News Scrapbook 1980-1981

SAN DIEGO COUN

Local News /The Arts Editorial Pages

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lurday, Ju y 25, 1981

CCt /Parl II

Old Town Dig

By KEAY DAVIDSON, Times Staff Writer San Diego's first city hall, built in the late 1840 • apparently has been rediscovered at Old Town St.ate Park by an archeolog1cal team. The unearthing of an old-fashioned ntly overlaps the city hall site, she said. The city hall was built in 1846 or 1847 by mem- bers of the so-called Mormon Battalion, a U.S. Army unit of more than 500 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On request of the U.S. government, Mormon leader Brigham Young had recruited them to travel to California to secure the area during the Mexican War On arrival m San Diego, the Mormons built the first f1red-br1ck buildings, dug wells, whitewashed houses and constructed sidewalks, accordmg to local histories. The first fired-brick building to go up was the city hall Careful Deduction Careful detective work :.Vas essential to dis very of the old city hall, Moriarty said. The building burned in 1872 and only vague letters, records and old photos gave a rough idea of its location some- where near what is now the Mexico Shop. "The records said that there was a little brick courthouse, one story, and it had two rooms m 1t," Moriarty said. A letter from one Judge "descnbed his room as dark and low-ceilinged (with) little light, not a very nice room, about 16 by 27 feet long." In mid-July, after intensive calculating and dig- ging, Moriarty's crew - which includes descend- ants of the Mormon Battalion - uncovered part of an old stone foundation. Examination revealed the foundation was typical of that built by early Mexicans, not Mormons. But was it possible that the Mormons had built their city hall atop the old Mexican foundation? Made in Connecticut The answer came on July 15 and 16, when diggers sifting sand through a metal-mesh filter found two crucial artifacts: a coat button and a "pintle," or old- fashioned door hmge. Please see CITY HALL, Pace 14 suspec e m ee as oun

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A ~ <"IT

Careful digging (top) by MaJ. Keith Sears and an assistant, Leila Child, 1s turning up proof at Old Town of the site of San Diego' s original city hall, built in the 184Os by Mormon sol-

d1ers. Above, UCO s James Moriarty Ill exam- ines shards from the site. At left is a metal buttom known to have been government issue for Mormon soldier' s un ifo rm of the day .

C YHALL Co • tlnuecl from Flr1t Pa1e

The button had an eagle on one side and "Waterbury Button Co. · on the other, md1catmg it had been manu- factured by a Waterbury, Conn. firm. By comparison With other old buttons, 1t was dated to the Mexican War period. It was also established that it was a military but- ton like that worn by the battalion members. "Everything added up" with the unearthing of the L- shapcd pintle, Moriarty said. Its location tallied with records mdicating where the city hall's doors had been. Other findings include the two bricks uncovered Thursday, nails that may have been used to secure a wooden floor inside the city hall, shards of glass that served as windows and old bottles with thick green glass.

LOS ANGEL ES TIMES

Adm. Thomas Appointed to Board of Trustees at USD · Rear Adm. Gerald E. Thomas has been appointed to the board of trustees of the Universi ty or San Diego by USO President Author E. Hughes, university officials announced. Tttomas is the outgoing commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet's training command in San Diego and has served as director of the Near East, Africa and South Asia re - gions for the office of the assistant secretary of defense.

COAST DISPATCH

Race track is fashion show site In October Fashion-conscious women from both north and south of San Diego will converge on the Del Mar Racetrack Oct 1 to see the winning fall entries from the leading international fashion houses. have "the excitement of the Kentucky De rby and the chic of Ascot." Ultrasuede, and silk. Since moving to La Jolla from New Orleans three years ago , Phyllis Parrish has held pos i-

promi sed a show ofluxury furs, Spanish leather,

To enhance the race course theme of"Winners' Circle '81 ," plans include constructing a horse- shoe shaped ramp in the paddock area , which will be decorated with the colorful racing silks of internationally famous stables. The program All proceeds from thi s event will benefit the USD Financial Aid Program. For information and reservations , call 291-6480, ext. 4271. will have a racing-form format.

Groups are already forming in Orange County, Tijuana, and even Arizona to attend the 25th Sil- ver Anniversary Annual Fashion Show and Lun- cheon sponsored by the University of San Diego Auxiliary. This year's event is to be called "Winner's Cir- cle '81." The USD Auxiliary has selected Phyllis Par- rish of La Jolla as general chairman to stage a landmark Silver Anniversary event whie>h will

lions on the boards ofThe Friend· r~the La Joll a Chamber Music Society, the La Jolla Debutante Committee, the Women's Committee of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra Association , the La Jolla Chapter of the Multiple Scleros is F ounda- tion, and is currently on the Art Council of the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art. She is a lso vice president of the USO Auxiliary. Parrish said that Mrs. Robbie Kraft , fa shion show director· for Bullock's/Mission Valley, has

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