La Casa de Estudillo
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Hello everyone! This is a friendly reminder that any of these fun places we may visit, we are a guest at. Please treat both businesses and trails with the utmost respect. We here at Hidden San Diego follow the 'Leave no Trace' mantra, meaning whatever you bring with you comes back with you. If you see trash on a trail, please do your part to help remove it. Remember, we are not picking up trash from another person but instead cleaning up for Mother Nature. Happy adventures!
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4000 Mason St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Phone: (619) 220-5422
32.754477, -117.196867
Dog-Friendly: No   Kid-Friendly: Yes
Hours: 10am-5pm daily  Admission: Free
Website
Make sure to check out our list of Hidden Gems in Old Town for the ultimate day trip!
About La Casa de Estudillo
La Casa de Estudillo, located in Old Town, is one of the oldest homes in San Diego and oldest surviving examples of Spanish architecture in California. It is a National Historic Landmark along with many other homes in the park.
It was built in 1827 by early settler, José MarÃa Estudillo and his son José Antonio Estudillo. The home is noted for being associated with Helen Hunt Jackson’s popular novel Ramona, which is one of 3 homes in the state with ties to the novel. Another home tied to the book is Rancho Guajome in Vista.
After the book came out in 1884, and largely thanks to the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe Railway lines that were put in, tourists began making their way to San Diego to see the homes featured in the book.
By 1906, the home had fallen into disrepair. It was purchased by the San Diego Electric Railway Company owned by business tycoon John Spreckles. He had a vision which would tie the home into multiple tourist attractions via his railway. He hired architect Hazel Wood Waterman to help rennovate the help to look closer to how the novel depicted it.
While you’re in the area, make sure to visit the Whaley House nearby!
The idea was a great success. Due to the house being tied in with Ramona’s marriage in the book, the home was used for wedding receptions. The Journal of San Diego History said that if the home did not have such strong ties to the novel, it most likely would have been razed.
Haunted?
Employees have reported seeing faces appear in mirrors when there was no one else in the room. There are reports of shadow apparitions, cold spots, and flashing red lights in some of the rooms, and the apparition of a monk has been seen near the room which served as a chapel. The ghosts of La Casa de Estudillo have also played music with no discernible source.
