Museums in:

Oroville, California

Bolt's Antique Tool Museum

Oroville, California

General, History, Historic House, Specialized

The Bolt's Antique Tool Museum celebrates the tools that built our world. It is the largest known documented collection of hand tools. It began in 1957 when Carl “Bud” Bolt was a representative of Snap-On Tools. He needed some old tools to show how his new tools were superior to the old ones. Thus began Bud’s life-long fascination with old tools. Although he vowed to stop collecting when he reached 1,000 pieces, the collection now numbers over 8,400 pieces. Each is meticulously cataloged and referenced with research ongoing, fulfilling Bud’s dream of having a collection that will be enjoyed and studied by tool aficionados, scholars, and students from around the world.

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

Our forte is research materials on all aspects of the rich history of our County. The museum reflects interesting aspects of County history from gold mining, construction of Oroville Dam, filming of the movie Robin Hood and the life of Erle Stanley Gardner.

C. F. Lott Home in Sank Park

Oroville, California

General, History, Historic House

A Victorian revival style structure, the C.F. Lott Home was built in 1856 by “Judge” Lott, a gold-rush pioneer who helped form California’s government and started the first Citrus Exchange in California. Although now over 150 years old, only two generations have lived in this house. Much of the original furnishings are on display to help tell the story of how the well-to-do lived “out west.” The collection includes antique furnishings, paintings, rugs, textiles, clothes, silver, and glassware from the period 1849-1910. A tour of the house reveals stories of the Lott family and their importance to early California (the Judge was also a State Senator). It also retells his daughter, Cornelia’s, love story with Jesse Sank and their eventual happiness.

Feather River Hatchery

Oroville, California

Science

Feather River Hatchery in Oroville, CA is one of more than 15,400 museums in the MuseumsUSA directory. Find an exciting museum to visit where you live or vacation today.

Lake Oroville Visitor Center

Oroville, California

Natural History

Natural and cultural history

Oroville Chinese Temple

Oroville, California

Church, Culture, History

California's largest intact gold rush period Chinese Temple. The complex includes the original "Temple of Many Deities," a Confucianism Temple, a Buddhist Temple, the community Council Room, and two modern buildings, the display hall housing artifacts of the temple, and a replica of the Fong Lee Store with the store’s original furnishings. Between the display hall and the original buildings is a courtyard with many plants from China, and a traditional fish pond. The temples are still occasionally used for worship.

EHMANN HOME - BCHS Headquarters

Oroville, California

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society

The Ehmann Home was built in 1911 by Edwin Ehmann in the Craftsman Bungalow style. The architect was John Morton of Chico. Today it is the only surviving reminder of the once grand Ehmann Olive Company presence in Butte County. The story of the Ehmann home begins with Freda Ehmann and her olives. She is considered the "mother" of the modern olive canning industry. Her olive curing business began with her desperate effort to develop a market for the olives from her 20-acre orchard. Until this time, olives had been grown primarily for oil; olive curing and canning had not been reliably successful. Through experimentation and stringent quality control, she developed a reliable curing system.

Botanical Garden, Children's, Natural History, Nature Centers, Park, Science

The bank of the Feather River below the Bath House was once the site of a Maidu fishing village. The river provided a bountiful supply of giant Chinook salmon and acorns were harvested from the groves of Blue Oaks. Gold was discovered in the Feather River in 1849 bringing a tent city of fortune hunters virtually overnight. The gold soon ran out and the miners left as quickly as they had appeared.

OREGON CITY SCHOOL

Oregon City, California

General, History, Historic House, Historical Society, Library

The Oregon City School District was an 1858 split-off from the original Oregon Township District established in 1853 in the Messilla Valley. For a few years it was called the Franklin District until 1861 when the Cherokee District was split off and Oregon City District acquired the name we know today. The district was then annexed to the Cherokee District in 1923 as the population center shifted. More recently both areas became a part of the Golden Feather Union School District with an office at Concow. The Oregon City School was acquired by the Society in 1983.

