Nevada County Historical Society

Nevada County Historical Society Celebrating & Preserving the History of Nevada County, California Burns, President of the College of the Pacific.

The Nevada County Historical Society had its beginning in 1944 after being inspired by Dr. Robert E. Dr. Burns was interested in the preserving the history of the Mother Lode and gold country, and he spoke to the Grass Valley Lions Club about organizing a county historical society. Soon afterwards another meeting was held for people who were interested and a constitution and by-laws were adopted.

The objective of the new was to preserve every source of Nevada County history. The new society began with 48 members, and dues were a dollar a year! Monthly programs were planned to entertain and educate members, and the committee chairmen and groups formed the foundation of the society by collecting, displaying, and preserving the memorabilia of the county. Today, the Society maintains the Firehouse Museum in Nevada City, the Mining Museum in Grass Valley, the Searls Library in Nevada City, and the Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum Nevada City.

1947 North San Juan photo courtesy of the UC Davis Digital Online Collection and the Eastman Collection:
06/11/2026

1947 North San Juan photo courtesy of the UC Davis Digital Online Collection and the Eastman Collection:

Photo by Kial James, you can find more of his work here: Kial James / Northern California Scenics: kialjamesphotography...
06/11/2026

Photo by Kial James, you can find more of his work here: Kial James / Northern California Scenics: kialjamesphotography.com/contact

Story about Alleghany Lou found in the Historical Clippings 18 on page 171:
06/11/2026

Story about Alleghany Lou found in the Historical Clippings 18 on page 171:

Your local history comes alive this Sunday, June 14th at our Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum in Nevada City!
06/10/2026

Your local history comes alive this Sunday, June 14th at our Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum in Nevada City!

Miner's Hospital, Nevada City, 1946, photo courtesy of the UC Davis Digital Online Collection and the Eastman Collection...
06/09/2026

Miner's Hospital, Nevada City, 1946, photo courtesy of the UC Davis Digital Online Collection and the Eastman Collection:

Photo of the Empire Mine Scale Model, photo by Wayne Hsieh: Housed in the "Secret Room" with double-blackened windows, t...
06/06/2026

Photo of the Empire Mine Scale Model, photo by Wayne Hsieh:

Housed in the "Secret Room" with double-blackened windows, this 1938 scale model of the entire five square miles of the Empire-Northstar Mine Complex was known only to the Board and the Company owner.

The model was continuously updated as excavations continued. The earlier view of the main Empire Shaft (about 10Oft (31m)), is represented as 1 inch on this model. However, as this is a relatively wet part of the state (the mine needed to pump out 79,000L of water per minute), anything below two inches remains covered in water.

Empire Mine State Historic Park, Grass Valley, California

Address

161 Nevada City Highway
Nevada City, CA
95959

Opening Hours

Monday 1pm - 4pm
Tuesday 1pm - 4pm
Wednesday 1pm - 4pm
Thursday 1pm - 4pm
Friday 1pm - 4pm
Saturday 1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+15302647569

Website

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