SF’s California Historical Society Closes After 154 Years
San Francisco’s California Historical Society (CHS), a cornerstone of the state’s historical preservation since 1871, has permanently closed due to long-standing financial difficulties. Its extensive collection, which includes books, journals, photographs, maps, and archival documents, will now be under the stewardship of Stanford University Libraries (SUL).
The CHS Board of Trustees decided to dissolve the organization after years of financial strain and the lack of state funding. Despite its designation as the official state historical society in 1979, CHS never received consistent operational support from California’s government. The organization faced increasing budget deficits, and efforts to achieve financial sustainability, including selling its San Francisco headquarters, were unsuccessful.
With no viable alternative, CHS sought a partner to ensure the preservation of its vast collection. Stanford University Libraries was chosen due to its strong archival infrastructure, expertise in digitization and preservation, and commitment to historical research. The collection, now known as the California Historical Society Collection at Stanford, will remain intact and accessible to scholars and the public.
The collection spans centuries and includes materials related to the Gold Rush, California statehood, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and social movements such as the Black Panther Party and the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California. It also houses the Peoples Temple Collection, which contains records and artifacts related to the Jonestown tragedy.
Stanford’s partnership with the Bill Lane Center for the American West ensures that the collection will continue to be studied, expanded, and made available through digitization efforts. Researchers, students, and historians will benefit from broader access to these invaluable historical records.
While the closure of CHS marks the end of an era, the preservation of its collection at Stanford ensures that California’s rich history remains accessible to future generations.
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Read more at Stanford University.
Hat Tip: San Francisco Chronicle
