California Business History Museums
(Aerospace) California Aerospace and Aviation Museums
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/about/Dryden/museums.html
(Agribusiness) Agricultural History Project
http://www.aghistoryproject.org Established in 1986 with the purpose of preserving the history of Agriculture of the Central Coast of California. The AHP collection includes antique tractors, farm implements, small tools, fruit jars, and milk jars. The Codiga Center & Museum houses displays including a timeline of agriculture of the central coast of California since Ohlone times, a dairy display, a fruit jar display, and feature exhibits on crops and people of the area i.e. apples, strawberries and lettuce.
(Agribusiness) Antique Gas and Steam Engine Museum
http://www.agsem.com One of the premier educational and recreational facilities, located on 55 acre museum site in North San Diego County. Museum's collections focus on the 1849 through the early 1960’s era and actively demonstrates an Early California Farm; and the businesses that grew up to support farmers. Exhibits include farm equipment from horse drawn through modern row crop equipment. Collections number well over 20,000 items (maintained in operating condition), ranging from a 300 HP Allis Chalmers Corliss stationary steam engine with a 19,000-pound flywheel, to rare manuals and photograph.
(Agribusiness) Heidrick Ag History Center
http://www.aghistory.org The Heidrick Ag History Center introduces visitors to the marvels of agriculture, and commercial trucking through 130,000 square feet of interactive, one-of-a-kind exhibits featuring the latest in museum and attraction technologies. The cornerstones of these exhibits are the Fred C. Heidrick Antique Ag Collection, the world’s largest and most unique collection of one-of-a-kind antique agricultural equipment and the Hays Antique Truck Museum, also recognized as the largest of its kind in the world.
(Agribusiness) Mission Olive Preservation, Restoration & Education Project
Aims to preserve the cultural link to the California Mission Olive tree for the purpose of general public education and enjoyment of the historical significance, culinary heritage, and health benefits of the Mission Olive tree and its oil.Aims to preserve the cultural link to the California Mission Olive tree for the purpose of general public education and enjoyment of the historical significance, culinary heritage, and health benefits of the Mission Olive tree and its oil.
(Agribusiness) TV: California Heartland
http://www.californiaheartland.org/.
Ninth season — the first in high definition — (KVIE Public Television’s weekly half-hour series). California Heartland will take a fresh approach at presenting compelling stories and relevant information, communicating to millions of Californians how our $27 billion agricultural industry affects our lives.Ninth season — the first in high definition — (KVIE Public Television’s weekly half-hour series). California Heartland will take a fresh approach at presenting compelling stories and relevant information, communicating to millions of Californians how our $27 billion agricultural industry affects our lives.
(Aircraft) Aviation Museum of Santa Paula
http://www.amszp.org August 1930 - Santa Paula Airport opened; first airport in Ventura County, CA; more airplanes per capita than any other community in the nation. Museum comprises "Chain of Hangars"; each hangar tells different story (Hangar #1 tells the story of Santa Paula Airport's early years). Historical photographs, artifacts and much more are displayed."
(Aircraft) Hiller Aviation Museum
http://www.hiller.org The Hiller Aviation Institute & Museum was founded by helicopter pioneer Stanley Hiller Jr. in June 1998. The institute was conceived in the early ‘70s on the premise that objective presentation of history, with all its linkages and drivers, would be a logical foundation which to construct a vision of future global science and aviation. Silicon Valley is an ideal location for an institution where science and aviation problems and solutions can be explored, evaluated, taught and communicated to the public and corporate audiences. Concentrated in this area are the talents, sciences, the progressive attitudes and capital resources needed to develop science and aviation in the 21st Century.
(Automotive) The Blackhawk Museum
http://www.blackhawkmuseum.org/ Established in September 1988 to ensure that significant automotive treasures blending art, technology, culture and history would be exhibited for public enjoyment and educational enrichment. Automotive Research Library contains books, magazines, and miscellaneous reference material dating to the beginning of the auto industry.
