California Historical Society

The California Historical Society, at 678 Mission Street in San Francisco's South of Market district, is the state's official historical society and combines exhibition space with a research library and archive. Founded in 1871, it collects documents, photographs, art and objects covering California's history from Spanish and Mexican rule through the Gold Rush, statehood in 1850 and the modern era. The Mission Street gallery presents changing exhibitions that interpret different themes, such as immigration, labor, the environment, politics and the arts, rather than a fixed permanent chronology. Holdings include manuscripts, maps, photographs and a large collection of historical ephemera, along with paintings and decorative pieces, and many materials are available to researchers by appointment through the library. The society is based in a building near Yerba Buena Gardens and the Museum of the African Diaspora, and its location in a district of museums encourages combining visits. Because exhibits change, visitors should check californiahistoricalsociety.org for current shows, hours and admission. A visit takes about an hour for the galleries, longer for research use. The organization also publishes the journal California History and supports education programs, and it maintains collections through conservation and digitization work. For travelers interested in the state's past, the gallery offers a concentrated introduction to themes that connect San Francisco to the wider California story. Past exhibitions have drawn on the society's holdings of photographs, maps and printed materials to examine subjects such as the Gold Rush, the 1906 earthquake, immigration, labor movements and California's changing landscape. The society's collections extend well beyond what is on view at any time, and its programs include lectures, school resources and public talks that expand the exhibits for visitors with a deeper interest. The nearby Yerba Buena Gardens, Moscone Center area and several other museums mean the stop fits easily into a South of Market day, and public transit from Montgomery Street station is a short walk.