LibGuides: Primary Sources on Napa Valley History : Napa County sources

Tips for searching Napa County sources

For local history beyond the town of Angwin, Howell Mountain, and PUC, there are many cultural heritage institutions throughout Napa County that have collections to explore. Holdings range from the Napa County Historical Society's expansive collections that cover the whole county to the singular focus of the Robert Louis Stevenson museum. To get started, visit websites to discover what topics are covered at each institution. Sample search the digital collections, if any exist. And finally, plan an in-person visit to perform research and learn more. Contact information is found on each website, or your PUC Special Collections Librarian can help you.

Napa County Newspaper Archive

The full archives of Napa County's local newspapers are available online and can be searched by keyword. These newspapers are a good resource for hometown coverage of local, state, or world events. Businesses, people, and town histories are also reported through the articles found here. To begin a newspaper search, remember these tips:

Think of keyword phrases that can be placed in quote marks to pull up exact matches. For example, try searching "Edwin Angwin" rather than Edwin Angwin.
Try various keywords / keyword phrases to pull up different matches.
Skip keyword searching and instead browse a particular newspaper by date. Individual issues can then be keyword searched. This is a very good method for finding articles about historic events. For example, searching several Napa Register issues on and after October 29, 1929 will show local reactions unfolding after the stock market crash that caused the Great Depression.

Napa County newspapers
With this link you can search across the archives of several Napa Valley publications at once or search each individually.
Included newspapers:
AMERICAN CANYON EAGLE
CLASSIFIED SECTION FOR STAR AND CALISTOGAN
NAPA VALLEY REGISTER
ST HELENA STAR
WEEKLY CALISTOGAN

Napa Valley Historical Society

Napa Valley Historical Society online collections
The mission of Napa County Historical Society is to discover and keep history alive through exhibits, lectures, and events, as well as research, publications, and educational activities. The NVHS is a membership-based archival and educational organization dedicated to the discovery, preservation and presentation of the people and history of Napa County and its place in California history. Keyword search a small collection of digitized items from the NVHS holdings here, or email info@napahistory.org to ask for research help, advice, or to make an appointment.

Napa Valley Museum (Yountville)

The permanent exhibits at the Napa Valley Museum include museum objects, photographs, and curated archival documents that tell stories about local history topics. Although the museum has no digitized collections, an in-person visit to the exhibits may prompt a later planned research appointment.

Land & People of Napa Valley
"Land and People of Napa Valley" is the Museum’s permanent exhibition about the history and people of Napa Valley. Also includes rare Wappo Indian artifacts, antique winemaking equipment, and a rotating schedule of history exhibitions and displays. Learn how Napa Valley’s unique geology made this valley’s agricultural and viticulture industries flourish.
Yountville Veteran's Home
This brand new permanent display in the History Gallery educates visitors about the history and contributions of the California Veterans Home in Yountville, founded in 1884 and the largest of its kind in the United States. The display also includes rotating art and artifacts from the Veterans Home’s own collection, including rare mementos like WWII “sweetheart pillows,” uniforms, medals, letters and photographs evidencing the lives of the Home’s resident Veterans, which currently includes over 1200 veterans of World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Gulf War, War in Afghanistan, and Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom.

St. Helena Historical Society

St. Helena Historical Society online collections
The St. Helena Historical Society is dedicated to preserving the heritage of the town of St. Helena, California. The SHHS collect photographs, documents, artifacts, books, oral histories, and other cultural objects. They preserve and interpret them to the public in exhibits, educational programs, lectures, public events, and publications. Located in the St. Helena Library building, it is easy to make an appointment with the SHHS. Online collections feature digitized photographs that can be previewed in a scrolling gallery.

Robert Louis Stevenson Museum

Robert Louis Stevenson Museum
After their marriage in San Francisco on May 19, 1880, Fanny and Robert Louis Stevenson set off on an adventurous honeymoon to the Napa Valley. Stopping briefly for a night in Vallejo, the Stevenson’s boarded a train to carry them (and their dog Chuchu) to Calistoga at the northern end of the Valley.
Today, you can follow in Stevenson’s footsteps by visiting the many surviving sites which featured in Stevenson’s account of this famous visitor's time in Napa Valley (a travelogue titled “The Silverado Squatters”). A trip to the RLS Museum in St. Helena also allows for research in the museum archives.

Sharpsteen Museum (Calistoga)

Sharpsteen Museum
A visit to the Sharpsteen Museum provides the opportunity to view many primary sources that document the establishing and early settlement of Calistoga, a resort town created by Sam Brannan. The history of Calistoga is an intersection of many points of California and Napa Valley history. From its geysers and hot springs to the Mexican land grant it once entailed to the later settlement by Donner Party survivors to it's current status as the most laid-back tourist town in Napa County, Calistoga's unique history can be studied at the Sharpsteen.