6 Outstanding Houses to See in Old Town San Diego

Delia Tugui | May 30, 2016

4. Seeley Stables

Did you know that in the 1800s, travel time in California was measured in days, or even weeks? It may be hard to believe, but yes, before the railroads were built in the century’s latter part, the stage line was basically the mainstay of commerce. Teams of wagons and horses were what a local enterprise consisted of. Stagecoaches held around 18 people and a one-way trip to Los Angeles (from the Old Town) took no less than 32 hours (with an overnight stay at San Juan Capistrano) and cost $10 (a serious amount of money for that time). Fascinating, right?

Well, the Seeley Stable was a sturdy barn where horses were stabled and stagecoaches were housed. It was a square-sided, shingle-roofed, two-story building and probably the first construction built by Albert Seeley (who used to operate a stage line amid the Old Town and Los Angeles) after he bought the property of Bandini, back in 1869.

What we see now is the reconstructed version of the original Seeley Stable (demolished in the late 1920s), with an exceptional, rare collection of vehicles and gear for transportation used in the 19th century — California’s early wheeled transportation history in a nutshell. You can admire a mud wagon, a <i>carreta</i> (an ox-drawn cart, more exactly), an imposing two-wagon freighter, a Concord stage and other western memorabilia (upstairs).

Plan at least 20 (if not 30) minutes to see the entire collection and to cherish the place that once served as the starting point for any trip around the area.

Joe Mabel / Own Work

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