Lincoln Area Archives Museum

Where Lincoln’s Past Is Kept Alive

The Lincoln Area Archives Museum traces its beginnings to 1993, when local historians Jerry Logan, Wes Freeman and Don Logan began collecting and preserving the history of Lincoln and the surrounding area. The museum itself was established in 2010, and in 2011 the organization moved into the first floor of the historic old City Hall in Downtown Lincoln.

Today, the museum is operated by volunteers and houses thousands of artifacts, photographs, documents and other pieces of Lincoln history.

More Than a Museum

The collection tells the story of Lincoln long before the community became the growing city we know today.

Permanent exhibits explore the area's Nisenan and Maidu history, early settlers, agriculture, mining, ranching, transportation, manufacturing and military history.

Not surprisingly, Gladding, McBean & Company also has an important place in the collection. The pottery operation that became synonymous with Lincoln began here in 1875 after the discovery of the area's unusually high-quality clay.

Visitors can also see local military memorabilia, a Lincoln potters collection, a replica of the historic Lincoln Train Depot and artifacts from everyday life in earlier generations.

But some of the museum's greatest treasures aren't necessarily sitting in display cases.

Its archives contain historic photographs, early maps, genealogical information and old city records, providing an invaluable resource for anyone researching a Lincoln family, property, business or piece of local history.

Preserving the Stories of Lincoln

What makes the Lincoln Area Archives Museum especially fitting for a Lincoln Spotlight is that it is fundamentally a community effort.

Its collections have grown through donations from local residents, while volunteers continue to staff, operate and maintain the museum.

The organization has also helped put Lincoln's history into print. Its gift shop carries several books by historian Jerry Logan as well as the museum's Images of America: Lincoln, a pictorial history featuring photographs from its extensive collection.

For longtime residents, the museum is a chance to rediscover the Lincoln they remember.

For newer residents, it's an opportunity to discover the community that existed long before the subdivisions, shopping centers and rapid growth of recent decades.

And for future generations, it ensures that Lincoln's stories, photographs and artifacts have somewhere to live.

That's exactly what a community museum should do.

Visit the Lincoln Area Archives Museum

Location: 640 5th Street, Downtown Lincoln
Hours: Thursday–Saturday, 11 a.m.–3 p.m.
Phone: (916) 645-3800

Private, group and school tours are also available by appointment.