Great experience in using their services for getting naturalization papers. Was very impressed with…read moretheir historical items, articles, books, photos.

If you're a local history buff, then you NEED to utilize the resources at Contra Costa Historical…read moreSociety! The historical society was founded in 1951 and contains Contra Costa County documents dating back as early as 1852. Although they have moved locations thrice over the years, their expansive curated collection remains: www.cocohistory.org/frm-center.html Their volumes of documents are cloth-bound, leather-bound, or loose leaf and can be viewed upon request. If you'd like to learn more about your family's background or want to look at your official property line, then this is the place to go! For those who can't visit them in person, they have digitized a plethora of documents that you can access via their online database: www.cocohistory.org/frm-resources.html You can search and peruse: + County Records + Court Records + Photographs + Immigration & Naturalization Papers + Probate Documents + Obituaries + West County Times + Newspaper Photo Negatives + Maps + School Records + General Subject Files (e.g. Agriculture - Growers, BART, Bridges) + Subjects by City (e.g. Antioch - History, Brentwood - People) + Special Collections They have THOUSANDS of old photographs that are also now digitized, thanks to the generous photography donation by the late Louis L. Stein, pharmacist and owner of Arlington Pharmacy in Kensington. Stein always wanted to be a historian and he collected an enormous amount of photos depicting Contra Costa County history from the 1850s to the 1930s: www.cocohistory.org/llstein.html Stein even saved The Martinez Adobe from being razed and it's now part of the John Muir National Historic Site: www.tinyurl.com/v2qp5rq So you KNOW that this collection contains almost anything that you've ever wanted to view of historic CoCo County! www.cocohistory.org/frm-photos.html There are great gifts in their bookstore (both on site and online) that you can purchase for history enthusiasts: www.cocohistory.ecrater.com/ and many of the books were researched and written at the CCCHS! They even publish a quarterly newsletter, essays, and videos that you can access on their website that are both interesting and informative : ) I especially appreciate their extensive list of links to additional local historical sites, which is helpful when you are doing research. Right now, they are featuring a tiny one-room exhibit, Women Win the Vote In California, Contra Costa & the Nation, for the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. The society has both paid staff and volunteers who work to digitize and preserve history (you can sign up on Volunteer Match to help www.volunteermatch.org/search/org1049632.jsp). You can learn more about CCCHS in this 2 and a half minute video that was produced by KTVU in 2015 when it was chosen as a non-profit partner for the Lescher Foundation Speaker Series presentation by David McCollough: www.youtu.be/fTLIXmEsESo *Note: They offer memberships that supports the non-profit preservation of Contra Costa County history.

What a gem! We stumbled upon this museum by accident after having lunch in Clayton. This place is…read morerun by a group of lovely volunteers. They are so kind, knowledgeable and friendly. We thought this would be a difficult visit with our 2 year old, but the ladies here not only welcomed us, educated us, gave us a private tour, but they also had tops and coloring sheets for the kiddos. Highly recommend!

Wonderful exhibits showing authentic pieces worn by the original owners in the 1800s. Clayton…read morestill has authentic western restaurants, saloons, and a small original house which is now a museum. We love Clayton and cherish that some of it still remains. There are even a few hitching posts. Downtown has a terrific park and great summer concerts.

Growing up, this was my local library. I used to love coming here with my mom. Today I came back…read morewith my daughter for story time and it was great. Such a blast from the past and still looks the same.

Not only do they have books, they also have community pamphlets such as the DMV guide for seniors…read more It beats making a trip down to the DMV. They also have a huge collection of puzzles and games that you can check out. What I enjoy is there giant checker board they have set up at the entrance. We play every time we come. The library has really evolved since I was a kid. It used to be a quiet place where you read books. Now it's a much livelier place catering to modern needs.

Easy parking. Kinda hard to find if you don't know where you're at. Coming from Oakland, I'm used…read moreto a variety of different sizes of libraries. This one was fairly small and had somewhat of a small selection for adults. I was so jealous of the amount of books for kids lol. I think I'll try looking at the Pleasant Hill one next, as I heard it's a lot bigger and has a more variety of themes.

