San Mateo County History Museum

This regional history museum is located in the historic former county courthouse. Constructed from 1906 to 1910, this courthouse replaced a previous structure built in 1882. A new courthouse was newly constructed in 1906 when most of it was destroyed by the San Francisco earthquake. This building served as San Mateo County's courthouse until the 1990s, and the museum opened in the vacated building in 1998. Highlights of the museum include exhibits that preserve and share the history of Native Peoples and early pioneers of European descent, exhibits dedicated to the history of this section of California during times of war, and exhibits that center on the lives of ordinary residents and leaders of government and industry. The museum is also home to a local history archive and hosts events throughout the year.

The museum is housed in the fourth courthouse built for San Mateo County and stands on the site of the second and third (1882) courthouses. The Roman Renaissance Revival style building was designed in 1903 by a Texan architect, Glenn Allen. The new courthouse was essentially complete when it was destroyed by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. All that remained was the domed rotunda, and the building was rebuilt. Completed in 1910, the original entrance facade was obscured in 1933 when a Modern style, three-story addition was constructed. A two-story addition was built onto the rear of the courthouse in 1941. The building served as the county courthouse until the 1990s and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

The vacant building was turned over to the San Mateo County Historical Association in 1997 and the museum was moved from the College of San Mateo and re-opened in 1998. Twenty million dollars in public and private funds were used from 1998 to 2006 to upgrade the earthquake resistance of the building and to restore it to its previous grandeur. In 2006, the entrance facade was rebuilt to mimic the 1910 appearance, after the demolition of the addition in 2005. The 40-foot-square main rotunda is topped by the largest stained-glass dome west of the Mississippi in a public building; over one hundred bald eagle decorations are on display in the rotunda.

The Historical Association operates this museum in addition to several historical sites throughout the county such as the Sanchez Adobe in Pacifica which was built in the 1840s and is now home to a historically-themed county park and the regionally famous Rancho Day Fiesta. The Association also operates the Woodside Store (also a Clio entry) - a restored mercantile in Woodside that served loggers that arrived in the region in the 1880s during the state's lumber boom. 

As of 2024, admission fees were $6 for adults and $4 for senior citizens and students; children under age 6 are free. There are free and reduced-price admission programs.

Atajar, I. G.V. 'Old' San Mateo County Courthouse, Historical Marker Database. July 20th, 2022. Accessed August 28th, 2024. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=32621.

California Supreme Court Historical Society. San Mateo County, History. Accessed August 28th, 2024. https://www.cschs.org/history/california-county-courthouses-alphabetical/san-mateo-county/.

San Francisco Examiner staff. "Old courthouse turned museum stands test of time." San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco) October 1st, 2009.

San Mateo County Historical Association. San Mateo County History Museum, San Mateo County Historical Association. August 1st, 2024. Accessed August 28th, 2024. https://historysmc.org/san-mateo-county-history-museum/.