Seeley Stables

Check out our list of all hidden gems in Old Town!

About Seeley Stables

Seeley Stables was a “well built and sturdy” two-story, square-sided, shingle-roofed barn used to stable horses and house stagecoaches.

It probably was the first structure that Albert Seeley, who operated a stage line between Old Town and Los Angeles, constructed after buying the Bandini property in 1869. Seeley enlarged the barn with a single-story rear addition, erected new sheds and fencing, and put up a windmill for pumping water.

Long mows flanked the barn’s center, where wagons drove in from Calhoun Street, loaded with hay. The hay was pitched to either side into the mows. The barn was demolished in the late 1920s.

While you’re in the area, make sure to visit the Whaley House nearby!

The 1974 reconstructed Seeley Stables houses a fine collection of 19th-century overland transportation gear and vehicles, including a carreta or ox-drawn cart, mud wagon, Concord stage, and huge tow-wagon freighter. Most of these rare artifacts were given to California State Parks by Roscoe E. “Pappy” Hazard, a former rancher and retired highway contractor.

Personal Experience

I am pretty sure this stage line is tied in with the stage coach stop in Poway that we’ve written about.  Fun to put the pieces together! I recommend hitting up all the spots in Old Town at the same time. This museum is free, educational and historical. I love to look at old, vintage items and getting a wisp of the past. It’s not for everyone but I know many of you would enjoy this place.