Day of The Child

May 4th 1-3pm at the Anderson Valley Elementary School - Bring your kids and grandkids to this afternoon of fun for our kids. The Anderson Valley Historical Society will be participating in this community event with 3 stations featuring activities the kids of yesteryear enjoyed and endured! Station 1 Games: Marbles, jacks, hopscotch. Station 2 Work: Drilling by hand, Making Butter. Station 3 Dressup: Take photos of the kids dressed up in clothes from the waaaay past!

The Historical Society of Mendocino County teams with the Anderson Valley Historical Society to learn about the Anderson Valley Pomo.

June 8 1-3pm at the museum. The Historical Society of Mendocino County is coming to Anderson Valley to learn more about our history. We are honored to host Liz Knight, an ancestral descendent of the Anderson Valley Pomo, David Severn, researcher and Jeff Burroughs, historian. They will be sharing insights and stories of the Anderson Valley Pomo - Past, Present and Future. Museum tours to follow. Refreshments will be served.

July Chat

July 13, 2025 2pm at the museum. Our July AV Chat features Val Hanelt, chatting with us about Anderson Valley cemeteries. Val will share her vast knowledge on our cemeteries. The Chat will include:

  1. Review of the Cemetery database project with a handout of the burials up to 1900

  2. The Stakes project - 11 pioneers who lost their markers

  3. Findagrave information with tutoring on posting pictures and stories

Refreshments will be served. Free Admission. Donations are always welcome.

Annual Membership & Friends Gathering - A joint jam presented by the AV Historical Society and the AV Villages

August 17, 2025 1pm at the museum. Museum Dedication/Coyote Cowboys Debut     45 years ago, the Anderson Valley Historical Society held its Dedication Ceremony and One of the featured music groups was “Dean Titus and his Coyote Cowboys”.  This was the Coyote Cowboys first event.  The Gathering will include a media event highlighting the beginnings of the museum & a walk down memory lane with the Coyote Cowboys, complimentary lunch, a raffle benefitting the museum and music by the Coyote Cowboys.   Lunch 1-145pm, Memories 1:45-200pm, Music 2pm-4pm.

Historical Society Members Free…Non-Members $5

October Chat (Date to be announced)

Date to be announced. Our October Chat will include a walk through the oldest (A&B) sections of the Evergreen cemetery. Val Hanelt will lead the walk, sharing information on the graves, providing an interesting look at early settlement times.

Holiday Fun

We love seeing all the families that come to share in this fun event, and look forward to seeing past and new families this year. Watch for date and time details. Welcome the Holiday Season with Candle Making festivities. Bring your family and create a festive candle for your holidays. Cookies and Cider will add to the fun on this winter afternoon.

Board Meetings

The Anderson Valley Historical Society Board meets on Thursday mornings at 9:30, every two months. AVHS members and interested guests are welcome to attend. For specific dates, please contact Sheri Hansen, at (707) 272-7248 or by email. You’ll find us in the Rose Room of the Barn Building on the Museum grounds, 12340 Highway 128, Boonville.

Featured Books

Then and Now: An Anderson Valley Journey

Anderson Valley has certainly changed significantly over its long history. Yet Then and Now: An Anderson Valley Journey, by Wes Smoot and Stephen Sparks, shows us that in some ways the Valley has altered very little. This fascinating book presents old and new photographs of selected buildings and homes, accompanied by brief “biographies” of each building and locale, thereby providing a journey through history. The reader is encouraged to literally take an excursion along the length of beautiful Anderson Valley and observe the sixty locations that are featured alongside or near to Highway 128, the 2-lane road that winds through Anderson Valley. Through the descriptions and photos, you’ll see how some places have changed and some stayed surprisingly constant. A delight to read as you drive through the Valley or relax in your armchair at home, Then and Now offers a vibrant trip through this unique region and its history for local folks and visitors alike. To order, call (707) 895-3207 or email the Anderson Valley Historical Society.

Anderson Valley—Images of America

Authored by the Historical Society and using pictures from the museum and many private collections, this book uses pictures to share the history of Anderson Valley and the fun of Boontling. To order, call (707) 895-3207 or email the Anderson Valley Historical Society.

For a full list of available books and gifts related to Anderson Valley history please go to Books.

Events