McCoy House
Old Town San Diego State Historic Park
4002 Wallace Street, San Diego CA 92110

Courtesy San Diego County Parks & Recreation

Photo by Marlena Krcelich

SAN DIEGO SHERIFF JAMES MCCOY was born in Antrim, Ireland and came to America, arriving in Old Town in 1849 following a stint in the U.S. Army with Magruder's Battery. In San Diego, McCoy served as Sheriff and County Assessor, eventually serving as a California State Senator in 1871.

The McCoy House was built in 1869 as a wedding gift for his young bride, Winnifred Kearny, atop the site of the original Kumeyaay village of Kosa'aay. In terms of the typical dwellings in Old Town, the Greek Revival home was large and a bit ostentatious for the neighborhood, showing off McCoy's prominent position in the community. Featuring the traditional white picket fence and green shutters, the large white house stood watch over Old Town until it was demolished in the early 20th century.

The McCoy House was reconstructed as a museum in 2000. Unlike typical house museums, the McCoy House features one domestic room, the parlor. The remainder of the museum features a different interpretive setting in each area of the building, allowing visitors to travel through time. As you leave the parlor, you find yourself in the village of Kosa'aay; from there you experience the Mission and Rancho eras. Moving on, you are suddenly in the bowels of a New England hide and tallow merchant ship, which leads you to a 19th-century grog shop and an express office. The second floor is devoted to rotating exhibits, archaeological displays, and meeting spaces for lectures.

Old Town San Diego State Historic Park LINK