a great shot of the trolley line going down what is now the main street. Weirdly enough, the city is currently tearing up that street in order to put in new sewer lines. And guess what they found about a foot down? Yep, the old trolley tracks. Of course everyone in my neighborhood is going down and taking pieces for souvenirs.
What I discovered during this project–and especially want to share with you–is the value of local historical societies.
When I began the project, the only society I was really aware of was the main San Diego one. However, I discovered there are close to 60 societies in the county, including one operated by the Marine Corps. And, most are repositories for photos, newspapers and other local history gems.
Have you visited your society lately? If not, why not put it on your list of things to do? And, even if your family wasn’t originally from where you live, I think it’s fun to go through the old photos – particularly if you can find ones from your neighborhood. For a nominal fee most societies will make a duplicate photo for you.
