Upcoming Program Events

Every month you are invited to attend a reading, walking tour, gallery talk or book signing as part of our regular programming. We encourage you to attend these monthly events and bring a guest or two. We look forward to seeing you soon at the California Historical Society. Unless otherwise noted all events will be held at the California Historical Society's headquarters located at 678 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.

Rock and Register!
Co-sponsored by

Young, and not so young, voters will get a chance to register to vote while listening and dancing to a live DJ with a beverage in hand. Voters will also get a chance to learn about California presidential campaigns of the past while strolling through our gallery. This is will be the kickoff for our fall “First Thursday” programs.

If you would like to register to vote online, please click here!

Family Day
Ever wonder if that Richard Nixon or Wavy Gravy pin was worth something? Collectors will be available to identify and discuss political items you bring in. Meet the collectors that contributed to our exhibition, California Presidential: Candidates and Campaigns from the Golden State. They will also share some of their special political memorabilia. Kids will get the chance to make their own campaign button and participate in other art activities! Fun for the whole family!

Election Review Panel Discussion
Join us for a discussion on the Presidential election results with noted Bay Area political reporters and pundits.

A History of Alcatraz Island: 1853-2008
Book talk and signing with Author Gregory Wellman
To many people today, Alcatraz Island is known as the prison off of San Francisco’s coast. However, it is much more. From military fortress to federal penitentiary to a National State Park, Alcatraz Island has been a vital part of California’s history for over 155 years. The island’s startling transformation comes alive through the photographic collections of the Alcatraz Alumni Association, the Golden Gate National Archives, and other private collections from around the country. Local author Gregory L. Wellman documents the evolution of one of America’s most renowned and memorable landmarks.

Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California
Book talk and signing with author Frances Dinkelspiel
Frances Dinkelspiel is a fifth generation Californian who grew up in San Francisco. After working as a newspaper reporter for twenty years in places as varied as Syracuse, New York and San Jose, California, she started freelancing. Her articles have appeared in the New York Times, People Magazine, the Miami Herald, the San Francisco Chronicle and Magazine, San Francisco Magazine and elsewhere. Her first book, Towers of Gold: How One Jewish Immigrant Named Isaias Hellman Created California, will be published by St. Martin's Press in November 2008. It is the story of her great, great grandfather, one of the most influential financiers of the Pacific Coast in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.