NEW: FREE DOCENT TOURS OF THE SFHS MUSEUM!
The San Francisco Historical Society begins a new docent tour program for the Museum in conjunction with the opening of our new exhibition, Ferlinghetti: An Exhibition in 6 Vignettes.
Join us for an engaging docent-led tour at the San Francisco Historical Society Museum at 608 Commercial Street in San Francisco. Hear fascinating stories and learn things you didn’t know about San Francisco, and the exhibits on view. Enjoy getting unique insights as our knowledgeable guides bring our exhibits to life. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a history buff, this tour will deepen your appreciation and understanding of San Francisco’s history.
Docent tours are free and are held at 11:30 am, and 1:30 pm on Saturdays.
The San Francisco Historical Society Museum is free and open to the public Thursdays-Saturdays from 10 am – 4 pm
Watch the Re-broadcast:
SF History Live!
“San Francisco’s First Mints and the Stories They Tell”
Presented by Scott Griffin
Two mints in San Francisco helped the city in its infancy: in the face volatility during the Gold Rush of 1849, during its rapid growth in the years following, and through its development and maturation in the early 20th Century. These mints are, of course, the city’s first mint at 608 Commercial and its second mint on Fifth and Mission Streets. In spite of disaster, deception, and the passage of time, these institutions have proven their pivotal role in making San Francisco what it is today. On September 17, numismatic expert Scott Griffin will visit the site of the city’s first mint (now the SFHS Museum). He will examine coins from each mint and tell the story of each institution through a coin that it produced.
About Scott Griffin
Scott Griffin has been a professional coin dealer in the SF Bay Area for over 20 years. He started the coin show at the Old SF Mint on Fifth and Mission Streets in 2009 (until 2014). He continues to operate several local coin shows, in addition to buying and selling rare coins and precious metals. He is a member of the American Numismatic Association, an authorized dealer with Professional Coin Grading Service, and is a member of several local coin clubs. He is also an amateur historian and long-time member of SFHS.
Watch the Re-broadcast here: www.SFHistory.org/SFMints
The Ferlinghetti Collection
Opening Exhibit Celebration:
Lawrence Ferlinghetti is known the world over as a poet, publisher, painter, activist, bookstore proprietor, and cultural icon. The San Francisco Historical Society is proud to announce a new exhibit in celebration of our local legend. Ferlinghetti | An exhibit in 6 vignettes, focuses on different aspects of Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s life, shown from a new perspective—his own. The exhibit draws all of its material from his personal effects, his personal library, his paintings, and other unique artifacts from his life and times.
Ferlinghetti was best known for his second collection of poems, A Coney Island of the Mind (1958), which has been translated into nine languages and sold over a million copies. When Ferlinghetti turned 100 in March 2019, the city of San Francisco turned his birthday, March 24, into “Lawrence Ferlinghetti Day.”
Watch the Re-broadcast: SF History Live! Curtain Going Up: Objects and Images from the Rich Mosaic That Has Defined Performances in SF.
Presented by Professor William Eddelman (Ph.D)
Historic objects bring together all the performing arts in their complexity: a complexity that has celebrated the most esoteric and challenging to the most banal. In every instance we have celebrated the ways that the performing arts have opened our emotions and given us insights into aspects of our lives. We live through the performing arts, and they in return enrich us.
These remaining objects and images, although inert, are the things that can give us some of the memories that have marked so many performances experienced and enjoyed. San Francisco has given us all of these. Please join us on July 9 as William Eddelman presents treasures from the Museum of Performance + Design and the stories they represent about the history of performing arts in San Francisco.
About Professor William Eddelman (Ph.D)
William Eddelman (Ph.D.), Associate Professor Emeritus of Theatre History and Design, Stanford University, is a specialist in international theatrical design. During his teaching career at Stanford University, he combined both the creative and academic worlds through practical stage design work and classroom teachings. His courses included theatre, art and cultural history, costume and scenic design, dramatic literature, theatre aesthetics and politics, opera, musical theatre, and the psychology of clothes. He taught at the Stanford Berlin Center, has led study tours to northern Italy, and designed professional productions in the San Francisco Bay Area.
He is currently working on two major projects: a research library and collection in international theatrical design for the Achenbach Graphic Arts Foundation of the San Francisco Fine Arts Museums, and a special research project for the Prague Quadrennials – held every four years in the Czech Republic – that showcase international exhibitions of theatrical design.
Watch here: www.SFHistory.org/CurtainGoingUp
Walking Tours
Our walking tours provide a first-hand experience of San Francisco’s history. Tours include historical themes that embrace San Francisco’s rich history with subject experts who led the tours. We know you’ll in joy learning about the City’s iconic history with tours that include the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, Fisherman’s Wharf, the gold rush, the Barbary Coast to name a few.
**** Additional Tour Information ***
General public admission, $20 per person (non-members) -Additional donations at checkout are always appreciated and keep the ticket price low.
Free for members with 100% off discount code. Check your SF History E-newsletter, which goes out the first week of every month, for the membership code. Apply at check-out.
Please note that Unspeakable Vice tour general admission tickets at $30 each and $10 for members. Attendees must be age 21.
Tour length: Approximately 90 minutes
Maximum attendees: 20 people on a first-come,first serve basis
In case of rain, tour will be rescheduled
*** SIGN UP FOR WALKING TOURS BELOW ***
If you need any assistance, please email Chris Griffith at chris.griffith@sfhistory.org
Join us for an exploration of Fisherman’s Wharf, the most popular free attraction in San Francisco, to discover how commercial fishing coexists with the modern tourist Mecca. Learn how Native Americans, Chinese, Italians, whaling sea captains, and sport fishermen all have harvested seafood from the waters of San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean.
