CONTRA COSTA COUNTY
HISTORICAL SOCIETY IS TURNING 70
FOUNDED IN 1951, CCCHS IS A HISTORICAL DOCUMENT RESEARCH ARCHIVE FOR
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY. WE PRESERVE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS DATING TO BEFORE
STATEHOOD IN 1850. THEY INCLUDE:
• Court Documents: We have court documents going back to 1848, and
we are the official County repository of superior court records up to and
including 1911.
• Library: We have an extensive library of books, journals, magazines,
pamphlets, and studies, relating to the history of our County and California.
Both primary and secondary sources are represented.
• Maps: We have over 1100 maps of all sizes and types, dating from 1775 to
the 1990s.
• Naturalization Cases: The archive holds a unique collection of 99
volumes containing 12,646 separate records. If your ancestors became U.S.
citizens in CCC we have those original records.
• Newspapers: Our newspaper collection is huge and diverse, over 160
separate publications being represented. Some have been digitized and are
searchable.
• Photographs: At present, we have around 20,000 images that have been
scanned and are available as digital files. This number represents perhaps
one-fifth of our total
collection of prints, negatives, and slides, which date from the latter
part of the nineteenth century to the present day.
• Veale Collection: Richard R. Veale was sheriff of Contra
Costa County from 1895 to 1935. He served with distinction and
became one of the best-known and respected peace officers in
California. An entire room in the History Center is set aside for
the Veale collection, consisting of over 70,000 separate items.
• Special Collections: A catchall grouping of highly varied
documents from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Our historical archive is by far the largest in Contra Costa
County. If you are doing historical research of any kind, this
is the place to start. So, drop in and see what we have to offer,
individual and group tours are available. Our funding comes from
numerous sources, including membership dues, grants, and County
funding. We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) located at 724 Escobar
Street, Martinez, CA 94553. (925) 229-1042. We are open 9AM
to 4PM on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and 10AM to 2PM,
the first and third Saturdays of the month.
COCOHISTORY.ORG
/COCOHISTORY.ORG
