List of historical societies in California

The following is a list of historical societies in the state of California, United States.

Organizations

Archives of the Monterey County Historical Society, California, 2025

Cover of the 1897 Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California

1909 newspaper item about a meeting of the Historical Society of Southern California

Mendocino County Historical Society building in Ukiah, California (photo 2024)

• Alameda County Historical Society ^[3]
• Alhambra Historical Society ^{[4] [5]}
• Alpine Historical Society ^[6]
• Arcadia Historical Society ^[7]
• Beverly Hills Historical Society ^[7]
• Burbank Historical Society ^[7]
• California Historical Society
• Camp Pendleton Historical Society ^[6]
• Carlsbad Historical Society ^[6]
• Carmel Valley Historical Society  ^{[ d ]}
• Contra Costa County Historical Society
• Del Mar Historical Society ^[6]
• Duarte Historical Society and Museum ^[4]
• El Cajon Historical Society [6]
• Encitas Historical Society ^[6]
• Fallbrook Historical Society ^[6]
• Fort Bragg-Mendocino Coast Historical Society  ^{[ d ]}
• Fresno Historical Society ^[8]
• Glendale Historical Society
• Glendora Historical Society
• Humboldt County Historical Society
• Imperial County Historical Society ^[6]
• Japanese American Historical Society of San Diego ^[6]
• Jewish Historical Society of San Diego ^[6]
• Kern County Historical Society ^[3]
• Kings County Historical Society ^[3]
• La Jolla Historical Society ^[6]
• La Mesa Historical Society ^[6]
• Lakeside Historical Society ^[6]
• Lemon Grove Historical Society ^[4]
• Historical Society of Long Beach [9]
• Los Angeles Conservancy, the largest membership-based historic preservation organization in the country.
• Los Angeles Historical Society ^[10]
• Los Californios [6] ^[11]
• Manteca Historical Society ^[10]
• Marin County Historical Society [3]
• Mendocino County Historical Society  ^{[ d ]}
• Monterey County Historical Society ^[12]
• Mountain Empire Historical Society ^[6] in Campo
• Northwest Pacific Railroad Historical Society ^[13]
• Ocean Beach Historical Society ^[6]
• Orange County Historical Society
• Pacific Beach Historical Society ^[6]
• Pacifica Historical Society  ^{[ d ]}
• Pasadena Historical Society ^[12]
• Historical Society of Pomona Valley ^[3]
• Poway Historical and Memorial Society ^[6]
• Ramona Pioneer Historical Society ^[6]
• Rancho Bernardo Historical Society ^[6] in Norte
• Rancho Santa Fe Historical Society ^[6]
• Russian River Historical Society ^[13]
• Sacramento County Historical Society ^[14]
• San Bernardino County Historical Society ^[3]
• San Diego Historical Society
• San Dimas Historical Society  ^{[ d ]}
• San Francisco History Association ^[10]
• San Lorenzo Valley Historical Society ^[10]
• San Marcos Historical Society [6]
• San Mateo County Historical Society ^[3]
• Santa Barbara Historical Society ^[3]
• Santa Cruz County Historical Society ^[3]
• Historical Society of Santa Rosa ^[13]
• Shasta Historical Society ^[3]
• Sierra Madre Historical Society ^[3]
• Siskiyou County Historical Society ^[14]
• Sonoma County Historical Society ^[13]
• Society of California Pioneers
• South Bay Historical Society ^[6] in Chula Vista
• Historical Society of Southern California ^[12] . Founded in 1883, the Historical Society of Southern California (HSSC) is the oldest historical society in California.
• Temecula Valley Historical Society [6]
• Trinity County Historical Society  ^{[ d ]}
• Tuolumne County Historical Society  ^{[ d ]}
• University Heights Historical Society ^[6] in San Diego
• Western Sonoma County Historical Society ^{[10] [13]}

See also

• History of California
• List of museums in California
• National Register of Historic Places listings in California
• List of historical societies in the United States

References

1. Historical Society of Southern California Quarterly – via HathiTrust, 1884-1961
2. Los Angeles Herald, California, October 31, 1909 – via Library of Congress' Chronicling America
3. American Association for State and Local History (1944), "California", Historical societies in the United States and Canada: a handbook, Washington, D.C, p. 13+ – via HathiTrust
4. American Association for State and Local History (2002), Directory of historical organizations in the United States and Canada (15th ed.), AltaMira Press – via Internet Archive
5. "2022 Membership Directory", californiahistorian.com, Conference of California Historical Societies, retrieved June 28, 2025
6. "Historical Societies: Directory", sandiegohistory.org, California: San Diego History Center, retrieved June 28, 2025
7. "Historical Societies, Museums & Archives: Los Angeles County", laalmanac.com, California: Los Angeles Almanac, retrieved June 28, 2025
8. Terry Abraham, ed. (2015), "Western United States and Canada", Repositories of Primary Sources, 1995-2015, University of Idaho Library
9. "Long Beach and Local History: Other History Centers & Online Archives", Research Guides, University Library, California State University, Long Beach, retrieved June 28, 2025
10. "Nonprofit Explorer", propublica.org, New York: ProPublica , retrieved June 28, 2025
11. loscalifornianos.org , retrieved June 28, 2025(interested in "early Hispanic Californians in Alta California")
12. Social Networks and Archival Context, United States: SNAC Cooperative , retrieved June 28, 2025
13. "Historical Societies, Sites & Resources", sonomacounty.ca.gov, California: County of Sonoma Historical Records Commission, retrieved June 28, 2025
14. John D. Hicks (1957), "History in California", California Historical Society Quarterly, vol. 36, no. 2, doi:10.2307/25155113

Further reading

• Appleton Prentiss Clark Griffin (1907), "California", Bibliography of American Historical Societies (2nd ed.), Washington DC: Government Printing Office, p. 146+ – via HathiTrust

External links

• Digital Public Library of America. Assorted items related to historical societies in California
• Library of Congress, California: Local History & Genealogy Resource Guide, Research Guides, Washington DC