Description
The collection represents the railroad-related papers and documents accumulated by Berkeley, California pharmacist and historian
Louis, Lorenz Stein, Jr. (1902-1996).
Background
Louis Lorenz Stein was born August 21, 1902, in Berkeley. In 1924 he earned a degree from the University of California's
School of Pharmacy. In 1928, a year after his marriage, he opened a pharmacy in Kensington. Although he had followed his
father's advice to go into business, Mr. Stein had a lifelong passion for history. He collected everything he could find
relating to local history, including letter, diaries, manuscripts, photographs, maps, newspapers, artifacts, often resucing
materials destined for destruction. On a grander scale, in 1955, he bought the Martinez Adobe to save it from being razed.
Throughout his life, he shared his knowledge and his collections with anyone seeking information about local history. In
1956, he established the Pharmacy Museum at Columbia State Park. In the early 1980s Mildred and Louis Stein donated their
considerable materials relating to Contra Costa County to the Contra Costa County Historical Society. Louis L. Stein, Jr.
passed away in Berkeley, on November 11, 1996. [Adapted from Contra Costa County Historical Society website.]
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the California State Railroad Museum. All requests for permission to publish or quote from
manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the District Collections Manager. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the CSRM as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder,
which must also be obtained by the reader.