By The Big Magazine Staff
After enduring financial struggles, the California Historical Society, known as "CHS," has closed its doors for good and moved its collection to Stanford University.

Founded in 1871, the private nonprofit organization was recognized as the state's official historical society in 1979. As one of the oldest historical organizations in California, its leaders noted that, unlike other state historical societies, it did not receive regular state funding despite continuous efforts.
The CHS Collection features unique collections, such as the Peoples Temple Collection, which houses organizational records, government documents, official and personal correspondence, newspapers, publications, photographs, film and video tapes, audio recordings, and three-dimensional artifacts. The collection has grown considerably since its establishment in 1983, thanks to the generous donations from former Peoples Temple members, family, and friends, as well as journalists and scholars. It now stands as the most comprehensive archival record of the organization, spanning from Peoples Temple’s beginnings in Indiana in 1955 to the aftermath of the tragedy in Jonestown on November 18, 1978.
By early 2020, CHS was already in a vulnerable financial position due to nearly a decade of annual budget deficits. As a result, the Board and incoming Executive Director Alicia Goehring decided to sell CHS’s building at 678 Mission Street in San Francisco in order to fund a new vision and attain financial sustainability. However, the COVID-19 pandemic, the subsequent collapse of the city’s commercial real estate market, and the unexpected passing of Ms. Goehring in 2022 thwarted these plans, ultimately leaving the organization in a financially dire and unsustainable position.
With no other viable path forward, the Board of Trustees elected to explore potential collaborations and even mergers to safeguard the CHS Collection and mission.
"It was never an option to deaccession and sell any part of the collection in order to stay afloat. The Board was fully committed to its sacred duty of preserving the integrity of the collection." said CHS Board Chair Tony Gonzalez
The Board considered several leading research and public institutions in California and ultimately decided that SUL was the best choice to manage and grow the CHS Collection.
“SUL brings a strong infrastructure that spans a network of twenty libraries across Stanford’s campus and an expansive team with knowledge and expertise in collections development, digitization and preservation, and technologies development,” said CHS Interim CEO Jen Whitley. “Through SUL's partnership with the Bill Lane Center for the American West, the CHS Collection will continue to increase our understanding of California and the Western region.
The Center conducts research, teaches, and reports on a wide range of contemporary issues, including projects that explore visual arts, traditional customs, historical events, and diverse communities in California and the West. Its mission is to broaden both public and academic understanding of the region, bringing awareness to its rich history and current social issues. This aligns with the mission and past programs of CHS, which has long been dedicated to preserving and sharing the stories of California and the West” added Whitley.
Throughout its 150+ year history, CHS has consistently faced financial challenges. In its earlier years, operating deficit's were often resolved through generous year-end contributions from its members and donors. In 1979, legislation was signed by Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., designating CHS as the social state historical society. However, despite this status and ongoing efforts to lobby the California Legislature for financial support, CHS is one of only a few state historical societies that does not, and has never, received general operating funds from its state government. Additionally, unlike other large, well-established collecting institutions, CHS’s early benefactors did not leave sufficiently large endowments to help provide in perpetuity for all the ongoing operational costs of maintaining its sizable collection.
Based in San Francisco, the organization housed more than 600,000 items documenting California and the West's history since the 18th century. The collections featured original materials from pivotal events like the Gold Rush, the state's admission to the Union, and the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire.
The collection will now be referred to as the California Historical Society Collection at Stanford and will remain available to the public and scholars.
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