(Banks) The Wells Fargo History Museums
http://www.wellsfargohistory.com/museums/ On display - original Concord Coaches, Wells Fargo’s Banking and Express documents, artifacts, early photos, gold coins, mining tools, ore, balance scales, working telegraphs, and western fine art. Each museum also showcases Wells Fargo’s role in regional history.
(Broadcasting) Bay Area Radio Museum
Dedicated to preserving and honoring the history of radio broadcasting in the San francisco Bay Area; Presents "Out of the Fog" - History of KQW and KCBS, San Jose/San Francisco (by John F. Schneider).
(Broadcasting) California Historical Radio Society
http://californiahistoricalradio.com/.
Founded in 1974 to promote the restoration and preservation of early radio and broadcasting. Our goal is to provide the opportunity to exchange ideas and information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and display of early equipment. .Founded in 1974 to promote the restoration and preservation of early radio and broadcasting. Our goal is to provide the opportunity to exchange ideas and information on the history of radio, particularly in the West, with emphasis in collecting, literature, programs, and the restoration and display of early equipment.
(Computers) Computer History Museum
http://www.computerhistory.org/
Established in 1996 - a public benefit organization dedicated to the preservation and celebration of computing history. Mission: to preserve and present for posterity the artifacts and stories of the information age, the history of the computing revolution and its worldwide impact on the human experience. Home to one of the largest collections of computing artifacts in the world, a collection comprising over 4,000 artifacts, 10,000 images, 4,000 linear feet of cataloged documentation and gigabytes of software.
(Computers) DigiBarn Computer Museum
http://www.digibarn.com Established in 1998, to capture personal stories and track technological evolution through a large collection of vintage computer systems, manuals, videos, interviews and other relics of the personal computing revolution which began in 1975. The collection ranges from early laboratory personal computing, such as the LINC (1962), through the 70s, 80s and 90s. Large systems include Cray Supercomputers. The DigiBarn has a specialty in the origin of the Graphical User Interface and networked computing from its beginnings at Xerox PARC and elsewhere. Located in a 90+ years old barn constructed of old growth redwood that is part of the original 'Ancient Oaks Ranch', a 19th century farmstead nestled deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains of Northern California.
(Entertainment) Exotic World Burlesque Museum and Striptease Hall of Fame
http://www.burlesquehall.com
Half-way between the glamour of Los Angeles and glitter of Las Vegas - Exotic World is the only museum in the world dedicated exclusively to the art and artifacts of the golden age of Bump & Grind.
(Entertainment) Hollywood Entertainment Museum
http://www.hollywoodmuseum.com Founded in 1996, Hollywood Entertainment Museum (HEM) is an exceptional mix of culture and education. In 2006, the Board of Directors of the Museum broadened its mission to tell the story of Los Angeles while expanding its entertainment themed high school and after-school program--The Education Center for the Entertainment Arts--inspiring and empowering at-risk youth to succeed. This program is one of the most successful in the country and serves as a global model. It is this unique fusion of education, community and culture that grounds HEM in a deep sense of social responsibility and exemplifies the spirit of Los Angeles.
(Entertainment) Hollywood Heritage Museum
http://www.hollywoodheritage.org Housed in the beautifully restored Lasky-DeMille Barn (c. 1895), the Museum features archival photographs from the silent movie days of motion picture production, movie props, historic documents and other movie related memorabilia. Also featured are historic photos and postcards of the streets, buildings and residences of Hollywood during its heyday.
(Entertainment) Musee Mechanique
http://www.museemechanique.org/ Edward Galland Zelinsky, fifth-generation San Franciscan, started Musée Mécanique in San Francisco, one of the world’s largest privately owned collections of mechanically operated musical instruments and antique arcade machines (coin-operated mechanical art); from turn of the century hand cranked music boxes to modern video arcade games; more than 300 items, ranging from orchestrions, coin operated pianos, antique slot machines, and animations, down to small bird boxes.
