Best Historical Society Santa Clara Near Me

4worldlovers: The Harris - Lass House Museum is located at 1889 Market Street in Santa Clara, California. It is the last farm site in the city of Santa Clara and is named for the two families who owned and lived on the property for 125 years. The museum consists of the house, a classic California barn, summer kitchen, tank house, landscaped gardens and Heritage Orchard.

The house was built in 1865 in the Italianate style — balanced and symmetrical. In the 1890’s it was extensively enlarged and remodeled, changing the symmetry of the original design. It is fully furnished, most of the furniture and contents having belonged to the Lass family.

4worldlovers:
The South Bay Historical Railroad Society (SBHRS) was incorporated in 1985 to preserve the local area railroad heritage while running a working museum to benefit the community. Our members are volunteers and work on the renovation and preservation of the Santa Clara Railroad Depot, the Santa Clara Tower and the two maintenance-of-way buildings.


A large and varied collection of historic railroad artifacts are on display in the Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History located in the Depot. This now includes the Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation business car #184 which was loaned to us and placed on our siding on June 26, 2009.

4worldlovers: The Agnews Historic Cemetery & Museum is located at 1250 Hope Dr. The State of California closed the Agnews State Hospital West Campus in 1995. When Sun Microsystems bought the property, the brick Visitors Center building was moved to the cemetery site to be restored and turned into a Visitors Center for the cemetery, which was renamed the Agnews Historic Cemetery. A viewing gazebo was built overlooking the cemetery and a wrought iron fence now surrounds the burial area. There are no burials from the 1906 earthquake at this cemetery. The Agnews Museum remembers the people who worked and lived at the Agnews State Hospital and later Agnews Developmental Center from 1888 to 2009. Artifacts and photos of the past are displayed for the public to view.

4worldlovers: The charming Headen-Inman House, 1509 Warburton Avenue, was part of the Headen estate, and was moved to this location in 1985. The Headen-Inman House includes a museum with photographs and artifacts related to the history of Santa Clara. Rotating exhibits by the Santa Clara Art Association are also on display. The Santa Clara Founders and Pioneers Room has exhibits featuring the founding families and early pioneers of Santa Clara County.

It is a fine example of the Arts and Crafts movement and has a four-panel door with beveled glass lights and fine interior woodwork. The house, named after the two families who once owned it, is now owned by the City, but is operated by and is the headquarters of the nonprofit Santa Clara Arts & Historical Consortium.

4worldlovers: The Portuguese Historical Museum opened on June 7, 1997, just a few days before Portugal Day, which is commemorated on June 10 annually. The museum is one of the major attractions of History San José. In keeping with the theme of the historical park, it depicts life as it was in the Santa Clara Valley (now known as Silicon Valley) at the turn of the 20th century. The Portuguese Historical Museum is a replica of the first permanent império (Chapel to the Holy Spirit) built in San José circa 1915. It was constructed on the present site of the I.E.S. Hall on East Santa Clara Street and U.S. 101.

The império, like many of its counterparts in the Azores, was built to honor the Holy Spirit. It also served as the center of much social and religious activity. At the turn of the century, it represented the continuation of celebrated traditions that helped make easier the immigrants’ transition from the old world to the new by maintaining strong bonds to their heritage.

The museum has approximately 3200 square feet of exhibit space on two levels. On the ground floor, the emphasis is on the reconstructed altar that serves as the backdrop for the explanation of the significance of the Holy Ghost celebrations.

Another major showpiece is an etched glass map depicting the Portuguese world. This beautiful piece graces the entrance of the museum, and with its view, visitors are introduced to Portuguese history and culture. Display cases house the ever-changing exhibits on topics such as Life in The Old Country, Coming to America, and Making a Living.

The lower floor hosts rotating exhibits that relive historical events like the 1957 volcanic eruption off the Azorean island of Faial and the exodus of refugees that it spawned. In addition, exhibits such as folklore and Portuguese marching bands show how these traditions continue to be a part of Portuguese-American culture.

Exhibits in the museum depict the history of the Portuguese immigrants. This story will be framed in the context of an overall picture of the Portuguese historical experience. The story will unfold in layers:

The premier position of Portugal during the time of the discoveries

The Portuguese story in California and the Santa Clara Valley will focus on important cultural and historical events, such as the Portuguese in the Gold Rush, the Portuguese in the California whaling industry, the Portuguese in California agriculture, and the Portuguese in the construction trades. Other stories will include the building of the Five Wounds Portuguese National Church, the Holy Ghost festas, the benevolent societies, and the individual stories of everyday Portuguese immigrants.

The museum will be one of constantly changing exhibits. The permanent collection will be frequently augmented by other temporary displays from other parts of California, the United States, and even from Portugal. The goal is to make the museum a constant venue of entertainment and education about Portuguese culture and history.

A theater in the basement reintroduces past exhibits that have been stored for lack of space to display in the museum. Digitizing these exhibits began in late 2018 and, once completed, they will be available to museum visitors in the theater and also to virtual visitors on the Internet via our Web site.