Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Historical Society of Southern California Collection
- Dates:
- 1859-2008
- Creators:
- Historical Society of Southern California
- Abstract:
- The Historical Society of Southern California (HSSC) was founded in 1883 with the goal to collect and preserve historic materials that members perceived were in danger of being lost during a time of rapid regional growth and development. As part of its mission, the HSSC has published works about Southern California history, sponsored events that commemorate or discuss Southern California history, and collected materials that hold historical value. The HSSC collection contains promotional materials created by the HSSC to support HSSC activities such as invitations, event programs, newsletters, membership solicitations, and materials created to celebrate the HSSC's 50th Anniversary and the State of California's Centennial Anniversary. The collection also includes news clippings about the HSSC and ephemera that was collected by the HSSC.
- Extent:
- 0.2 linear feet Linear Feet 9 folders
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
Historical Society of Southern California, 1859-2008, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; MSA.66; [folder number] [folder title][date].
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The HSSC Collection contains programs, invitations, newsletters, and fundraising materials produced by the HSSC to support its programming and activities. Among these are invitations and programs related to the Landmarks Pilgrimages, 1933-1946, and invitations and programs related to the State of California Centennial Celebrations and HSSC's 50th Anniversary. It includes three audio recordings: a Keith Lummis talk about his father, Charles Lummis; an award presentation and conversation with the Clinton Family regarding the Clifton's Cafeteria chain in Southern California; and an interview with an unnamed representative of the HSSC regarding the organization's history. The collection also includes miscellaneous ephemera related to Southern California that was collected by the HSSC, such as certificates of baptism from 1859 and 1861 and a National Union Election Ticket for Abraham Lincoln from 1864.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The Historical Society of Southern California (HSSC) was founded by a group of prominent Southern California residents in 1883 and incorporated in 1891. It was established with the goal of preserving Southern California historical materials and landmarks that members perceived were in danger of being lost during a time of rapid regional growth and development. In addition to collecting historical materials, the HSSC has focused on organizing events and presentations that commemorate significant dates or discuss historical topics, and publishing historical works, books, newsletters, and a scholarly journal, the Southern California Quarterly.
The HSSC sought funding for a permanent location for its collections on several occasions, however, it was never able to establish a site for a permanent museum. Over the years, the HSSC's collections have been stored in a variety of temporary spaces including a county courthouse and a warehouse on New High Street in downtown Los Angeles. In 1910, the HSSC loaned and later donated its collections to the Museum of History, Science and Art (now the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles). The HSSC continued to acquire additional collections after this initial 1910 donation, and in 1987, the HSSC donated over 15,000 collection items to the Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California. Between 2014 and 2018, the HSSC's collection was kept in various storage units, then moved to the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum in the City of Industry, California.
The administrative headquarters of the HSSC also moved several times. In the 1930s, the HSSC held meetings at the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and was later headquartered at the Southwest Museum. Next, they moved to the Earl Mansion (on Wilshire Boulevard) from 1948-1957. From 1965 to 2015, the HSSC was headquartered at the Charles Lummis Home, "El Alisal."
In 2018, the HSSC Board of Directors decided that the HSSC would no longer be a collection-focused organization and resolved to donate its remaining collections to suitable repositories. The bulk of HSSC materials were donated to the Seaver Center for Western History Research at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. A small subset of the collection related to Charles Lummis, El Alisal, or the Southwest Museum were donated to the Autry Museum of the American West. The remaining materials were organized into smaller collections and donated to other Southern California-based repositories.
As of 2019, the HSSC continues to operate as a history-focused, membership-based organization that hosts events, programs, and publishes Southern California history-related books, newsletters, and journals.
References
Walters, Kim. Historical Society of Southern California Collection (2018 Donation) [Finding Aid]. 2021. Collection Number: GC 1383. Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Retrieved November 6, 2024 from https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8qr54f0/
"About." Historical Society of Southern California, Retrieved November 5, 2024 from https://thehssc.org/about/
Guinn, J.M. Thirty-Three Years of History Activities. Annual Publication of the Historical Society of Southern California, 1915-1916, Vol. 10, No. 1/2 (1915-1916), pp. 16-23.
- Acquisition information:
- The Historical Society of Southern California Collection was donated to the Autry Museum of the American West in 2018. Many of the materials in the collection were donated to the HSSC by Frederick W. Hodge or the Southwest Museum. See historical note for additional information related to the history of the HSSC's collections.
- Processing information:
-
Processing and finding aid completed by Molly Smith, 2024.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is arranged into 9 folders, organized by topic and date.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-01-27 23:43:45 +0000 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Appointments to view materials are required. To make an appointment please visit https://theautry.org/research-collections/library-and-archives and fill out the Researcher Application Form.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright has not been assigned to the Autry Museum of the American West. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library and Archives at the Autry. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Autry Museum of the American West as the custodian 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.
- Preferred citation:
-
Historical Society of Southern California, 1859-2008, Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles; MSA.66; [folder number] [folder title][date].
- Location of this collection:
-
4700 Western Heritage WayLos Angeles, CA 90027, US
- Contact:
- (747) 201-8448