(Entertainment) Museum of Making Music
http://www.museumofmakingmusic.org Founded in 1998, Museum of Making Music explores the multifaceted history of the American music products industry from its beginnings in the 1890s to today. The Museum tells stories of hard work, challenge, inspiration and pioneering innovation, and reveals the profound relationship between the industry, popular music, and global culture.
(Food) Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia
http://www.burlingamepezmuseum.com/
Opened in 1995, the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia is the only place in the world to see every Pez candy dispenser ever made. Over 55 years of dispensers and memorabilia are on display.Opened in 1995, the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia is the only place in the world to see every Pez candy dispenser ever made. Over 55 years of dispensers and memorabilia are on display.
(High Technology) Intel Museum
Power of computer chips, evolution of their development; how microprocessors work, how transistors work, about memory technology and about the history of the microprocessor.Power of computer chips, evolution of their development; how microprocessors work, how transistors work, about memory technology and about the history of the microprocessor.
(High Technology) The Tech Museum of Innovation
http://www.thetech.org/ The Tech is a cosmopolitan museum singularly focused on technology -- how it works and the way that it is changing every aspect of the way we work, live, play and learn. Its people-and-technology focus and the integration of advanced technologies into visitor experiences and infrastructure, distinguishes it from other science centers.
(Historical Markers), California State Historical Landmarks
http://www.donaldlaird.com/landmarks/
The state of California has designated over 1100 sites as California State Historical Landmarks.
(Manufacturing) Historical Glass Museum
http://historicalglassmuseum.com
Opened to the public in 1985. Only museum west of the Mississippi River limited to displaying glassware made by American glass makers and artists. The Historical Glass Museum exhibits 6,000 examples of glass pieces found in the home from the 1800s to present times.
(Mining) California State Mining and Mineral Museum
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=588 Museum houses a collection that was started in 1865 in San Francisco. It is the official California State Mineral Collection, with over 13,000 minerals, rocks, gems historic artifacts and fossils. Recently returned in 2000 is the popular crystalline gold Fricot Nugget, weighing 201 ounces, the largest one found during the Gold Rush. Also reflective of days gone is a working scale model of a stamp mill, demonstrating the process of gold extraction.
(Mining) Gold Country Museums
http://www.malakoff.com/goldcountry/museums.htm
(Mining) Gold Nugget Museum
http://www.goldnuggetmuseum.com
Incorporated in 1973. Our mission is to preserve and protect The Ridge heritage through our collection and artifacts and with community education programs. Gold Nugget Days celebrate finding a 54-pound gold nugget in 1859 (celebration began in 1959 and has continued every year since).
(Mining) Gold Rush Trail: An Outdoor Museum of San Francisco Heritage
The Gold Rush Trail is the San Francisco equivalent of the Freedom Trail of Boston. It was founded as such, and with a focus on education as its top priority. The Gold Rush Trail Foundation, a non-profit public-benefit corporation, offers educational experiences in the City's historic districts to residents and visitors via a clearly marked walking trail. This goal is supported by The Mechanics' Institute, The California Historical Society, and The Society of California Pioneers. Working with the San Francisco Unified School District, the Foundation has helped create state-certified history programs for the fourth and seventh grades. This mission is made possible through sponsorship by corporations with historical roots in the City.
(Mining) Marshall Gold Discovery Historic Park
http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=484 Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park is the place where James W. Marshall found shining flecks of gold in the tailrace of the sawmill he was building for himself and John Sutter on the South Fork of the American River in the valley the Nisenan Indians knew as Cullumah. This discovery in 1848 changed the course of California's and the nation's history. It led to the greatest mass movement of people in the Western Hemisphere and was the spark that ignited the spectacular growth of the West during the ensuing decades. The gold discovery site, located in the still visible tailrace of Sutter's sawmill, in present day Coloma California, is one of the most significant historic sites in the nation. The purpose of Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park is to secure for the people and to make available for their observation, inspiration, and enjoyment, the gold discovery site and its environs as an accurate portrayal of the story that unfolded at the time of the discovery and Gold Rush. The park's interpretive program primarily embraces the period from 1847 through 1852, but also shows the town of Coloma as it developed.
