History Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids History Park
San Jose Light Tower half-height replica.
Type	Historical recreation of early 20th century California
Location	635 Senter Road Kelley Park
Nearest city	San Jose, California, US
Area	14 acres (5.7 ha)
Created	1971
Operated by	History San José
Public transit access	VTA Line 73 at Senter Rd. & Phelan Ave.

History Park is a special outdoor museum in San Jose, California. It's designed to look like a small American town from the early 1900s. Since it opened in 1971, 32 old buildings and other important spots have been moved here. Some are even exact copies of original buildings.

Who Runs History Park?

History Park is managed by a group called History San José (HSJ). This group is a non-profit organization. They used to be part of the San José Historical Museum. In 1998, they became their own separate organization.

HSJ has its main office right inside History Park. They work from the top floor of the Pacific Hotel, which is a copy of an old hotel from downtown San Jose. History San José also takes care of other historical places in the city.

A Look Back: How History Park Started

Early Ideas for a Museum

In 1945, a volunteer named Clyde Arbuckle became the official San José City Historian. He loved local history very much. In 1949, a copy of California's first State House was built in San Jose. This was to celebrate 100 years since the first California Legislature met.

Arbuckle put together a popular exhibit of local history with this State House copy. The copy was later moved to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds in 1950. It became the State House Museum. Arbuckle was its first leader. He collected many old items from the area. So many things were given that a new building was added in 1958. Even that was full by 1962!

Opening History Park

The Historical Museum of San José started in 1949. In 1965, a person named Theron Fox convinced the city to set aside 16 acres of land. This land was at the south end of Kelley Park. The idea was to build a historical town there.

History Park officially opened on June 18, 1971. A group called the San Jose Historical Museum Association was also created that year. They helped run the museum's activities. By early 1972, more than 1,000 people visited the museum each month.

New Buildings and Growth

On February 24, 1977, a half-sized copy of the Electric Light Tower was put up. Later that year, on September 25, the first big buildings were officially opened. These included the copy of the Pacific Hotel and the old Umbarger House.

By 1980, many more buildings had been moved to History Park. These included a gas station, a house, a post office, stables, a doctor's office, a fire station, and a print shop.

In 2024, an agreement was made to bring a house from a Japanese American farming area to the park. This house belonged to Eiichi Sakauye. It was saved as new buildings were being built on the old farmland.

What You Can See at History Park

History Park has 32 historical buildings and copies of buildings. They show what life was like long ago. You can see a doctor's office, a dentist's office with an old foot-powered drill, and a blacksmith's shed. There's also a working print shop, the Pacific Hotel, and the Empire Fire House. You can also visit the Bank of Italy and a post office. Many homes of early settlers from the Santa Clara Valley are also there.

Some buildings are home to groups that study history. Others have art and history displays. It's usually free to visit, unless there's a special event happening.

Tours and Trolleys

On weekdays, park staff give tours, often for school groups. On weekends, volunteers open certain buildings. They also run an old-fashioned trolley. The trolley travels through the park, even going under the Light Tower copy.

Buildings to Explore

History Park has many interesting buildings. Here are some of them:

Historical Buildings and Replicas at History Park

Name	Image	Partner	Original location	Notes
Associated Oil Service Station		—	Market & Julian San Jose	This gas station was built in 1927. It was saved from being torn down for a freeway in 1978.
Bank of Italy		—	(replica)	This is a copy of the first Bank of Italy branch outside San Francisco. The Bank of Italy later became Bank of America.
Blacksmith Shed		—		This shed shows where a blacksmith would work.
Chiechi House		—	820 Northrup Ave San Jose	This house was built around 1880. It was moved to History Park in 1973.
Coyote Post Office		—	Coyote, California	Built in 1862, this post office was moved to History Park in 1974.
Coyote station		—	Monterey Road, Coyote, California	This train station was built in 1869. It closed in 1959 and was moved to History Park in May 2024.
Dashaway Stables		—	130 S 2nd St San Jose	This is a copy of stables built in 1888. They were used to rent out horse-drawn carriages.
Dr. Warburton's Office		—		This was the first building moved to History Park in 1966. It was built in the 1870s.
Empire Firehouse		—	76 S Second St San Jose	This is a copy of a firehouse built in 1869. The original burned down in 1892.
Gordon House		Rotary Club of San Jose	5303 McKee Rd San Jose	This house was built before 1887. It was moved to History Park in 1986.
Greenawalt House		Museum of the Boat People & the Republic of Vietnam	Almaden near US 85 San Jose	Built in 1877, this house was moved to History Park in 1991.
Hill House		—	1350 Sherman St San Jose	This house was built in 1898. It was moved to History Park in 1997.
Markham House		Poetry Center San Jose	432 S Eighth St San Jose	Built in the 1860s, this house was moved to History Park in 1987.
Migrant Worker Houses		—	North First St San Jose	These houses were built around 1905-1920. They were given to History Park in the 1980s.
Nelson – De Luz House		—	S 11th & William San Jose	Built in 1905, this house was given to History Park in 1986. It was sadly destroyed in a fire in 2023.
Ng Shing Gung		Chinese Historical & Cultural Project	Taylor & Cleveland San Jose	This is a copy of a Chinese temple. It was a community center built in 1888.
Pacific Hotel		—	74–80 S Market St San Jose	This is a copy of a hotel built in 1880. It now serves as the museum's main office.
Pasetta House		—		This house holds the Leonard and David McKay Gallery.
Paulson House		California Pioneers of Santa Clara County	Downtown San Jose	Built in the 1890s, this house was moved to History Park in 1986.
Portuguese Historical Museum at the Imperio		Portuguese Heritage Society of California	E Santa Clara St & US 101 San Jose	This is a copy of the first permanent imperio (a Portuguese community building) built in San Jose in 1915.
Print Shop		Printers' Guild	91 N San Pedro St San Jose	This building was a home built in 1884. It was moved to History Park in 1972 and became a print shop.
Santa Ana One-Room Schoolhouse		Connie L. Lurie College of Education Alumni Association of San Jose State University	Hollister	This schoolhouse opened at History Park in 1998. It was built in 1871 and taught grades one through eight.
Stevens Ranch Fruit Barn			2 miles south of Coyote	This Fruit barn was built around 1890. It was moved to History Park in 1979. It shows old farm tools and photos.
Trolley Barn		California Trolley and Railroad Corporation	(replica)	This copy was built in 1984. It holds and operates old trolleys and cars.
Umbarger House		—	2662 S First San Jose	Built in the 1870s, this house was moved to History Park in 1970.
Zanker House		African American Heritage House	Zanker Road Alviso	Built in 1868, this house was moved to History Park in 1987.

Other Cool Things to See

• A half-sized copy of the San Jose Electric Light Tower. The original tower was 237 feet tall and stood over downtown San Jose.
• A bandstand where music might have been played long ago.

Special Displays

SP 1215 at History Park

Other interesting things at History Park include:

• The Leonard and David McKay Gallery. This gallery opened in 2005. It shows paintings of people, buildings, and landscapes from the Santa Clara Valley.
• The Perham Collection of Early Electronics. This collection has old electronic items. It is not currently on display.
• A steam train, Southern Pacific 1215, with its tender, a boxcar, and a caboose. You can see these old train parts on display.

Park Map