About The Lodi Historical Society
Our Founding Story
The beginnings of recognizing the importance of historical preservation in the Lodi area first began in 1954 with a few concerned citizens from Lodi forming a group that would eventually become the San Joaquin County Historical Society. However the current Society formed in response to the impending demolition of several historic buildings in the late 1980s, the pivotal structure being the old Cary Brothers Water and Light Building built in 1908. Although the building was ultimately not spared the wrecking ball, the community response and dedicated actions of several concerned citizens led to the formation of the current Lodi Historical Society. The Society was officially incorporated on October 20, 1988 with the stated objective to “preserve, protect, and maintain the history of the City of Lodi, California.”
For many years, our Society staffed and maintained the old Queen Anne Victorian Mansion on Church Street built by the Lodi pioneering Hill family in 19XX. It was the city’s only history museum for decades until a dispute in 2017 permanently closed and ended our affiliation with the historic structure. Since that time, we have continued our mission to preserve, protect, and maintain local history by working to establish a NEW museum space for the community with our Historic (2nd) City Hall & Firehouse restoration project. Our society, along with the communities help, were instrumental in saving this building on Main Street many years ago when it too was threatened with demolition. We know it will be a great space for the community upon its completion.
Since its inception our Society has provided historical recognition of our landmarks through our historic plaques placed at landmarks around the city. We offer speaking programs on local history topics at our monthly Society meetings at Hutchins Street Square. We have published extensive historical material through our quarterly newsletter and partnerships with local historians, and we have provided an outlet for local history through our work as a non-profit.
For the past 37 years our Society, staffed with volunteers, has tried to fulfill our mission in the best way possible but now WE NEED YOUR HELP! With the many challenges and changes on the horizon for our city, enthusiasm for saving history is more important than ever and we need every person with a love of Lodi and a passion for its history to join us in our mission!