Starting at the Musée Mécanique at Pier 45, we will walk to the Maritime Museum at Aquatic Park, a flat, under-two-hour stroll. Along the way, you’ll hear stories about World War II ships, a San Francisco theatrical production called The Cable Car Nymphomaniac, and the crisis that “broke the mold” for Irish coffee glasses.
Saturday Tour Dates & Times
Saturday, July 13th @ 11AM
Saturday, July 20th @ 11AM
Saturday, August 3rd @ 11AM
Saturday, August 24th @ 11AM
Saturday, September 14th @ 11AM
Saturday, September 21st @ 11AM
Make sure to meet at Musée Mécanique at Pier 45. Several parking garages located nearby.
Reserve your tickets at www.SFHistory.org/FishermansWharfTour
1906 Earthquake and Fire: Chinatown’s Devastation and Renewal
Before dawn on April 18, 1906, the San Andreas Fault ruptured, sending shock waves racing across San Francisco. The city was abruptly wakened to witness a firestorm that would last three days and destroy almost everything within sight. Vibrant and densely populated Chinatown was swiftly engulfed by a raging fire on Day One, its inhabitants dispersed like embers in the wind. With Chinatown destroyed, city politicians and power brokers decided that this was an opportune time to relocate the Chinese community. Powered by an irrepressible resilience, the Chinese community re-imagined Chinatown and built it back better.
Tours led by Jack Grippi
Tour Dates & Times:
Saturday, September 21st @ 11AM
Saturday, November 2nd @ 11AM
Saturday, December 7th @ 11AM
Register at www.SFHistory.org/1906Tour
Experience how San Francisco went from a trading village to a metropolis. You’ll learn about the hidden remains of sunken ships and artifacts from the Gold Rush.
Tours led by expert, Thom Jackson or Kelci
Tour Dates & Times:
Tour Dates & Times:
Saturday, September 14th @ 11AM (Kelci)
Saturday, October 12th @ 11AM (Kelci)
Saturday, November, 2nd @ 11AM (Lori)
Saturday, November, 16th @ 11AM (Lori)
Saturday, November, 23rd @ 11AM (Kelci)
Register at www.SFHistory.org/GoldRushSunkenShips
Secrets and Stories of San Francisco’s “Wall Street of the West”
Travel back in time to discover the stories and significance of the companies and people whose names adorn Financial District buildings. In addition to Silver Kings, the Big Four, and renowned bankers, this tour will introduce you to many others who “mined the miners” to create wealth beyond any normal imagination.
Tours led by Thom Jackson
Tour Dates & Times:
Friday, July 19th @ 11AM
Friday, August 16th @ 11AM
Friday, September 13th @ 11AM
Register at www.SFHistory.org/WallStreetOfTheWest
Barbary Coast and Jackson Square: Pleasure Seekers and Merry Makers
Explore the beginnings of the “anything goes” city through its culture, food, and vice. Is it so different today? Discover how the City by the Bay reflects its glorious past and continues as a trend-setting urban playground.
Tours led by historian experts, Corrie Conklin and Carolyn Moniz.
Tour Dates & Times:
Saturday, July 20th @ 11AM -CANCELLED
Saturday, August 17th @ 11AM
Saturday, September 14th @ 11AM
Register at www.SFHistory.org/BarbaryCoast
Unspeakable Vice: Queer North Beach Before the Castro
Starting at the San Francisco Historical Society, we’ll zig zag our way by more than a dozen lost queer bars, concluding with a round of drinks at the site an infamous lesbian hook-up spot on Grant. Hear how the “unspeakable vice” of the Victorians found its place and, through the process, gained a voice. Starts at 608 Commercial St. and ends at Maggy McGary’s pub at 1353 Grant Ave in North Beach. This exciting new tour includes a free drink at Maggy McGary’s, included in the tour price.
Notes: 21+, Limit 1 free drink per guest, Maggy McGary’s end 1353 Grant Ave
Limit 1 free drink per guest.
Tours led by expert, Shawn Sprockett
Tour Dates & Times:
Saturday, October 26th @ 11AM
Saturday, November 23rd @ 11AM
Saturday, December 21st @ 11AM
Register at www.SFHistory.org/UnspeakableVice
Gold Rush Walks for Kids
Our trained guides offer free walking tours for elementary school focused on the Gold Rush. This walk directly addresses grade 4 social studies standards, but students in grades 3–6 are welcome to attend. Please call 415-537-1105, Ext. 6, for more details.
Self-Guided Walking Tours
Tours of ‘Old Town’ SF
Not up for an in-person event yet? Give our self-guided walking tours a try. These walks also begin at 608 Commercial Street. You can download them for free on the App Store or Google Play. Search for “City Explorer San Francisco” and look for the walks with the SFHS logo. Or, scan the QR code with your smartphone or tablet.
Self-Guided Tours Led by SF High School Students
Walking Tours of Golden Gate Park!
Walking tours of Golden Gate Park led by San Francisco high school students, the winners of the 2020 Fracchia Prize, are now available as mobile apps. Download the walks for free and start exploring “Everyone’s Park,” with freshly minted historians as your guide. Choose from:
- “Botany and Horticulture: Symbols of Flourishing Against the Odds” by Winnie Quock, George Washington High School (1st Place Winner)
- “Horticultural History: Learning About San Francisco’s Past Through the Garden Gems of the City’s Favorite Park” by Indigo Mudbhary, Lick-Wilmerding High School (2nd Place Winner)
* COMING SOON * “It’s a Ringer! One Perfect Day in Golden Gate Park” by 3rd Place Winner Luke Zeponni, Abraham Lincoln High School
* Special thanks to SFHS Volunteer Gloria Lenhart for creating our mobile history apps. *