by Anne Petersen
Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation (SBTHP) staff have been busy hosting interesting groups for tours at El Presidio de Santa Barbara State Historic Park.  We enjoy and welcome these opportunities to share the Presidio Neighborhood, Santa Barbara’s founding place.  If you are interested in scheduling a tour, please contact us at (805) 965-0093.
On September 22, we hosted 58 Santa Barbara County planners for the Presidio Neighborhood tour. Many of the attendees were familiar with Santa Barbara, but nonetheless gleaned some new information about the rich history of Santa Barbara’s oldest neighborhood.
On September 22, we hosted ten Japanese students from Education First.  After an orientation to El Presidio SHP by Kevin McGarry, the students visited the Nihonmachi Revisited exhibit in the Presidio Visitor Center. Nihonmachi, or Japantown, was settled in the early 20th century and existed on the same site as the Presidio quadrangle’s north wing long after the fort had fallen into disrepair.
Kay Van Horn, Anne Petersen and Kevin McGarry with Japanese student from Education First, and their coordinator Susanne Heierling.
Kay Van Horn, a member of SBTHP’s Asian American History Committee, made the tour especially interesting for these students by sharing her family’s history in the Presidio Neighborhood.
We hope you will join us for a tour at El Presidio SHP. Â Bring a friend!