Pioneer History Museum

Oroville, California

Archaeology, Children's, Culture, General, History, Historic House

The collection concentrates on items illustrating the pioneers’ life up to the late 1920s It includes such diverse items such as; Antique pianos, the original Oregon City School organ, a grand old clock from Bidwell Bar, gambler’s items, dolls (including a doll from the Donner Party), a miner's vest tailored to hold different size nuggets, and even a handmade gold needle.

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MUSEUM CONFERENCES

April 27 - April 29, 2025

Oregon Museum Association 2025 Conference

TBA

Independence, Oregon

Beginning in 2025, the OMA annual conference will be held in Spring rather than Fall

The conference this year is all about trying new things. We are hoping to organize the conference into the following four tracks: Collections Care, Leadership, Emergency Preparedness, and Tourism

Check our website for more details in early 2025

The OMA newsletter is emailed every month with updates on OMA events, museum news, other events, trainings, jobs, grants and more for the museum community in Oregon.

For more information, please email connect@oregonmuseums.org.

October 1 - October 4, 2025

Western Museums Association’s (WMA) 2025 Annual Meeting

TBA

Reno, Nevada

Save the Date for WMA 202

As we celebrate our 90th anniversary, join us to build relationships and soar higher than ever before. With the theme of ELEVATE, WMA 2025 will explore ways to lift up the experiences of cultural professionals and the communities they serve.

In Reno, Nevada, 4,400 feet above sea level, we will forward the progress of museums by looking to the future.

May 6 - May 9, 2025

2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) ANNUAL MEETING & MUSEUMEXPO

Los Angeles Convention Center

Los Angeles, California

AAM 2025 will focus on the theme, Museums & Trust.

Museums have long inspired high levels of public trust, surpassing news outlets, government organizations, researchers and scientists, corporations, and social media platforms. This consistent finding underscores our institutions’ unique position in society as stewards of knowledge, culture, science, and history—areas where credibility and reliability are paramount

In an era marked by mistrust and misinformation, museums have a rare ability to counterbalance the proliferation of false narratives and polarized perspectives. Using our trusted position, we can cultivate a more healthy, empathetic, and informed society.

But to do so, we must maintain our credibility proactively, embracing thoughtful, transparent, and collaborative practices that will defend against influences like bias, resource challenges, abuse of power, and social injustice

An Incredible MuseumExpo

AAM is again partnering this year with the Museum Store Association to host an incredible combined expo hall. Find the most innovative services, products, and solutions in the museum field. With 350 exhibitors, you are bound to find the right partner for your museum’s current challenges and opportunities.

May 5 - May 9, 2025

Museum Store Association FORWARD 2025 in LA

The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Join MSA in LA

We’re excited about our next MSA FORWARD Conference & Expo in “The City of Angels” – Los Angeles, California in conjunction with the American Alliance of Museums

Join the Museum Store Association (MSA) and hundreds of nonprofit retail professionals for the 70th Annual MSA FORWARD Retail Conference & Expo, taking place May 5-9, 2025 at The Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, California

Once again, MSA FORWARD will be held in conjunction with the 2025 American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting & Expo

Learn best practices and new ideas for store merchandising, operations, marketing, and sale

Participate in dedicated networking events and create connections that will inspire new ideas

Meet with over 200 MSA vendors about your product needs

Hear from knowledgeable industry experts during session breakouts and keynote presentations

Network with AAM attendees and exhibitor

September 10 - September 13, 2025

2025 Am Assoc for State and Local History Annual Conference

TBD

Cincinnati, Ohio

The 2025 AASLH Annual Conference, in partnership with Ohio Local History Alliance, will take place as the history field makes the final preparations to kickoff off the 250th commemoration of the founding of the United States.

The 2025 conference theme, inspired by AASLH’s Making History at 250: The Field Guide for Semiquincentennial, is an opportunity to broadly explore one of the guide’s themes, The American Experiment. For many in the American colonies in 1776, independence from Britain represented a “leap into the dark” into an unknown future

We are excited for you to join us in Cincinnati as we encourage discussion about our democracy and civic institutions and how they can help strengthen understanding, inspire action, and reveal ways that all of us can participate in and shape the ongoing American experiment.

For more information, please call 615-320-3203 or email info@aaslh.org.