(Mining), The Northstar Mine Powerhouse & Pelton Wheel Museum
http://www.nevadacountyhistory.org/htmls/northstar.html
Located in Grass Valley, CA, an exhibit of hundreds of mining artifacts, including a working Stamp Mill and Cornish Pump, the largest Pelton Wheel ever constructed.
(Mining) Twenty Mule Team Museum
http://www.20muleteammuseum.org/ Opened August 4, 1984. The mission of the Twenty Mule Team Museum is to acquire and document artifacts pertaining to local history and to the history of borax mining in Death Valley and Boron.
(Oil) California Oil Museum
http://www.oilmuseum.net From fossils to fill 'er up, the California Oil Museum tells the story of the black bonanza that created wealth, work, and prosperity for generations of Californians; highlights the inner workings of the state's black gold industry through interactive displays, videos, working models, games, photographs, restored gas station memorabilia, and an authentic turn-of-the-century cable-tool drilling rig.
(Publishing) International Printing Museum
http://www.printmuseum.org The International Printing Museum in Southern California was founded in 1988 by David Jacobson of Gutenberg Expositions and Ernest A. Lindner to house the Lindner Collection of Antique Printing Machinery. The collection has grown since then with significant donations and acquisitions, making the International Printing Museum the premier exhibit on printing history throughout the world. The museum takes one of the world's most significant collections of antique printing machinery and brings it to life through working demonstrations and theatre presentations. Since 1988, over 250,000 visitors have toured the museum, learning about the history of books and printing, great inventions and inventors that have changed our world. The Printing Museum has been recognized worldwide for its importance and size, and for the successful and creative approach it takes in interpreting the collection to a general audience.
(Railroad) California State Railroad Museum
http://www.csrmf.org/ Opened in Sacramento, CA in 1976; widely regarded as the finest and most popular railroad museum in North America. One of Sacramento’s largest and most popular visitor destinations (over 500,000 visitors annually); primary exhibit building, the Railroad History Museum, totals 100,000 square feet; over 225,000 square feet of total exhibit space, stimulating exhibits, enthusiastic and knowledgeable docents, and beautifully restored railroad cars and locomotives to illustrate railroad history in California and the West.
(Railroad) Feather River Rail Society
http://www.wplives.org The Western Pacific Railroad Museum at Portola is the largest and most complete collection in North America dedicated to telling the story of one railroad, and also one of the few places where you can experience railroad history in a truly hands-on way. Sit at the controls of the world's largest diesel locomotive. Climb aboard passenger cars from the California Zephyr, one of the nation's most famous passenger trains. And you can even take the throttle of a real railroad locomotive in the oldest engineer experience program in the US.
(Railroad) Golden Gate Railroad Museum
http://www.ggrm.org Nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of steam and passenger railroad equipment, and the interpretation of railroad history in the San Francisco Bay Area.
(Railroad) Laws Railroad Museum
http://www.lawsmuseum.org/ Preserving the history of the Owens Valley and the Eastern Sierra. The decline and demise of Laws and the railroad were the result of the local mines closing, trucking becoming cheaper than rail freight and the city of Los Angeles buying most of the valley for the water rights. By 1959 when the railroad ceased operation, there was no trace of any of the buildings at Laws as they had all been torn down for salvage. Only the depot, agent's house, oil and water tanks and the turntable survived. All the other buildings you see at the museum today were doomed for destruction locally but were saved by being moved to the museum grounds.
