List of museums in the North Coast (California) explained

The North Coast of California is located on the Pacific coast in between the San Francisco Bay and the Oregon border and includes Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, and Mendocino counties.

This list of North Coast, California museums, defined for this context as institutions (in nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing can include non-profit and university art galleries. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included.

To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order.

Museums

See also: List of museums in California.

Name Image Town/City County Type Summary
Historic house Contains Ranch House, an example of early California living
Anderson Valley Historical Society Museum Local history website
Arcata Marsh Interpretive CenterNatural history Exhibits about the natural history and importance of the marsh and the operations of the waste water treatment plant
Lighthouse Lighthouse and museum
Blue Lake MuseumHumboldtLocal history Photos and artifacts of Blue Lake pioneers, local Native American, logging and railroad history
Blue Ox Millworks and Historic ParkHumboldt Local history website, historic park with working craftsmen's areas and a current-day mill and woodworking operation
Clarke Historical MuseumHumboldt Local history Formerly the Clarke Memorial Museum, history of Humboldt County with emphasis on the late 19th century, includes furniture, glassware, clothing and Native American wing
Del Norte County Historical Society MuseumDel Norte Local history website, includes Native American baskets, Tolowa and Yurok artifacts, musical instruments, old radio, phonographic and photographic equipment, needlework, logging and mining tools and equipment, fashions and furniture
Discovery Museum of Eureka Humboldt Children's non-profit children's museum website
Lake Local history website, operated by the Lake County Historical Society
FerndaleHumboldt Historic house website, 1866 house museum and events venue with original furnishings, gardens and historic outbuildings[1] [2] [3]
Humboldt Local history Period rooms, antiques, Native American artifacts,[4] dollhouses, switchboards, telephones, farm equipment, working Bosch-Omori seismograph, working Blacksmith shop, mid-century barbershop, dairy equipment, equestrian gear, art by local notable artists, and wainwright shop.[5] Research collections include family histories, photographs, newspapers, cemetery and city records, and books
Humboldt Art Operated by Humboldt State University
Mendocino Local history Visitor and interpretive center for Mendocino Headlands State Park
Humboldt Fort History of the mid 19th century fort, interactions between European Americans and Native Americans, logging equipment and local narrow gauge railroad history of the region
Fortuna Depot Museum HumboldtLocal history website, history of the Eel River Valley, includes memorabilia from railroad, farm and war eras, including large locks, spark plugs, and barbed wire displays, a doll collection and many types of fishing gear and lures
Mendocino Multiple Art, history, and anthropology museum focusing on the lifeworks of artist Grace Carpenter Hudson (1865–1937) and her ethnologist husband, Dr. John W. Hudson (1857–1936)
Guest House MuseumMendocino Local history website, operated by the Fort Bragg – Mendocino Coast Historical Society
Hoopa Tribal Museum HumboldtNative American
HSU Art Galleries Humboldt Art website, includes the Reese Bullen Gallery in the Humboldt State University Art Building, the Native American Arts Gallery in the Behavioral & Social Science Building and the First Street Gallery
Humboldt Maritime Madaket historic ship, displays[6]
Humboldt Natural history Exhibits include the redwood forest, plant evolution, area fossils, seashells, insects, marine life
MendocinoHistoric house website, interprets Mendocino's logging and shipping industries
Lake Local history County history, Pomo basket and artifacts collection, gems and minerals, Victorian parlor, hunting and camping, courthouse history
Lake Local history Includes local pioneer and Native American artifacts, rocks and minerals
Mendocino County MuseumMendocino Local history website
HumboldtArt Arts and artists of the Pacific Northwest, particularly Morris Graves
Phillips House Museum Humboldt Historic house website, operated by the Historical Sites Society of Arcata, shows the daily life of an Arcata resident between 1854 and 1932
Mendocino Maritime Lighthouse open for tours
Samoa Cookhouse Museum Humboldt Industry website, area logging activities, part of the Samoa Cookhouse historic restaurant
Scotia Logging Museum Humboldt Industry website, museum about the logging company town once owned by Pacific Lumber Company
Sea Glass Museum Mendocino Local History website, history of Fort Bragg's sea glass beaches, sea glass displays and photos, privately owned
Lake Historic house Mid-19th century house, oldest building in the county, operated by the Stone House Historical Society[7]
Stone Lagoon Schoolhouse Museum Humboldt Local history Operated by the Society for California Archaeology, exhibits of Native American artifacts, local history[8]
Del Norte Native American Roadside attraction that includes the End of the Trail Museum, which features Native American art, crafts and tools
Triangle Tattoo & Museum Mendocino Art website, display of tattoo artifacts from around the world
Trinidad Museum Humboldt Local history website
Willow Creek – China Flat Museum Humboldt Local history website, local and Native American history, special Bigfoot collection
Wooden Sculpture Garden of Romano Gabriel Humboldt Art website, folk art sculpture garden, operated by the Eureka Heritage Society

Defunct museums

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fern Cottage . 2023-06-21 . www.visitredwoods.com . en-us.
  2. Web site: 2016-05-28 . Fern Cottage . 2023-06-21 . Roadtrippers . en.
  3. Morrill . Don . Fall 2016 . Zipporah Russ and the Journey to Fern Cottage . Humboldt Historian . 64 . 3 . 23.
  4. Book: Bess, Carol . Ferndale: Images of America . Newman . Beryl . Roberts . Ann . Arcadia Publishing . 2004 . 978-0-7385-2890-8 . Charleston, South Carolina . 10, 113 . en-us . 2004104609.
  5. News: 2023–2024 . "Head to the friendly Ferndale Museum for history lessons" . Souvenir . 1, 29 . The Ferndale Enterprise . Cages Publishing, Incorporated . Eureka, California . Titus . Caroline.
  6. News: Bullwinkel . Mary . Southern Humboldt wine event raises money for Humboldt County Historical Society . Humboldt Beacon . December 12, 2012 . January 23, 2013 .
  7. Web site: Historic Stone House. Stone House Historical Society. November 26, 2014.
  8. Web site: Humboldt. Society for California Archaeology. November 26, 2014.
  9. Web site: Smith River, California: Ship Ashore – Little Museum (Closed). Roadside America. January 15, 2016.