Historical Marker · No. 65
The Whaley House
San Diego, San Diego County · California
Erected by San Diego County Board of Supervisors and the Historical Markers Committee, 1959
James Robinson was hanged on this lot on September 18, 1852 for trying to steal a rowboat. The gallows were built too short for him, so he strangled slowly in front of a crowd. Thomas Whaley was in that crowd, and he bought the ground. By 1857 the oldest brick building in Southern California stood on it, and Whaley lived in it, and ran a store, a courtroom and a theater out of the same rooms. The plaque lists the uses and not the hanging.
What the plaque says
The Whaley House Built by Thomas Whaley in 1856-57, this is the oldest brick structure in Southern California. In addition to being the home of the Whaley family, it served variously as granary, store, court-house and school and as the town's first theater. Whaley's home was the cultural center of San Diego as well as its most luxurious residence. State Registered Landmark No. 65 Marker placed by San Diego County Board of Supervisors and the Historical Markers Committee Erected 1959
Where it stands
32.75276, -117.19462 · Directions
More markers nearby
- Adobe Chapel of the Immaculate Conception — steps away
- Site of Casa de Cota — steps away
- El Campo Santo — steps away
- Casa de Pedrorena — steps away