(Railroad) Lomita Railroad Museum
http://www.lomita-rr.org The Lomita Railroad Museum, built in 1966, was the first of its kind west of Denver, Colorado. Dedicated to the proud era of the steam engine, complete authenticity is the hallmark of the Museum. On display is a Southern Pacific Railroad Steam Locomotive (1902-1960) and Tender. Nearby stand a 1910 Union Pacific Caboose and a modern all-steel Santa Fe caboose. On display at the annex are a 1923 Union Oil tank car and a 1913 Southern Pacific outside-braced wood box car. Also check out our Water Tower.
(Railroad), Railroad & Ferry Depot Museum
http://www.landmarks-society.org/landmarks/railroad_ferry_museum.php.
1884 - Peter Donahue, Irish immigrant and industrial tycoon, completed the extension of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad to Tiburon with a ferry fleet to provide faster passenger and freight service between the City and Northern California. Twenty-three years later, the Donahue Line merged with competitors to become the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The last train left Point Tiburon September 25, l967.1884 - Peter Donahue, Irish immigrant and industrial tycoon, completed the extension of the San Francisco and North Pacific Railroad to Tiburon with a ferry fleet to provide faster passenger and freight service between the City and Northern California. Twenty-three years later, the Donahue Line merged with competitors to become the Northwestern Pacific Railroad, a subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The last train left Point Tiburon September 25, l967.
(Railroad) Western Railway Museum
1946 - Bay Area Electric Railroad Association was created to foster interest in streetcar, interurban, and mainline electric railroad operations. 1985 - name "Western Railway Museum" was officially adopted.
(Retail - Food & Beverage) J. Monteverde General Store Museum http://suttercreek.org/pages/scprofile.cgi?scid=280&sccatid=10&frx=itemlist
The Monteverde Store Museum, which opened as a country store in 1896, still displays all the paraphernalia of the past on its shelves. Dry goods, hardware, bulk products, apparel, patterns, even penny candy were on hand for local shoppers. It is preserved as it was in 1970 when the last owner closed the doors for a few days and never reopened.
(Sports) California Surf Museum
http://www.SurfMuseum.org Presents standing displays of surfing equipment and photographs. Every eighteen months it introduces a new feature exhibit highlighting one of the pioneering legends of the surfing world. The museum also retails surfing-related merchandise. 20,000 people visit the museum annually.
(Sports) International Surfing Museum in Huntington Beach
http://www.surfingmuseum.org Collection of some of the most significant artifacts in the history of surfing. Salutes surfing around the world, its pioneers, its culture and its evolution.
(Sports) Surfing Heritage Foundation
http://www.surfingheritage.com Preserves the history of surfing for future generations. We collect, preserve, and document, surf craft, print, photos, oral histories, art, cinematography, and surfing memorabilia. Through education and outreach we tell surfing's story and bring its rich lore to life.
(Sports) The Skateboard Museum
http://www.skatelab.com/museum/
The Skateboard Museum is and has been 100% FREE since 1997. With 3 permanent locations and several "pop up" displays Skatelab Skateboarding Museums are educating people about The History of Skateboarding worldwide. The Museum inside SKATELAB of California is home to the SKATEBOARDING HALL OF FAME which was founded in 1997, with over 50,000 visitors each year. Skatelab has a collection of over 5,000 vintage skateboards as well as skateboarding memorabilia. Skateboard history lives on at Skatelab!
(Steel & Iron) Knight Foundry
http://www.knightfoundry.org/ Established in 1873 by Samuel N. Knight, Knight & Co. was one of the earliest US foundry-machine shops remaining in operation and one fo the few water powered. It provided the specially crafted machinery and tools that made it possible to mine and process the gold and other minerals of California's Mother Lode and remained a commercial operation until economic conditions forced its close in 199; Knight was one fo several inventors experimenting with impulse turbines to exploit the area's abundant high-head water power for driving hoists, ore stamps, and other mining machinery. He patented an efficient water wheel that came to dominate the field prior to the introduction of the Pelton turbine in the mid-1880s. Knight turbines drive some of the machinery of the works.
