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
Area	14 acres (5.7 ha)
Created	1971
Operated by	History San José
Public transit access	VTA Line 73

History Park in San Jose, California, USA, is a special outdoor museum. It's designed to look just like a small American town from the early 1900s! Since it first opened in 1971, 32 historic buildings and other cool landmarks have been moved here. Some are even exact copies of the originals. It's like stepping back in time to see how people lived long ago.

Discovering History San José

History Park is run by an organization called History San José (HSJ). This group also has its main office right here at the park. HSJ is a non-profit organization that grew out of the San José Historical Museum.

The story of History San José began in 1945. A local volunteer named Clyde Arbuckle was named San José City Historian. He loved local history and collected many interesting items. In 1949, a copy of California's first State House was built. Arbuckle put together a great exhibit of local history to go with it.

This copy of the State House later became the State House Museum. Arbuckle was its first curator, meaning he took care of all the historical items. So many things were donated that they needed more space!

The San Jose Historical Museum officially started in 1949. In 1965, a man named Theron Fox helped the city set aside 16 acres (about 6.5 hectares) at Kelley Park. This land was for the San José Historical Museum. The idea was to create a whole historical town. It opened on June 18, 1971.

In 1977, a half-size copy of the famous Electric Light Tower was put up. Later that year, the first big buildings were opened. These included a copy of the Pacific Hotel and the old Umbarger House. By 1980, many more buildings had been moved to the park. These included a gas station, a post office, and a fire house.

In 1998, the San José Historical Museum became the non-profit History San José. HSJ still manages History Park today. They also look after other important historical sites in San Jose.

Exploring the Exhibits

History Park has 32 historical buildings and copies of old buildings. You can see a doctor's office, a dentist's office with an old foot-pedal drill, and a blacksmith shed. There's also a working print shop, the Pacific Hotel, and the Empire Fire House. You can also visit the Bank of Italy, a post office, and several homes of early settlers.

Some buildings are home to special history groups. Others have galleries where you can see art and artifacts. It's usually free to visit, unless there's a special event happening.

During the week, staff members give tours. These are often for students on school field trips. On weekends, volunteers open certain buildings. They also operate a vintage trolley that takes you around the park. The trolley even goes under the Light Tower copy!

Historical Buildings and Replicas

Here are some of the interesting buildings you can find at History Park:

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 moved to History Park in 1978 to save it from demolition.
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 how a blacksmith would have worked long ago.
Chiechi House		—	820 Northrup Ave San Jose	Built around 1880, this house was moved to History Park in 1973.
Coyote Post Office		—	Coyote, California	This post office was built in 1862. It was moved to History Park in 1974.
Dashaway Stables		—	130 S 2nd St San Jose	This is a copy of stables built in 1888. A livery stable rented out horse-drawn carriages.
Dr. Warburton's Office		—		Built in the 1870s, this was the first building moved to History Park in 1966.
Empire Firehouse		—	76 S Second St San Jose	This is a copy of the original firehouse built in 1869. It was dedicated in 1984.
Gordon House		Rotary Club of San Jose	5303 McKee Rd San Jose	Built before 1887, this house 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	Built in 1898, this house was moved to History Park in 1997.
Markham House		Poetry Center San Jose	432 S Eighth St San Jose	Built in the 1860s, it was moved to History Park in 1987.
Migrant Worker Houses		—	North First St San Jose	These houses were built around 1905–1920 for workers. They were donated to History Park in the 1980s.
Nelson – De Luz House		—	S 11th & William San Jose	Built in 1905, this house was donated in 1986. Sadly, it was destroyed in a fire in 2023.
Ng Shing Gung		Chinese Historical & Cultural Project	Taylor & Cleveland San Jose	This is a copy of a "Temple of Five Gods" building. It was a community center in Chinatown. It now hosts the Chinese American Historical Museum.
Pacific Hotel		—	74–80 S Market St San Jose	This is a copy of a hotel built in 1880. It serves as the main office for History San José. It also has a candy and ice cream shop!
Pasetta House		—		This house is home to 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. It shows local history exhibits.
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 residence built in 1884. It was moved to History Park in 1972 and turned into a print shop.
Santa Ana One-Room Schoolhouse		Connie L. Lurie College of Education Alumni Association of San Jose State University	Hollister	This one-room schoolhouse was built in 1871. It was used for grades one through eight until 1967. It opened at History Park in 1998.
Stevens Ranch Fruit Barn			2 miles (3.2 km) south of Coyote	This Fruit barn (packing shed) was built around 1890. It was moved to History Park in 1979. It shows old farm tools and photos of the area's history.
Trolley Barn		California Trolley and Railroad Corporation	(replica)	This copy was built in 1984. It houses and operates restored antique trolleys and old cars.
Umbarger House		—	2662 S First San Jose	Built in the 1870s, this house was moved to History Park in August 1970.
Zanker House		African American Heritage House	Zanker Road Alviso	Built in 1868, this house was moved to History Park in 1987.

Other Cool Structures

• A half-size copy of the San Jose Electric Light Tower. The original tower was 237 feet (72 meters) tall and stood over downtown San Jose.
• A bandstand where concerts and events can be held.

More to See and Do

SP 1215 at History Park

Other fun things to explore include:

• The Leonard and David McKay Gallery. This gallery opened in 2005. It shows many paintings of people, buildings, and landscapes from the Santa Clara Valley.
• The Perham Collection of Early Electronics. This collection has old electronic devices. It's currently stored at History San Jose's Collection Center and is not on display.
• A real steam locomotive, Southern Pacific 1215, with its tender. You can also see an Orchard Supply Hardware boxcar and a Missouri Pacific caboose. These are on static display, meaning they don't move.

Park Map