The Historical Society of Long Beach was formed in 1962 to collect, preserve, and present the history of the city. As the organization began to acquire artifacts, it quickly became evident that they needed a home to store and organize their collection. They were initially provided space in a small room at Rancho Los Cerritos. However they outgrew that space and subsequent other relocations, until finally finding their current home in 2006 inside the historic Harris Furs building.
Their current location serves as an exhibition space, archive, and offices of the society. When I visited them in August of 2023, they had 2 exhibitions: one called “A Woman’s Place” that highlights inspirational Long Beach Women. The other exhibition highlighted the Cambodian-American community of Long Beach.
I also had a chance to see their archives and just a fraction of the 100,000 items they have, which include photographs, menus, newspapers, and even actual pieces of historic buildings. If you’re interested in learning more bout the society or their work, you can visit their website.
Shoutout to Bianca Moreno and Jesse Lopez for the amazing tour!
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