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The 18-acre San Joaquin County Historical Museum includes four relocated and preserved historic buildings:

Charles Weber Cottage (1847)  
One of the earliest structures built in Stockton, this cottage was the first home of Captain Charles M. Weber—founder of Stockton—on Weber’s Point (now downtown Stockton near the arena).  It had later additions of adobe construction and by 1893 the Weber home had became unlivable due to cumulative damage from the many floods on Weber Point.  The original cottage was preserved by daughter Julia Weber, who moved it to her ranch north of Stockton.  The Charles Weber cottage was subsequently moved to the Museum, restored, furnished, and placed in a setting that will provide you with an idea of the first view of Stockton seen by new settlers and visitors sailing up the Stockton Channel in the 1850s…and the gracious atmosphere Captain Weber created amidst the fledgling pioneer settlement.   The cottage was willed to the Museum by Helen Weber Kennedy, Captain Weber's granddaughter.

Slideshow tour of the Charles Weber cottage and the Helen Weber Kennedy Gallery in the Erickson Building. Your tour guide is Helen (Peggy) Kennedy Cahill, great granddaughter of Captain Charles Weber.  (Running time: 9 minutes.)

Calaveras School (1866)
This one-room schoolhouse was originally located near Highway 88 just north of the Calaveras River. It served from 11 to 28 children in grades one through 9. It was one of the last one-room schools in San Joaquin county in 1959. The building was moved to the Museum in 1976, where it was restored; it was rededicated in 1986. Ever since, the Calaveras School has enchanted Museum visitors. Thousands of County elementary students have relived history via the Pioneer School Day program in which their classes spend a day as students would have in the 1880s.

Blacksmith Shop
Moved to the Museum from the Nelson Ranch on Roberts Island, this 1880s blacksmith shop is a working shop used for Valley Days school programs and special events.

Julia Weber House (1892)
This home was built on Weber’s point (now downtown Stockton near the arena) for Julia Weber, daughter of Stockton founder Charles Weber. It was moved in 1901 to “Helen’s Grove” on West Lane, north of the Calaveras River, and to the Museum in 2001. The Julia Weber house exterior has been restored to its 1892-1901 appearance. The house interior has not been renovated and it is not yet open to the public. The original furnishings from the house are, however, on exhibit in room dioramas in the Erickson Exhibition Building (see below).

Room-by-room tour of the Julia Weber house in the 1980s—before the original 1892 portion of the house was moved to the Museum—as well as an overview of Weber family history. The narrator is Helen (Peggy) Kennedy Cahill, great niece of Julia Weber and great granddaughter of Captain Weber. (Running time: 24 minutes.)

See the Julia Weber house being moved to the Museum from West Lane in 2001. (Running time: 6 minutes.)

The Museum also has eight modern buildings with exhibits:

Erickson Exhibition Building
Contains exhibits on the Yokuts and Miwok (the original Native American inhabitants of the region); Charles Weber (founder of Stockton and first farmer) and family; William Micke (farmer and philanthropist who donated and endowed the park); children’s gallery (changing themes); temporary or short-term exhibitions.  (The Helen Weber Kennedy gallery is named for the granddaughter of Captain Charles M. Weber.  The gallery was dedicated in her memory by her daughters Helen K. Cahill, Katherine K. Cookson, Moira K. Holden and Geraldine K. Cole.)

Helen (Peggy) Kennedy Cahill, great granddaughter of Captain Charles Weber, narrates a slideshow tour of the Helen Weber Kennedy Gallery in the Erickson Building and the Charles Weber cottage. (Running time: 9 minutes.)

Tree and Vine Exhibition Building
Has exhibits on grape growing, wine making, stone fruit and almond and English walnut growing, fruit drying, and fruit shipping.

Delta Exhibition Building
Displays an extensive collection of hand and foot powered tools; a Harris wooden combine and exhibitions on foundries of San Joaquin county.

Micke Exhibition Building
The first exhibit building built at the museum has artifacts on a number of themes, including: ranching, grain growing/harvesting, general farming, dairying, and horse-drawn transportation.

Ag Equipment Center
With generous support from individuals and companies throughout the county, the San Joaquin County Historical Society built four new exhibition buildings, dedicated in March 2006. The McNeilly, Rosen, Brown-Jones, and Cortopassi-Avansino exhibition buildings that comprise the Ag Equipment Center are described below.

McNeilly Exhibition Building
Displays agricultural equipment and small farm machines and toy and model tractors. 

Rosen Exhibition Building
Displays tractors and other agricultural equipment including a Holt sidehill combine. 

Brown-Jones Exhibition Building (open-sided)
Displays earth-moving and leveling equipment.

Sunshine Trail Living Exhibition
The Sunshine Trail Living Exhibition features a paved loop trail through native plants from many Northern California life zones—from the coastal Redwoods and Coast Range through the San Joaquin Valley, foothills, and the Sierra Nevada—what a 49er arriving by ship might have experienced making his way to the gold fields. This innovative exhibition was designed by Mike Schneider especially for the enjoyment of citizens with limited vision—it features 12 audio message stations. “Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows” --Helen Keller

Flame Tokay Grape Vines (1922)
The Museum maintains a small remnant of the Flame Tokay grapes planted by William G. Micke in 1922. Mr. Micke preserved the grove of Valley Oak trees along Pixley Slough, donated the land for Micke Grove Regional Park , and was active in the development of the park.

Cortopassi-Avansino Exhibition Building
Exhibits not yet installed.  Anticipated exhibition themes are: intensive agriculture in San Joaquin County, 1920-1970; selected key historic crops in the county; and the innovations and associated immigrant groups/individuals/families.

The Historical Society also provides a number of Special Events and Activities for Museum guests.

There are also programs and services for Groups.