Research Materials
Genealogy Resources - The Photo Collection - Clubs & Organizations - Family Collections - Businesses & Companies - Government Collections
The Map Collection - Research Library - Audiovisual Media
Access to the collection is free to HCHS members and students.
Non-members are asked to pay a nominal fee of $5.00 per day to conduct research within the Gross-Wells-Barnum House.
We offer research services for researchers who are not able to visit us in person. For $25/hour ($15 for members) our research assistant is available to research your questions. Digital copies of photographs may be purchased for research or personal use at $5.25. Digital images may also be purchased for commercial ($25) and non-profit ($20) publication. Submit a Media Use Request.
Exhibits
The Humboldt County Historical Society is primarily a research facility, however we do have two exhibits in the hallway that are regularly updated to provide new and interesting subject matter. Currently, the exhibits feature Early Humboldt County Breweries and Humboldt Druggists. We also have a collection of historical photos and maps hung in the public rooms of the research facility.
Due to vulnerable staff members,
masks are required while visiting the research facility.
Check out our Virtual Exhibit, or History Nuggets, a online series of historical excerpts by Assistant Archivist Pam Service.
Musings From the Archivist
The Organizations and Families Room
With the last two years of covid shutdown, the HCHS has received far fewer donations to its collection than usual. But now that things are slowly opening up again, we hope that folks who have spent some confined-inside time sorting through attics and drawers, will start bringing in items to add to our historical archives.
One thing that particularly concerns me is photographs. Recently technology has been changing in a way to imperil our visual preservation of history. When people used film cameras instead of digital cameras or phones, it produced prints that eventually could be passed onto heirs or historical societies. But now, I fear that fewer images of our present times will leap the technological hurdles and be preserved for our future. The same goes for written records. Letters and diaries could be easily preserved and passed on. But emails and blogs?
Time will tell. But in the mean time, do continue to bring in photographs, documents and historical material to be preserved at the Historical Society. And about those photographs: if you can, please mark on the back who or what they are portraying. Sadly, we have many boxes of unidentified local photos that would be far more meaningful if there was some identification with them.
To paraphrase Smokey Bear, "Only YOU can preserve our past for our future."
Contact Us
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
JANE HILL
She/Her
Jane has many years experience in nonprofit guidance. Among other accomplishments, she is a founder of the Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre in Blue Lake. You may contact her at:
execdir@humboldthistory.org
OFFICE Manager
DEBORAH BASKETTE
She/Her
If you would like more information about becoming a member, renewing your membership, or would like to see a specific local history text carried in our bookstore, contact Deborah at:
bookstore@humboldthistory.org
Research associate
CHARLIE HILTON
They/Them
If you have a research question, contact Charlie at:
research@humboldthistory.org
Archivist & COLLECTIONS MANAGER
PAM SERVICE
She/Her
Pam is the hidden genius of HCHS, usually working in the archives, but also available to help researchers as needed. Please contact her through:
COLLECTIONS@HUMBOLDTHISTORY.ORG
Volunteer
Are you interested in gaining archival experience? Like us, do you enjoy spending time with historic materials and immersing yourself in local history? We have projects available for community members of all backgrounds and levels of expertise. Our volunteer form is available here for you to email to info@humboldthistory.org or mail to 703 8th Street, Eureka, CA 95501-1901.
Donate Items
Are you going through Grandma's attic or a crawlspace in a historic building? Historic treasures are thrown away every day. Our archive is made up of materials discovered, collected, and salvaged by community members like you. We are here to protect & preserve historic materials related to Humboldt history and are working to ensure these resources are made available to the public.
We are a private nonprofit, dependent upon memberships and donations. There are three types of tax-deductible donations (see below). All donations are acknowledged in the Humboldt Historian unless anonymity is requested. Please use the provided text box to let us know which fund you wish to donate to.
Final Call (Nov-April) and Spring Campaign (May-Oct), which provide general funds for running the Society.
Memorial Donations are given in memory of a loved one. As well as the person’s name, if you would like to have their family notified of your gift, please enter the name of a family member and their address in the text box.
Digitization Fund. Digitization of our collection is an ongoing priority in our work. Not only does it make information more accessible to researchers, it backs up the original documents in case of accidental destruction.