• Our Building

  • The Archive

  • Our Mission

    • The Tomales Regional History Center began in 1978, inspired by two Bicentennial events: a local PTA Founder’s Day, and the research conducted by two eighth grade students on early local schools.

    Reflecting our early inspiration from and connection with the area schools, the region of our interest parallels that of the original Tomales High School district, extending from the Point Reyes Peninsula north to Bodega Bay, covering parts of western Marin and southwestern Sonoma Counties. Tomales High School, the district’s only secondary school, has traditionally united the large geographical region, and so it is fitting that we have found our permanent home in the old school’s auditorium.


    The building we occupy was constructed in 1921 when the two-room 1912 Tomales High School was enlarged and remodeled (see c. 1930 photo, above). Nearly 50 years of graduations and proms, basketball games and school assemblies were held here before the school was moved to the new site just east of the town.

    In 1977 the abandoned high school’s main building was destroyed by fire and the 1947 gymnasium was torn down in 2003. Thus the auditorium, restored in 1998 by the History Center as its headquarters and museum, is the only remaining representative of the original Tomales High School, whose existance is an important and admirable accomplishment of the town’s early citizens.

    The interior of the building’s main floor is little changed from its days as a high school auditorium. The rows of large double-hung windows are all in working order. The original fir floor and tongue-in-grove wall paneling have been retained, and the stage is intact. The roof is supported by exposed trusses from which hang the original light fixtures. The basement level is now a comfortable meeting room, available for small community events.


    Our archive includes:

  • Histories of the 25 original grammar schools in district
  • Near complete collection of Tomales High School yearbooks from 1919
  • Files of Tomales High School alumni
  • Family histories
  • Obituary file
  • Manuscripts and other unpublished work of local historians
  • Records of past town organizations and lodges
  • Historic maps
  • North Pacific Coast Railroad information
  • Large collection of photographs from 1870–present
  • Oral history audio and video tapes
  • Reference library of over 200 volumes


    The mission of the Tomales Regional History Center is to collect and conserve knowledge and artifacts which pertain to our regional history, to be an educational and cultural resource for the school children, community members and visitors, and to foster interest in and support for the preservation of our cultural heritage.

     


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