The museum building is a 1960s reconstruction of the original 1854 City Hall/Courthouse structure.
It manages the Gold Rush-era 'Underground Tours' that allow visitors to see the original street levels of Old Sacramento.
The collection includes a significant number of artifacts recovered from the riverbeds near the Sacramento waterfront.
The site hosts an active letterpress printing museum section featuring functioning antique printing presses.
It maintains one of the largest archives of local gold rush-era photographic documentation in California.
The Sacramento History Museum is located in Old Sacramento State Historic Park and focuses on the city's transformation from a river port to the epicenter of the 1849 Gold Rush. The facility occupies a reconstructed 1854 building originally designed as a courthouse and city hall. Exhibits detail the role of the Sacramento River in early logistics and the social impact of California’s rapid expansion. Visitors can explore displays related to the Transcontinental Railroad, local indigenous history, and the gold mining industry. The museum also provides information on the underground engineering projects that raised the city street levels to avoid flooding. It serves as an official starting point for various walking tours of the surrounding historic district.
The restored 19th-century facade of the museum building from across I Street.
Combine your visit with one of the guided underground tours to see parts of the city not accessible to the general public.
Check the museum's calendar for live demonstrations of their historic printing presses.
Spend time wandering the surrounding Old Sacramento wooden boardwalks to see the original 19th-century architecture.
Do not mistake the nearby Railroad Museum for this institution; they are separate entities with different focuses.
Open daily, though exhibits or specific tours may be subject to seasonal scheduling shifts.
