Monterey State Historic Park Association

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The Monterey State Historic Park Association's (MSHPA) mission is to preserve the historic buildings & cultural heritage of Monterey, California for all to enjoy. We are the non-profit cooperating association supporting Monterey State Historic Park; for information about the park go to http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=575

10/10/2026

Become a member today.

Since 1975, the Monterey State Historic Park Association has stood beside the park: helping keep its adobes open, its stories told and its programs running for the people who come through the gate.

Membership is how that work keeps going, and joining is now as easy as a tap. The Custom House store takes membership payments through Square, right at the register.

One more reason to join this month: members receive their Christmas in the Adobes ticket discount in store when tickets go on sale Wednesday, Oct. 14.

08/10/2026

Four days until tickets are on sale.

Picture Monterey's historic adobes on a December night, doorways lit and luminarias lining the paths, music drifting out of rooms that have held nearly two centuries of holidays.

That is Christmas in the Adobes, now in its 42nd year, on Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12, from 5 to 9 p.m. in Historic Old Monterey.

Tickets go on sale Monday, Oct. 12, through Eventbrite, MSHPA.org and in person at the Custom House store on Wednesday, Oct 14.

07/10/2026

California has never stopped loving its grizzly. The bear first appeared on the Bear Flag of 1846, and it's still everywhere you look, even though California's last wild grizzly was seen about a century ago.

This one is embroidered on a soft washed cap, and it's one of four new designs now in our Monterey State Historic Park gift shops. Pick your favorite California original: the grizzly bear, the California quail, the sea otter or the orca.

Every purchase supports the park, including education programs for grade school students.

Custom House Store
Wednesday–Sunday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Pacific House Store
Tuesday–Sunday, 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

Visit mshpa.org/shop for store details.

06/10/2026

Though lost to sight, in memory dear.

On October 9, Monterey State Historic Park opens a new exhibit at the Casa Gutierrez Community Art Gallery: Though Lost to Sight, In Memory Dear: An Exploration of Memento Mori and Posthumous Portraiture.

Drawn from the park’s own collection, the exhibition brings together posthumous portraits, hair wreaths, and hair jewelry — many never shown before — that tell the stories of the people they belonged to. Seen together, these objects speak of family, love, loss, and changing views of death from the late colonial period through the Victorian era.

Join us for an opening reception on Thursday, October 8, from 5–7 p.m. The exhibit opens to the public on Friday, October 9.

Casa Gutierrez Community Art Gallery

590 Calle Principal, Monterey

Fridays & Saturdays, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Photo credit: California State Parks

05/10/2026

Shop local. Support history.

Did you know shopping at MSHPA’s Custom House Store and Pacific House Store helps support Monterey State Historic Park?

Your purchases help fund important work, including educational programs for local grade school students.

Stop in, find something special and help keep Monterey’s history alive.

02/10/2026

October Book of the Month: The Edge

California's coastline has never held still. Bluffs give way, beaches shift, and the towns along the water keep adjusting to a shoreline that has its own plans.

Our October Book of the Month, The Edge: The Pressured Past and Precarious Future of California's Coast, follows that story in both directions. Authors Kim Steinhardt and Gary Griggs, marine experts who grew up on this coast and write from the Monterey Bay, trace its natural and cultural history, then look plainly at what comes next: rising seas, erosion, development, fisheries and the wildlife caught in between.

Read it, then stand at the edge of Custom House Plaza and look out at the bay. It won't look quite the same.

Pick up a copy at either Monterey State Historic Park Association gift shop at the Custom House or Pacific House.

30/09/2026

Saturday, October 3 at 2pm — free talk inside California’s First Theater in Monterey.

Join Dr. Cynthia Wagner Weick for California’s First Theater: An Idiosyncratic Treasure — a look at the distinctive 1840s redwood-and-adobe building that is one of Monterey’s most unusual historic structures.

Copies of her book Preserving History: A Field Guide to Art and Architecture in Monterey will be available for purchase, and she’ll sign them after the talk. State Parks staff will then lead a free 15-minute tour of the theater.

Free and open to the public. Come for the history, stay for the book and the tour.

28/09/2026

The magic is almost here!

One of Monterey’s most beloved holiday traditions is just around the corner — the 42nd Annual Christmas in the Adobes!

Online sales start October 12. Tickets will be available at the Custom House store during normal scheduled hours. Mark your calendars and get ready to step into history, candlelight, and holiday cheer.

Support history. Support education. Support our community.

Learn more at MSHPA.org

26/09/2026

Giving to MSHPA just got easier!

You can now make your donation quickly and securely through Square.

Your gift helps preserve Monterey’s historic adobes, support educational programs and keep our local history alive for generations to come.

Donate today through Square: square.link/u/yZTga89Z

25/09/2026

Sharktober is here, Pacific Grove

Join us Saturday, October 3 from 2:00–4:30 PM at Asilomar as the Monterey Bay White Shark Project shares the latest discoveries about the lives and behaviors of one of the ocean’s most fascinating predators — the ones that call our waters home.

You’ll meet the team and get to ask them anything: • Dr. Barbara Block, Stanford University • Dr. Dan Costa, UC Santa Cruz • Dr. Corey Garza, University of Washington • Kip Evans, Monterey Bay White Sharks
Plus we’ll screen Kip Evans’ brand-new short film. It’s the kind of afternoon that makes you look at the bay a little differently.

Free admission. Just reserve your seat on Eventbrite so we can save you a chair.

Bring the kids, bring a neighbor, bring your curiosity. This is our backyard, our sharks, and our chance to hear the story straight from the people doing the work.
Merrill Hall 800 Asilomar Avenue, Pacific Grove

Questions? Call (831) 646-6440
We’d love to see you there. Let’s celebrate Sharktober together.

Address

Telephone

+18316497118

Website

http://www.mshpa.org/, https://linktr.ee/mshpa_monterey, https://mailchi.mp/mshpa/newsletter-sign-up

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