From the imposing stature of a twelve-foot redwood statue and the symmetrical beauty of a Mono Indian gathering basket to rows of delicate pleats on a baby’s christening gown and a sturdy wooden butter bowl and paddle – objects help us tell people’s stories.

That’s why the Historical Society has been collecting and preserving the stuff of history over the past 89 years – and sharing these objects through exhibits that explore our community’s social, cultural, civic and economic history.

The Society’s diverse collections include

• American Indian Basketry
• Quilts and Textiles
• Costumes
• Furniture
• Dolls and Toys
• Musical Instruments
• Decorative Arts and Paintings
• Household Tools and Equipment
• Agricultural Implements
• Subject Collections such as

The Historic Fresno County Court House Collection (courtroom interior, exterior “Goddess of Justice” statues, and the iconic Cupola from the top of the venerable building’s dome.

The Joss House Altar from the Sam Yup Association in Fresno’s Chinatown.

• And, of course, our largest collection – the Archives.

Mono Indian, photograph taken in 1896

by A.W. Peters.  A.W. Peters Glass Negative Collection