THE PANDEMIC HAS HIT HOME, literally. San Diego's 23 house museums, normally warm and welcoming to visitors, are shut tight for the foreseeable future. Across the U.S., small museums are struggling to respond to and survive a mysterious virus and economic crisis.

Out of solidarity with fellow house museum operators and an awareness that many have limited communications resources, SOHO has created a digital tour of these historic dwellings. Our goals are to amplify and rally local support of San Diego's nonprofit historic house museums and the cultures and communities they represent.

Local house museums run like a string of gleaming pearls through the county, from Old Point Loma Lighthouse to the Davis-Horton House anchoring New Town in the Gaslamp Quarter, and from Rancho Buena Vista Adobe in Vista to the Villa Montezuma in Sherman Heights. Modest or grand, run professionally or by volunteers, every city and town takes pride in its house museums, as they are tangible records and interpreters of those who came before us.

Even in good times, many small museums struggle to attract visitors and new volunteers, to maintain properties that require much care, and to make ends meet. But they persevere. They know they are linchpins in their neighborhoods and beyond, as they most often tell the stories not of presidents and celebrities, but of the founders and community makers lovingly protected by local people who care about their rich past.

These museums also speak to the efforts of the generations of San Diegans who worked to save these old homes, farms, or estates and their contents from demolition. And they demonstrate how past peoples lived and experienced some of the same challenges we face today.

Statistics show that as many as a third of museums in the U.S. will close due to COVID-19. Don't let this happen in San Diego County. Be part of this and the next generation to steward these sites into a solid future. Help discover innovative ways to improve the interpretation, access, and community benefits of these significant buildings.

Enjoy the tour! You are in zero danger of suffering from "museum feet." And please let us know if we've overlooked a house museum and we will add it.