California Historical Society Collection at Stanford
About us
Containing materials from the early eighteenth century to the most recent past, the California Historical Society (CHS) Collection encompasses more than 600,000 items and is renowned for its rare and diverse range of materials, making it one of the most significant collections of California state and local history.
The collection includes original material from significant events such as the gold rush, statehood, and the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire. It also features unique collections, such as the Peoples Temple Collection, which houses organizational records, government documents, official and personal correspondence, newspapers, publications, photographs, film and video tapes, audio recordings, and three-dimensional artifacts. The collection has grown considerably since its establishment in 1983, thanks to the generous donations from former Peoples Temple members, family, and friends, as well as journalists and scholars. It now stands as the most comprehensive archival record of the organization, spanning from Peoples Temple’s beginnings in Indiana in 1955 to the aftermath of the tragedy in Jonestown on November 18, 1978.
Other noteworthy collections include:
- The records of the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, which date back to the early 1900s. These documents provide a comprehensive look at the establishment and activities of the Northern California branch, including the full run of its newsletters, from 1936 to the present.
- The Kemble Collections on Western Printing and Publishing, which are among the largest and most comprehensive collections on printing and publishing in the western United States. This collection spans nearly 200 years, from 1802 though 2001, and includes books, manuscript collections, trade catalogs, and type specimens, as well as ephemera related to printing practices, culture, and history in the western hemisphere.
- Materials from the California Flower Market, Inc., which consists of materials that document the history of the flower market and industry in California from 1890 through 2014.
Important information about access to the collections
In January 2025, following the dissolution of the California Historical Society (CHS), the collections of CHS were transferred to Stanford University Libraries, where they will be known as the California Historical Society Collection at Stanford.
Materials will be made accessible to the Stanford community and outside researchers as they are integrated into the Libraries' holdings and catalog. This webpage will provide forthcoming announcements on accessing the collections. Once made accessible, materials will be available for use in the Special Collections Reading Room, located in Green Library. Current queries may be directed to the following email address: chscollection@stanford.edu.
Digital library
The digital library contains digitized primary sources such as photographs, maps, and ephemera.
Press release
Stanford University to assume stewardship of California Historical Society Collection.
Meet the staff
Benjamin Stone
Curator for American and British History, Humanities Resource Group
Frances Wratten Kaplan
Archivist/Librarian, California Historical Society Collection, Special Collections
