New leadership and old artifacts are coming together to bring history back to Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa.
Volunteers are hard at work in an effort to help raise money for the History Center of San Luis Obispo County, which saw a third of its budget slashed by the county earlier this year, a change that affected many nonprofits in the region.
Meanwhile, though, artifacts from the history center’s storage facility have been unwrapped and delivered back to where they belong.
“We found this in storage last week, and the History Center of San Luis Obispo County is very thrilled to give it back to Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, where it belongs," new Executive Director Steve Schmidt said to the mission's Donna Young, who helps lead tours. The artifact is what appears to be part of the original ceiling in the chapel.
Schmidt has been in this new role for the past two months after joining as a volunteer back in March.
“The rumors of our death are greatly exaggerated," Schmidt stated. "I really want the county to know that we're alive and well. Really, I want to let people know that we're here, that we are important.”
The museum staff’s goal is to connect people to the history of our county through displays and artifacts. On Wednesday, the history center returned items like old roofing tiles, the chapel ceiling, and stained glass from Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa back to its museum.
“Well, the more we know about our past, the more we, I think, can live here in the future," Young explained. "This just is a symbol of not only the Spanish that came here, but the Native Americans who probably did this work.”
Right now, Schmidt is focused on fundraising and finding more volunteers to assist with revitalizing the history center.
“So I'm hoping to engage people here much longer with something that interests them, something they can interact with, something that they can connect with, and something that San Luis Obispo can be proud of," Schmidt said.
The museum will be celebrating the 250th birthday of the United States on February 18, which is the exact date marking the 176th birthday of San Luis Obispo County.
According to the USGS, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake centered about five miles west of Templeton struck at 9:54 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
