History Center and Museum of San Luis Obispo County

The mission of the History Center and Museum of San Luis Obispo is to promote " education and individual understanding of County History and cultural heritage." They exhibit, preserve, and collect the items, artifacts, and materials that best illustrate the history of the city and help those who want to learn about this history do so. The Carnegie Library is affiliated with the history center and was built as a free library right after the turn of the 20th century. This was the first library in the county and served as the city's main public library until 1955 when a new building was built to house the library at Palm and Morro Streets. The history museum opened in the old library building in 1956 and has served as the largest and most complete archives of any museum in the county. There is a public research room onsite that is open on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and free to use by the public. Materials include newspapers, documents, reference materials, census records, maps, a library of books focused on San Luis Obispo, court documents, and a large collection of photographs. The center hosts a number of field groups and tours each year and welcomes teachers and educators to incorporate the museum into their lessons and materials.