Starting in June, we will be presenting a series of Independence Day events celebrating the history of Black Americans (19-20 June), Japanese Americans (27 June), the signing of the Declaration of Independence (4 July), Native Californians (8 August), American women (22 August), the State of California and City of San Diego (12 September), Mexican Americans (19 September), and the 40th anniversary of the incorporation of Encinitas ( 3 October). These events will take place from 10AM – 3PM at the Schoolhouse and will be free to the public, with activities for all ages. Click here to read a more expansive explanation and description of these Independence Days.

Here’s some of what we have been doing since October 2024:

IMPROVEMENTS TO OUTSIDE OF SCHOOLHOUSE

We refurbished the exterior sign and logo, installed a new irrigation system, repainted the ramp banister, and erected an outdoor message board in honor of our board chair Rob Ashley (d.2025). We will soon renovate our bathroom.

IMPROVEMENTS TO INSIDE OF SCHOOLHOUSE

We repaired water damage to the south wall and installed five new doors, new shades to replace old blinds, a new ADT security system, and a 5G router. We received as a donation and mounted two framed Presidential portraits (Washington, Lincoln) that had been on classroom walls at Paul Ecke Central School for more than thirty years. We will soon add more old school desks.

ADMINISTRATION, TREASURY, AND ACCOUNTING

We have updated our policies and procedures and moved all treasury functions in-house. Brandon Jetter helped us transition from a credit card reader to Givebutter, a 21st-century collections platform.

HISTORICAL / ARCHIVAL WORK

With the help of ~20 volunteers (ages 16-84), we installed new databases, devices, software. We completed an inventory of everything of historical value inside the schoolhouse; scanned our volumes of the Encinitas Transcript newspaper (1892-93, 1896); labeled and sorted our larger flat materials & pamphlets and placed them in archival-quality boxes or Kraft Tubes. We sorted 15-20,000 photonegatives from the Coast News. We also digitized 97% of our posters, maps, newspapers, pamphlets, and objects, as well as 100+ oral history tapes and videos, for which we created AI-assisted transcripts. Our archivist Hillel Schwartz wrote and published the first-ever Research Guide to Local History for North County San Diego. We are in the process of renewing our oral history campaign and cataloguing everything that we have scanned. We are now planning to establish a comprehensive research station in the schoolhouse.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Some 2000 people have signed our guest book, including visitors from 15 countries and 35 states. We have welcomed field trips from more than 400 Encinitas 3rd grade students, the La Jolla Children’s School, and San Marcos High School. Our website has attracted over 14,000 visitors, with more each month as we upgrade the site. Our YouTube page has received over 4200 views. In person, we continue to conduct Historical Walking Tours, every 3rd Saturday Sept thru July.

We respond to historical research inquiries on a weekly basis and have become members of the San Diego Museum Council. Our President, Carolyn Cope, and archivist, Hillel Schwartz, have assumed the coordination of CINCH, Council for Interpreting North County History.

We have a new pop-up tent with EHS logo for our booths at local street fairs, senior fairs, and the Oktoberfest.

We promote and host the lighting of the Heritage Tree each December, and co-host the Holiday Parade.

The 1883 Schoolhouse is on the route of community Art Nights, during which we give PowerPoint shows concerning our Inventory of Public Art throughout Encinitas, which has drawn the interest of the Encinitas Arts Commission, the Cultural Marketing and Tourism group, and arts groups throughout the County.

The Encinitas Preservation Association, San Dieguito Garden Club, a Planning Group for pollinator garden, the SD Bicycle Club, San Dieguito Academy Alumni, and other groups meet in our Schoolhouse.

Our Public Goods Initiative is moving out into the community with a talk at Mira Costa College on the history of roadbuilding in North County.