Fort Guijarros

Museum Foundation

Since 1981, the Fort Guijarros Museum Foundation has provided educational service to the United States Navy by managing the archaeological collections recovered on Naval Base Point Loma. The scope of this service began with the 1981 to 1996 archaeology investigations of Ballast Point We now care for collections the Navy. We carry on this educational service through volunteerism and your support.

Through American Antiquity Act and Archaeological Resource Protection Act permits, we conducted investigations with the goal of producing and publishing reports for public benefit. San Diego State University, Department of Anthropology re-printed the 1987-1989 Fort Guijarros Quarterly, plans to re-print the 1995 Fort Guijarros Journal, and in Volume 2 of the State Occasional Archaeology Papers (SOAP), published three major papers on the archaeological evidence of the 1796-1835 Fort Guijarros on Ballast Point.

To develop traveling exhibits to banks, schools, and government offices on our discoveries, we developed annual fundraising dinners and educational performances. Money raised covers liability insurance, office expenses, computers, software, archives boxes, and support materials. We also developed a membership program to regularly involve civilians in educational lectures, performances, historical tours, re-enactments, and on-going research. We need your support in donations and membership.

Our work force is entirely comprised of civilian volunteers, mostly retired people from all walks of life. The only paid staff is funded through donations, membership dues, grants, and (in the past) contracts with other non-profit organizations. Our retirees bring incredibly valuable life experiences that enhance our educational programs. We invite anthropologists, archaeologists, civil engineers, computer engineers and technicians, teachers, people from construction trades, historians, and anyone who can lend a hand.

The economic realities since the year 2000 are severely impacting non-profit organizations all across America today. When times are tough, fundraising to support historical archaeology research and public education programs is very difficult. We are forever indebted to the late Caroline Crosby, retired physical education teacher from Point Loma High School and founding member of the Fort Guijarros Museum Foundation, for remembering us in her estate distribution. In her honor, we continue our efforts during these hard financial times. But we need your help.

In addition to our annual Fort Guijarros Fiesta dinner and Spanish dance program, we added an annual patriotic 1940s theme swing dance to honor the memory of U.S. Army Fort Rosecrans.

Please join the Fort Guijarros Museum Foundation, purchase our interpretive lithographs on the history of Ballast Point or t-shirts for holiday gifts, attend our annual educational functions, and donate to our cause.