Clarke Historical Museum

The Clarke is delighted to reopen to the public Saturday, February 5 with our first new exhibits for 2023!

Our new main hall exhibit focuses on the Christmas Flood of 1964 – one of the most devastating events in Humboldt County history - and its impact on the Pacific Northwest. We also have some 60s memorabilia on display to help set the time frame of the exhibit. There are also three exciting new Indigenous artifacts exhibits in Nealis Hall: Fishing Rights, Birthing Traditions, and Pre-1900 Baskets from the Hover Collection. And as a special Valentine’s Day bonus, our new mini-exhibit in the Emmerson Room (aka the Victorian Room) will reveal an under-the-garments look at how Victorian women created their hourglass silhouettes!

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday 10am to 5pm, closed on Monday. AND Open for 1st Saturdays 6-9pm during Arts Alive!

---  For more info please see the "Visit Website" link above
Located in Eureka’s historic Old Town district, the Clarke Museum is dedicated to preserving and presenting the history and culture of Humboldt County.   Humboldt County's exciting history includes vibrant Native American cultures, Gold Rush settlement, the “Red Gold” of lumber, prosperous ranching/farming and livelihoods wrung from the sea. Through period rooms and changing exhibits, visitors can glimpse Victorian elegance, remarkable craftsmanship, and everyday work, home life and play from Humboldt’s past.
 
The Clarke’s Native American collection, from Northwest California tribes, is considered among the country’s largest and best. One spacious gallery is devoted to the basketry, ceremonial regalia and stone implements of the Wiyot, Yurok, Karuk, Hoopa, and other area tribes. 

The Clarke Museum’s home, the former Bank of Eureka building with its unusual glazed terre cotta façade, was designed by San Francisco architect Albert Pissis and built in 1912. In 1960, Eureka High School teacher Cecile Clarke purchased the building and moved in her extensive local history collection. Nealis Hall, the Native American annex, was added in 1979. The museum’s gift shop offers a unique selection of historical souvenirs, area crafts, and books on regional history.