THE RICHARD AMERO BALBOA PARK COLLECTIONS
The Amero Collection consists of over 250 binders primarily detailing the history of BalboaPark, including the 1915 and 1935 expositions. The collection contains book, newspaper andmagazine articles, research notes, government reports and correspondence obtained fromarchival collections across the country. Other subjects include Mission San Diego de Alcala, OldTown, Mission Bay, Horton Plaza, Native Americans, architecture and local history. Alsoincluded are biographical files on well-known individuals including opera singer Schumann-Heink, landscape architect Samuel Parsons, architect Frank P. Allen, Jr. and aviation pioneerGlenn Curtiss. For more information: Amero Collection.
ARCHIVAL COLLECTIONS
These extensive collections document all facets of San Diego history, from the personal to thepolitical. Collections such as the Ephraim W. Morse Collection and George White Marston CivicCollection provide a valuable chronicle of early San Diego business and civic developments.Collections of diaries provide intimate glimpses into the lives of San Diego citizens and theircommunities, such as late nineteenth-century Chinatown resident, Ah Quin or San Diego’s firstfemale physician, Charlotte Baker. Archival collections may focus on particular people,businesses, clubs, events or on specific subject matter. The notebooks of E.H.Davis are invaluable to understanding San Diego’s Native American population andbackcountry, while the San Diego County Water Authority Collection details the history of localwater development.For more information: Archival Collections.
ARCHITECTURAL RECORDS
The Architectural Drawings Collection contains the work of more than 75 different architects including Irving J. Gill, Richard Requa, Hazel Waterman, Lillian Rice, William Templeton Johnson and Sim Bruce Richards. There are architectural drawings for nearly 900 projects including public and commercial buildings as well as private residences. The Document Archives is currently developing a Digital Architecture Collection of drawings, and invites local architects to contact us about the submission process.
BIOGRAPHICAL & SUBJECT FILES
The Subject Files consist of more than 1,000 folders of newspaper clippings and otherdocuments arranged alphabetically by over 1,200 subjects. Search for files on associations,businesses, neighborhoods, events, communities and more. The Biographical Files contain over260 binders of newspaper clippings and other documents arranged alphabetically by last name.They are a historically rich starting point for research on thousands of past San Diego residents. For more information: Biographical Files and Subject Files.
BOOKS
The Research Archivescontains more than 2,500 reference books related to all aspects of SanDiego history as well as the history of California and the Baja region, many written by localauthors. Categories include religion, the social and natural sciences, politics, economics,education, the military, transportation, water, arts and recreation, architecture and biography.The books are an excellent secondary resource providing historical context for our archivalmaterials. For more information: Books.
EPHEMERA
Ephemera are documents created specifically for a transitory purpose such as theaterprograms, restaurant menus, postcards, information leaflets, advertising literature, recipes,pamphlets, brochures, tickets, fliers and posters. The Ephemera Collection contains over 3,000files documenting the social history of everyday life in San Diego.
MAPS
Over 2,000 sheet maps are available illustrating the geographic transformation of the San Diegoregion, including one of the earliest known maps of San Diego, the Pantoya map of 1782. Thecollection includes maps of the San Diego City area (1849 to present); subdivisions; topographicquadrangles; assessor’s maps for 1957-58; an aerial 1928 photomap collection of western SanDiego County containing several hundred high elevation exposures; and a set of Sanborn fireinsurance maps.
NEWSPAPERS & SERIALS
Extensive runs of local newspapers are available on microfilm and in hard copy. The San DiegoHerald (1851-1859), San Diego Union (1868-1916) and San Diego Sun (1881-1939) are availableon microfilm. Bound volumes are available of the Daily Transcript (1937-1977) and the Sentinel(1922-1985). Also included are the San Diego Reader (1972-current) and manylocal neighborhood newspapers. The Serials Collection consists of recurring publications ofhistorical societies, businesses, local clubs and other organizations. Examples include San DiegoMagazine, the California Historical Society Quarterly, The Golden Era, Touring Topics, CaliforniaGarden, The Theosophical Path, The Modern Clubwoman and a complete archive of our ownJournal of San Diego History.
ORAL HISTORY
The Oral History Collection is one of the most important on the West Coast, documenting 150years of regional history. Begun in 1956 with interviews of over 300 pioneer San Diego Countyresidents, the collection now numbers over 1,600 interviews, providing unparalleled insight intoour social, cultural and political history. The Legacy Oral History Program, launched in 2015,continues to capture our community’s first-person narratives.For more information: Oral History Collection.
PUBLIC RECORDS
The Document Archives includes extensive San Diego County public and judicial records. Included are court case files, minutes of the Board of Supervisors, local ordinances, Coroner’sinquest reports, probate records, tax lists, school reports, deed records, marriage licenses andmining records. For more information: Public Records.
SCRAPBOOKS
Scrapbooks are a rich resource of historical commentary and a personalreflection of culture and social mores. Our collection includes scrapbooks onrailroads, the Expositions, the WPA, local theaters, clubs and communities aswell as more personal collections. The Ernestine Schumann-Heink Scrapbook Collectionchronicles the opera singer’s professional career from 1883 to her death in 1936, while theInternational Theosophical Headquarters Scrapbook features news clippings from 1896-1978covering the activities of the Theosophical Society andits renowned founder, Katherine Tingley.
UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS
Unpublished manuscripts include master’s theses and doctoral dissertations about San Diegohistory completed at local and state universities. This collection also contains unpublishedmemoirs, biographies, research papers and profiles of San Diego neighborhoods andcommunities. These manuscripts are an excellent and often unique supplement to thereference library materials.
