San Mateo County History Museum

San Mateo County History Museum

The San Mateo County History Museum, located in the Old Courthouse
Former name San Mateo County Historical Museum
Established 1935; Relocated in 1999
Location 2200 Broadway, Redwood City, CA
Type History
Accreditation AAM
Visitors 53,000+ annually
Director Mitch Postel
Public transit access Walking distance from the Redwood City Caltrain station
Website www.historysmc.org

The San Mateo County History Museum is located in downtown Redwood City, California. Housed inside the former San Mateo County Courthouse built in 1910, the museum showcases the rich history of San Mateo County and the surrounding area. Operations and funding for the museum are by the San Mateo County Historical Association (SMCHA).[1] The current location of this museum opened on February 6, 1999,[2] however from 1963 until 1998 the museum was located at the College of San Mateo.[2] The building is a product of the City Beautiful Movement (1893-1920) and has a stained-glass dome thought to be the largest of its kind on the West Coast.

Two other museums are operated by the SMCHA including the Woodside Store and the Sánchez Adobe Park.[3]

Mission

The mission of the San Mateo County Historical Association is "To inspire wonder and discovery of the cultural and natural history of San Mateo County."

History

The San Mateo County Historical Association was founded in 1935. One of its early members was Dr. Frank Stanger, a history professor at San Mateo Junior College, now the College of San Mateo. Through his efforts, the San Mateo County Historical Museum (now the San Mateo County History Museum) was founded in a College classroom in 1941. As the College grew, so did the Museum. Then in 1998, seeking larger and more publicly accessible quarters, the Historical Association's Board of Directors decided to move the Museum into the old courthouse in downtown Redwood City. The Museum expanded from its 6,000 square-foot original location to 40,000 square feet. Between 1998 and 2006, more than $20 million was spent on the restoration and renovation of the exterior and interior of the museum.[4]

Programs

The San Mateo County Historical Association is known principally for the operation of its San Mateo County History Museum and two historic sites, the Woodside Store and Sánchez Adobe. Last fiscal year it conducted school programs for nearly 20,000 children at its three locations, plus Folger Stable[5] in Woodside. It provides public access to its archives through its research library at the History Museum. Its collections compose about 420,000 two- and three-dimensional items. It organizes special educational programs for adults and children on a monthly basis. It maintains a creative schedule of changing exhibits at the San Mateo County History Museum. It publishes a journal, La Peninsula. Finally, it acts as a clearinghouse for matters of historic preservation throughout San Mateo County.[6]

Exhibits

Permanent exhibitions

Select temporary exhibitions

Other Historic Sites

The Association began managing its other two historic sites in 1979. The Woodside Store and Sánchez Adobe were, and still are, San Mateo County Parks, but after the passage of Proposition 13, which resulted in severe cuts to the parks' budget, the Historical Association was enlisted to keep them open to the public. Since that time, the Historical Association has developed outdoor education programs for school groups at the sites.

Woodside Store

Woodside Store

The Woodside Store was constructed in 1854 by pioneer dentist Robert O. Tripp. This redwood emporium sat in the middle of the San Francisco Peninsula's lumbering district; it was, for a time, the only general store between San Francisco and Santa Clara. It was preserved through the efforts of the Historical Association in the 1940s. After being taken under the wing of the Association in 1979, it was subject to a substantial restoration during the mid-1980s.

Sánchez Adobe

Sanchez Adobe
Main article: Sánchez Adobe Park

The Sánchez Adobe is the site of important regional history during the first three periods of California History. During Native California times the Aramai people established the village of Pruristac here. During the Spanish colonial period, it was an important agricultural outpost. During Mexican times, Francisco Sánchez, one-time Alcalde of Yerba Buena (later San Francisco), built his substantial adobe house at this site, which was completed in 1846. Lobbying efforts of the Historical Association inspired the County to obtain the five-acre site for a park in the 1940s. Since 1978, extensive archaeological investigations have been accomplished. Today, the County and the Historical Association are working on a master plan to improve the interpretive value of this unique location.

See also

References

  1. "Exploring San Mateo County History Museum". Redwood Creek Inn. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  2. 1 2 3 "Grand opening events". The Almanac News. 1999. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  3. "Key information on historical museum". The Almanac News. 1999-02-03. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  4. Van W. Shields, Janet L. Gillimore, “Accreditation Visiting Report,” The American Alliance of Museums, 2011, p. 2.
  5. "Folger Stable Historic Site". San Mateo Co. Parks Department. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  6. "San Mateo County History Museum Home". historysmc.org. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  7. 1 2 3 "San Mateo County History Museum". AAA.com. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  8. "Music vs. history at Redwood City's Courthouse Square". SFGate. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  9. 1 2 "San Mateo County Historical Museum". Wanderbat. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  10. 1 2 3 "Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Donates $1.1 Million to Help San Mateo County History Museum Reveal Unknown Stories of California". Business Wire. Retrieved 2016-06-10.
  11. "Museum gotta see 'um". San Mateo Daily Journal. 2016-03-11. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  12. 1 2 "Things To Do". Mercury News. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  13. "Discovering our maritime history at the San Mateo County History Museum". San Mateo Daily Journal. Retrieved 2016-03-30.
  14. "Major League Baseball treasures found in San Mateo County museum". Mercury News. Retrieved 2016-03-30.

Coordinates: 37°29′13″N 122°13′47″W / 37.4870°N 122.2297°W / 37.4870; -122.2297

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