The Museum

The San Dieguito Heritage Museum was founded in 1988 to preserve artifacts, records and stories pertaining to the history of the communities of the San Dieguito River area.  

The founders had deep roots in the local communities and cherished the uniqueness of the history in the area. They sought to preserve and share this history through a combination of hands-on history experiences as well as traditional exhibits.  The museum’s recent move to a new building on over an acre of property will allow the dreams to be realized.

If you click on the link below, you will be treated to a short video tour of our museum.

CBS Channel 8 Interview and Video

Museum’s Mission Statement

The mission of the San Dieguito Heritage Museum is to collect, preserve and interpret local history.  The museum’s major intent is to tell the story of the communities of the San Dieguito region to children and adults in ways that are authentic and exciting

The Region

The San Dieguito region comprises the area surrounding and including communities of Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas (Leucadia, Cardiff, Olivenhain), and Rancho Santa Fe – roughly the area between the Batiquitos Lagoon and the Los Penasquitos Lagoon.  It is hard to imagine that just a hundred years ago this area was primarily a dry-farming and cattle ranching community with just a few thousand residents.  But as the area has grown and developed, it has acquired an extensive and fascinating history.  The active members of the museum have a strong desire to help people understand how they fit into the community in which they live by illustrating what they share and how they differ from people of the past.

Board of Directors

President:	Sue Steele	Museum Director:	Shari Fortmueller
Vice President:	Ralph Stone	Museum Secretary:	Barbara Grice
Secretary:	Bob Gottfredson
Treasurer:	Tom Farley
Other Members:	Fred & Jean Bruns
	Tom Cozens
	Bruce Hall
	Linda McArdle
	Margo Oakley
	Warren Rapps
	Mary Fran Riggs
	Don Terwilliger
	Pam Walker
	Evelyn Weidner