San Francisco’s past as a port city and cover the waterfront from the days of sail to the era of the longshoreman.

From devastation to dynamic rebirth, this tour showcases San Francisco’s “rising” after the 1906 Earthquake and Fire.

Help Us Celebrate Our New Museum, Event, and Office Space

Map aficionado Jim Schein will examine the four early maps and early photos of San Francisco.

You are invited to the San Francisco Historical Society’s annual Awards Luncheon honoring and celebrating individuals and businesses that have made outstanding contributions to San Francisco History.

Learn about the birthplaces of the Gold Rush and the village of Yerba Buena; the original shoreline; the Pony Express headquarters site and more.

Explore the artistic and cultural traditions of North Beach, from Italian immigrants to free-spirited Beats of the 1950s.

Experience hidden treasures most visitors miss.

In the early twentieth century, almost a decade of international millinery flamboyance and competition took over women’s fashion.

San Francisco’s past as a port city and cover the waterfront from the days of sail to the era of the longshoreman.

The new Salesforce Transit Center is one of the most important pieces of Bay Area infrastructure in a generation.

The Master of Suspense loved San Francisco and used its beauty, elegance, and mystery to great effect in several films.

Designated as a San Francisco Historic District, this colorful neighborhood has important ties to many of the city's past commercial industries.

This talk starts with a brief history of how neon signs were invented (the technology hasn’t changed in 100+ years), outlining the “boom” decades of neon and why vintage neon is now such a unique intersection of culture, art, history, and local small businesses.

Before the Gold Rush, Mission Bay was a simple, shallow inlet whose main residents were ducks. Early filling of the bay enabled the development of San Francisco’s largest railroad yard surrounded by a bustling industrial district.

For more than 125 years, St. Ignatius Church has towered over the bay, the Golden Gate, the Pacific Ocean and the city of San Francisco.

At the western edge of Golden Gate Park, within sight of the Pacific Ocean, the towering Dutch Windmill welcomes walkers.

The new Salesforce Transit Center is one of the most important pieces of Bay Area infrastructure in a generation.

The history and influence of St. Ignatius Church.

The new Salesforce Transit Center is one of the most important pieces of Bay Area infrastructure in a generation.

One of the most notorious mining scams in U.S. history, now called the “great diamond hoax,” took place in San Francisco in 1872.

In 1852 English entrepreneur George Gordon set upon creating South Park, the London-inspired planned community sitting south of Market Street.

In this presentation, tour guide Thom Jackson will take us back in time to visit the "instant City" that sprung up on the shore of Yerba Buena Cove after the discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill.

This week’s Online History Adventure: three short films about San Francisco.

SFHS is teaming up with the Big Quiz Thing—creators of game show entertainment for corporate and private events nationwide since 2002—to present the ultimate San Francisco History Trivia Night.

SFHS is teaming up again with the Big Quiz Thing—creators of game show entertainment for corporate and private events nationwide since 2002—to present the Second San Francisco History Trivia Night.

SFHS is teaming up again with the Big Quiz Thing—creators of game show entertainment for corporate and private events nationwide since 2002—to present the Third San Francisco History Trivia Night.

In 1852 English entrepreneur George Gordon set upon creating South Park, the London-inspired planned community sitting south of Market Street.

A delightful walk through one of America’s greatest parks. You’ll hear about all the monuments — both well-known and obscure — and how they show San Francisco’s commitment and connection to the rest of the nation.

Don’t miss this opportunity to bid on twenty outstanding auction items to benefit the re-opening of the San Francisco Historical Society’s Museum!

Don’t miss this opportunity to bid on twenty outstanding auction items to benefit the re-opening of the San Francisco Historical Society’s Museum!