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Historical Society of Long Beach

Where History Lives!

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  • About
    • About HSLB
      • Our History
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      • Crest Circle Membership
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  • Collection
    • Cambodian Community History
    • Accessibility and Promotion of the LGBTQ+ Collections
    • Collection Highlights
    • Historical Photo Collection
    • THE LONG BEACH HISTORICAL NEWSPAPER COLLECTION
      • Long Beach Historical Newspaper Collection – Catalog
        • By Date
        • The Press (1910-1924)
        • The Press-Telegram (1924-1989)
        • The Sun (1925-1944)
        • The Independent (1938-1971)
        • Southland (1952-1966)
        • The Zone Adveritsing (1958-1967)
        • Miscellaneous Publications (1897-1938)
        • Mixed Media
    • City Hall and Navy Base Records Project
    • Long Beach Redevelopment Agency Collection
    • A.C. Brown Collection
    • City Manager Files
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    • Legacy of the Future
  • Research
    • How to Research
    • Outstanding Photo Collection
    • Researching Houses and Structures
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    • Samples from HSLB’s Photo Collection
      • Popular Vintage Photographs
      • Custom Photo Order
    • Books
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  • Exhibitions & Programs
    • The Cambodian American 1.5 Generation Oral History Project & Colin Grafton Border Camp Photographs
    • The Workers’ Harbor – How Labor Built and Shaped the Port of Long Beach
    • Discovering Jenny – The Personal Collection of a State Senator
    • Centro de La Raza: John A. Taboada Legacy Photo Collection, 1970-1985
    • Historical Cemetery Tour
    • Past Exhibitions
    • Past Events and Programs
  • Media
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  • Education
    • Cambodian Community History
    • Water Changes Everything Online Exhibition
    • The Pandemic Project
    • A Woman’s Place in the Spotlight Nominations
    • Educational Resources
    • World War II Points of Interest
    • HSLB Videos

About HSLB


About Us

The Historical Society of Long Beach (HSLB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to connect people to the past and to the place they live by collecting, preserving, and exhibiting the material history of Long Beach. Through our programs and services, we help develop an inclusive community narrative that gives residents a greater understanding of their role in the story of their neighborhood and their city. The HSLB serves as an important resource for groups and individuals including preservationists, architects, historians, artists, filmmakers, authors, journalists, educators, researchers, students, policymakers, genealogists and the community at large.

HSLB History

Founded in 1962 by a coalition of community leaders and activists, the HSLB began collecting the material history of Long Beach, including maps, photographs, advertising, and other documents that chronicle the City. For more than 30 years the organization was staffed entirely by volunteers. During this time, the HSLB published books with historical photographs on a variety of local topics including the Pike and the 1933 earthquake. The organization was housed in several locations including Rancho Los Cerritos, Rancho Los Alamitos, a senior center and people’s homes until moving into its first public gallery space on Pine Avenue in 1994. In 1996 it hired its first Executive Director.

Click here for a Detailed History of HSLB.

Historical society Manikin setup with pearl harbor costumes

Today

The HSLB has been located at 4260 Atlantic Avenue since securing a long-term tenancy in 2007. Here we are able to accept large historical collections and adequately store them in a basement vault and archive on the main floor. We participate in the local First Fridays art walk, hold rotating exhibitions, have generous space for researchers, and offer diverse projects and programs

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