Junipero Serra Museum in Presidio Park. The park was founded in 1769 as the site of the San Diego Presidio and the San Diego Mission, the first European settlements in the western United States. In 1907 George Marston bought Presidio Hill, and in 1925 built the park (planned by architect John Nolan) and the museum (designed by William Templeton Johnson). Marston donated the park to the city in 1929. The museum is operated by the San Diego Historical Society.