Villa Montezuma Introductory Video by the FOVM and City TV (Click above to see the 9-minute introduction to the museum, created by the FOVM and City TV.)
The Friends of the Villa Montezuma, Inc. (FOVM) is a 501-c-3 organization solely devoted to the magnificent Villa Montezuma, San Diego’s amazing Queen Anne Victorian house museum and cultural center. The Villa is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum is owned by the City of San Diego.
VILLA MONTEZUMA MUSEUM TOURS: You can see the entire magnificent, mysterious Villa Montezuma Museum! Tours are on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday on the hour. The first tour begins at 1:00 p.m. and the last tour begins at 4:00 p.m. Admission costs per person:
-Adults: $15
-Active Duty Military, Seniors 65+, and students with ID: $12
-Children 12 and under: free with a paid adult
-Group rates for groups of six or more adults: $10
School groups: contact us for special education rates
Your admission fee helps us restore the Villa Montezuma Museum!
Reserve your spot now!
1) Please reserve your time slot via texting us at 619-233-8833.
2) Museum location: 1925 K Street, corner of 20th & K, in the Sherman Heights Historic District of San Diego, just east of downtown and the East Village. There is plenty of no-cost parking near the Villa in the neighborhood.
3) For the soft reopening, please bring cash to pay for your admission. Please, no bills over $20.
There is no eating, drinking, or photography allowed inside this historic site. Please, no sharp heels to protect the historic floors.
PoeFest: Thank you to Write Out Loud for an amazing sold out 2021 PoeFest! If you saw PoeFest, now tour the Villa in the daytime to learn about the amazing Jesse Shepard / Francis Grierson and his extraordinary life. We look forward to the return of PoeFest in the last three weekends of October 2022!
One Man, Two Names
The Villa Montezuma is the Historic Jesse Shepard/”Francis Grierson” House. It was built in 1887 as the home of world famous pianist, author, and Spiritualist Jesse Shepard. Jesse began a writing career in San Diego and took the pen name “Francis Grierson,” a name that he used in life as well as for his writing. The Villa is located in the Sherman Heights Historic District of downtown San Diego, CA, at the corner of 20th & K Streets. The Sherman Heights Historic District is the largest historic district within San Diego; it has almost 400 contributing historic structures. Learn more by scheduling a walking tour for your group of 10 or more guests.
Ongoing Restoration
In 2015 the restoration of the foundation, roof, and chimneys was completed thanks to a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). However, there is still work to be done. The FOVM is working with the City of San Diego and the State of California to restore the museum exterior. Your admission fee helps us toward our restoration goals.
You’re invited to join the FOVM to make a difference in the Villa’s future.
The FOVM mailing address:
657 20th Street
San Diego, CA 92102-2810
Physical location of the museum (do not mail to the museum):
corner of 20th & K Streets
Sherman Heights Historic District
San Diego, CA 92102
Questions? Text us: 619-233-8833.
“It’s not haunted, it’s enchanted.”
Books by
Francis Grierson (Jesse Shepard)
1848-1927
Read more about it!Jesse Shepard wrote metaphysical essays and books under the name Francis Grierson. His only “novel” was a look back at his boyhood growing up on the Illinois prairie, “The Valley of Shadows.” This work is his most famous.
1899
Modern Mysticism and Other Essays
1901
The Celtic Temperament and Other Essays
1909
The Valley of Shadows: Recollections of the Lincoln Country, 1858-63
1910
Parisian Portraits
1911
La Vie and Les Hommes
1911
The Humour of the Underman
1913
The Invincible Alliance
1918
Illusions and Realities of the War
1918
Abraham Lincoln: The Practical Mystic
1921
Psycho-Phone Messages
Note: British mystery writer Francis D. Grierson (who wrote from the 1920s to 1940s) is NOT our Francis Grierson.