(Technology) Museum of American Heritage
Founded in 1990 by Frank Livermore, museum combines elements of history, technology and design to illustrate the evolution of technology, how and why it has influenced society from inception to the current time, and a glimpse of future expectations. MOAH's Objectives: Collect, preserve and display historic objects and inventions that illustrate the effects and influence of innovation; Provide educational activities that integrate history, technology and design; Show the evolution, influence and relevance of historic innovations to the technologies and society of the past and present; Establish self-confidence with science and applied mathematics through the use of guided, hands-on experimentation to teach technical concepts; Honor the contributions of local individuals, organizations and industries to technological history; Pesent private collections not otherwise available to the public; Provide a stimulating social and professional venue for volunteers to serve the community.
(Textiles) Lace Museum
http://www.thelacemuseum.org Mission: to Preserve Lace and the Art of Lace Making; to Exhibit Lace and its Historical Use; To Offer Instruction in All Facets of Lace Making.
(Textiles), San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
Established in 1977 - Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association opened the American Museum of Quilts and Related Arts in a storefront in Los Altos; 1986 - incorporated as a nonprofit public benefit museum, administered under the direction of a community-based Board of Trustees; The Museum’s collection consists of some 550 quilts, garments and ethnic textiles, and a research library of more than 500 books on the history and making of quilts and textiles; first museum in the United States to focus exclusively on quilts and textiles as an art form; we aim to increase the public’s awareness, understanding, and appreciation of quilts and textiles as a form of artistic and cultural expression that peoples worldwide have practiced for thousands of years.\
(Telecommunications) Roseville Telephone Museum (presented by SureWest)
http://www.rosevilletelephonemuseum.org/ Grand opening in 1994; one of the finest collections of antique telephones and telephone memorabilia in the country. Professional museum curators usher visitors through the 4500-square foot, four-gallery exhibit, featuring a display of the original telephones designed by Alexander Graham Bell, circa 1876. Early switchboards and myriad novelty phones are also on display, treating guests to an educational and entertaining walk down memory lane. Hundreds of candlestick and early wooden wall telephones, colorful antique line insulators and rare telephone booths are just some of the other items on display. For a special treat, try your hand at making a call on the magneto switchboard actually used by Roseville Telephone in 1914. True collectors praise the exhibit. Technical buffs and antique enthusiasts appreciate the unique collection. Children learn. People of all ages marvel and enjoy.
(Transport) Hays Antique Truck Museum
http://www.truckmuseum.org The Hays Antique Truck Museum contains one of the largest collections of antique trucks in the United States. Formally established in 1982 by Mr. A.W. Hays, a pioneer and leading figure in the California trucking industry. The museum's collection includes over 100 different makes of old trucks, representing 94 different manufacturers such as Fageol, Freightliner, Mack, Sterling, Oshkosh, Peterbilt, and the one and only 1916 Breeding Steam Truck. Also on display are trailers, industrial powerplants, tools, equipment, and trucking memorabilia. The museum attracts visitors from around the world and serves as an educational resource for schools and truck historians.
(Transport) San Francisco Cable Car Museum
http://www.cablecarmuseum.org/ The Cable Car Museum was established in 1974. It is operated by the Friends of the Cable Car Museum as a nonprofit educational facility. Located in the historic Washington/Mason cable car barn and powerhouse, the museum deck overlooks the huge engines and winding wheels that pull the cables. Downstairs is a viewing area of the large sheaves and cable line entering the building through the channel under the street.
(Transport) San Francisco Railway Museum
http://blog.streetcar.org/sfrm.html Celebrates the history of rail transit in San Francisco and explores its significant impact on the quality of urban life in this great city throughout its storied history. The museum features unique historic artifacts, illustrative and informative displays, rarely seen archival photography, in-depth historical interpretation, and audio-visual exhibits, in addition to a wide variety of unique San Francisco gifts, souvenirs and memorabilia you won't find anywhere else.
California Association of Museums
