The William Heath Davis House is considered to be one of the most significant buildings in San Diego’s history. Visitors are intrigued by the exciting stories of the people who lived in it and the fact that it is the oldest wooden structure in San Diego. Its first owner, William Heath Davis, was the first to attempt to develop the new town—yet it was not until Alonzo Horton came along that the true city began to boom. And it is Horton that is credited with being San Diego’s founder. Incredibly, the William Heath Davis House was bought by Alonzo Horton and lived in by him and his wife for several years. The house is the only known structure left in San Diego that was once Horton’s home.

Used as an officer’s quarters before the civil-war, as a county hospital, and the unconfirmed hideaway for a German spy, people who view the home marvel at its vivid past and the fact that the home was never modified. The William Heath Davis House is now a Historic House Museum and each room represents a historic period of the home and is filled with fascinating and amusing stories about the former inhabitants.