Preserving unique heritage of West Sonoma County

Our mission is to protect the heritage of western Sonoma County through inspiration, education, collection, and preservation, and to support community and private efforts toward these goals.

The Society

The Western Sonoma County Historical Society is a non-profit organization founded in 1974, and incorporated in 1978 to save the three-acre remnant of Luther Burbank's Experiment Farm at Gold Ridge in Sebastopol. Later, the Society founded the West County Museum in the Railroad Depot building of the Petaluma & Santa Rosa Railroad on Main Street. Both sites are owned by the City of Sebastopol.

It is a wholly volunteer work supported by members, a few non-government grants, and donations from the public.

The Historical Society supports the West County Museum and Luther Burbank's Experiment Farm with annual fundraising events.

The Activities

The Society also presents annual preservation awards to those who have done an outstanding job of preserving or restoring original architecture or building new structures that keep the flavor and heritage of rural Western Sonoma County.

The Historical Society holds four general meetings during the year. Meetings usually feature programs of a timely or historical theme and include a social hour. A newsletter is published monthly except December. The Historical Society supports the West County Museum and Luther Burbank Gold Ridge Experiment Farm with annual fundraising events.