San Francisco Historical Society facts for kids
The San Francisco Historical Society is a special group that helps keep the history of San Francisco alive. They also look after the history of the nearby Bay Area. It's a nonprofit organization, which means they don't work for money. Instead, they focus on teaching people about the past.
This group has many members. They hold talks every month and lead fun walking tours around San Francisco. They also publish new information about history. For example, they own the Barbary Coast Trail walking tour. They also publish a history magazine called Argonaut twice a year. In 2021, nearly 2,000 people were members of the society.
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History of the Society
The San Francisco Historical Society started in 1988. A historian named Charles A. Fracchia created it.
Joining Forces: A New Museum
In 2002, the San Francisco Historical Society joined with another group. This group was the Museum of the City of San Francisco. Together, they formed a new organization called the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society. The city government of San Francisco said this new group was the official historical museum for the city.
One big reason for joining was to work on a special project. They wanted to fix up the Old San Francisco Mint building. Their plan was to turn this old building into a history museum.
The Old Mint Project
The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society began managing the Old Mint in 2004. They hoped it would become the museum's main home. The group spent about US$14 million to make the building safe and start fixing it.
However, the building still needed a lot more work. About US$60 million was still needed to finish the project. After 11 years, the City of San Francisco felt the work was not moving fast enough. So, in 2015, the city asked the society to leave the building.
Back to the Original Name
In 2019, the San Francisco Historical Society went back to its first name. It was no longer the "Museum and Historical Society." In October of that same year, the society found its first museum space. It moved into a building at 608 Commercial Street in San Francisco.
