Walnut Creek Historical Society

The Walnut Creek Historical Society operates the shadelands ranch museum and supports the efforts of the community members to expand their understanding of local history. The museum is on the national register of historic places and belongs to the city of Walnut Creek. The museum is open to the public for tours and also houses a rich archive of contra costa and Walnut Creek history in its collections of old newspapers, photographs and government records that is made available to the public for research. The Historical Society also offers walking tours of downtown heritage sites to the public, runs educational programs for area elementary schools (onsite at the museum as well as through downtown walking tours), holds an annual holiday faire and holiday teas, and rents out the grounds of the museum for private events.