Museum Collection

The Old Jail contains displays illustrating episodes of Tuolumne County history. The front gallery is full of photographs and artifacts depicting the county's geographical regions. The six regions are represented as follows: Sonora, Crossroads of Tuolumne County; North to Columbia; Jamestown and the Way West; South of the River; Out to Tuolumne and Up in the Hills. Other displays contain information on the overland treks across the Sierra Nevada between 1841 and 1860, Mark Twain and pioneer firearms. There's even a display on Soapbox Derbys dating back just prior to World War II.

The Museum Annex is home to the Tuolumne County History Collection which is available for use by scholars and history buffs along with a library on local history. Compiled beginning in 1915, the Collection's varied inventory includes over 25,000 photographs of local people and places, vintage clothing and household items. In addition, the Collection includes business and industry related artifacts, records relating to landmarks, commerce, railroads, logging, mining, water development, communities and geography. Click here to see a few images from the Collection.

The Museum Annex also provides an area for volunteers to work on the Collection in jobs such as accessioning, cataloging, filing and assisting a wide variety of users such as visiting scholars, students and other people interested in this area's history.

The courtyard is available for use by the public for events and it can seat 120 people. The old fashioned garden lends a colorful accent to the historic complex.