If my son will read the moment we get out of the library, it's a big plus. I'm having to balance…read morehis game time now since all his friends are online. But he needs to do his 30min reading first before he could play. I love that we still have a library where kids can learn how to borrow books, scan a library card, scan the books, and reserve books that are not available. Take advantage of our local library before they disappear in the tech world, and lose that community connection.

Walking around on a Sunday afternoon, we notice the Benicia Capitol State Historic Park was open…read more We decided to go in and take a look around. It's not free to do so. I believe it's $3 per adult, which is not bad at all. We walked through and looked at the informational displays on the first floor. The Park Ranger that worked there spoke to us and gave us a little history. We also walked around the carriage house, workers' quarters, and sculptured gardens. Very nice visit. Glad they have it open for tours.

It was so cool understanding more of the history with Benicia and our state. Our guide Charlie was…read moreawesome. He loves his job and history. I loved his energy and how passionate he was. He explained a lot to us and let us take pictures even hold the keys. Its only 3 dollars to get in. Worth it! Only issue is that Fischer house was closed because they're fixing windows and it was suppose to be done by March and it still isnt. So couldn't see inside.

It's been a couple of years since the last time I went to the Pittsburg Historical Museum and I may…read morebe biased (being raised in Pittsburg and all) but I think it's a pretty incredible local museum. It's in the old Post Dispatch building, which brings up fond memories for me -- mostly of my mom and I going downtown to place ads for whatever litter of kittens was just dumped on us. But I digress. My favorite part of the Pittsburg Museum is that it doesn't feel like a museum -- more like you are actually experiencing the history (sounds dorky, huh?). There aren't a lot of items tucked away in glass cases - they use the items to recreate old-timey Pittsburg. You walk through a sort of "downtown" area -- past old dentists shops, fire equipment and a bunch of other stuff. There is a lot of love and attention to detail going into the displays at this museum. I hope someday I can help them out!

This a great place filled with so much history. I strolled in one Saturday and ended up spending…read morehours inside. There seriously is so much to look through and it really does a great job at showing the diversity that Pittsburg has to offer. The tour guides are so sweet and informative. Highly recommend it!

The Shell Alumni Museum is a volunteer effort run by the retirees (and family) of the nearby…read morerefinery. It is located at the far end of the parking lot (off Pacheco) that also serves the Shell Clubhouse. It is a nicely appointed building that contains a conference room and a lot of neat Shell memorabilia. What I admire the most is the certain equality, community service, and fun that retirement brings for these hard working alumni. Many former supervisor, manager, and employee work relationships come together in the form of trips, the annual Christmas lighting at the Clubhouse, activities for children of Shell employees, and other community-based activities.

This community college library is located on the DVC Pleasant Hill campus (DVC also has a satellite…read morecampus in San Ramon, but without a library). It's been updated in regard to technology, but the study tables, etc. remain the same. Online access to the library and peripheral resources is excellent! The computer lab and the classroom at the far end of the library are nice and new and set up to promote a positive learning environment. You can also get a DVC Connect Card at the circulation desk if you don't want to go to the Student Life Office. The students who staff the library are nice and helpful.

This library is strange…read more I have a like/ hate relationship with it. I like the copy machine and the printers, which saved me enough times as a student. The staples are free and all you have to do is load your card up with monies and you can use them any time you need. I hate being brought here for class "field trips" because beyond forced here for them, I never once used this library for any sort of research. Thats what the internet's is for. Duh. I like they wanted to teach us how to use the online site to look up information, because coming through those security doorways always hurt my ears so I never got into falling asleep here like others. I hate that there are no liquids allowed in here. I always had to hide my hot chocolate when making copies. And you ain't really lived until you've spilled hot chocolate in a library. I like that I never have to come here again... no wait... love. I love that I never have to come here again.