by Stacey Atchley, Executive Director

Happy New Year, and welcome to the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum’s new blog! We are excited to use this space to bring you even more historical content, deep dives into our collection, fun facts about Petaluma, and more.

As we kick off 2025 and look ahead to an exciting year of thought-provoking exhibitions and engaging events, it’s inspiring to pause and reflect on all that we accomplished at the Museum last year. 2024 brought a series of exciting moments, from our first community day festival to the celebration of the 120th anniversary of the placement of our historic building’s cornerstone, and so many more. We are grateful to each of our visitors, members, partners, and colleagues who helped us bring Petaluma’s rich history to life. The infographic shared here gives a glimpse at just some of the vital work that you helped make possible.

With your support, we shared 7 exciting exhibitions. We explored the experiences of California Pioneer women through their own words in Her Side of the Story and learned about Petaluma’s past as part of Mexico through Telling Stories of Mexican California.

And we were busy, offering 68 insightful events and programs! Visitors immersed themselves in Petaluma history on walking tours with the Petalumans of Yesteryear, were moved by the personal experiences of a pioneer-era family through a collection “deep dive,” and marveled at intricate historic fashions through docent-led talks and special presentations, to name but a few.

Plus, we continued our critical work behind the scenes to better serve our community. This included collaborations with new community partners to build a deeper understanding, sensitivity, and respect for the needs of all Petalumans. And we were grateful to participate in the American Alliance of Museum’s prestigious Museum Assessment Program, with a focus on community engagement. We also boosted our educational initiatives, offering more school visits and piloting new programs to interest young people in history.

And, importantly, the City of Petaluma and our Parks and Recreation Department partners signaled their enthusiastic support for the work the Petaluma Museum Association (our nonprofit governing body) does to operate the Museum and steward the artifacts that tell the stories of Petaluma’s incredible history.

When I look back on 2024, I feel immense gratitude for the Museum’s family of members, donors, and partners. And, looking ahead to 2025, your support continues to be critical in bringing dynamic exhibitions and vital programs to life, creating moments of discovery and learning for visitors of all ages, throughout the year.

Here’s a preview of just a few of our many exciting plans for 2025:

  • Our partners at Petaluma Blacks for Community Development will present Blacks in the Labor Force: Breaking Barriers, Building Legacies to the Museum this February and March. The exhibit will focus on the various ways that work of all kinds—free and involuntary, skilled and unskilled, vocational and professional—intersect with the collective experiences of Black people.
  • You can count on the Petaluma Historical Library & Museum to continue being a champion of Petaluma’s historic architecture through special events in celebration of National Historic Preservation Month and our own Heritage Homes programs.
  • We’ve been working with Petaluma’s Asian American and Pacific Islander leaders to bring stories of Petaluma’s historic Chinese American communities to the Museum. Look for the exhibits Chinatown Unearthed: Remembering the Past for a Better Future and Chinese Pioneers: Power and Politics in Exclusion Era Photographs this spring.
  • Watch our calendar for programs designed to encourage younger generations to connect with history and build a culture of civic participation in preparation for America’s 250th anniversary.
  • This summer, we’re refreshing our popular bridal fashion exhibit with I Do: Petaluma Wedding Fashions & Traditions. See historic Petaluma bridal fashions, as well as artifacts that help place textile trends within the context of significant historical events.
  • We’re thrilled to bring you two installations inspired by the book “The Petaluma River: A Sketch Journal and Brief Historical Overview” by Alan Butler and Katherine J. Rinehart, tracing the historical context of the River’s evolution from twisting tidal waterway to commercial artery to beloved icon of Petaluma.
  • Wands ready! This fall we’re exploring Renaissance Science, Magic, and Medicine in Harry Potter’s World. This exhibit includes items from our own collection of medical artifacts, botanical journals, and other objects that would fit right in at Hogwarts!

We look forward to seeing you at the Museum often this year for these and more inspiring exhibitions, programs, and other opportunities to explore history and Petaluma’s place in it. We couldn’t do this work without you! As always, thank you for your support.