Local History
Henry Meade Williams Local History Department
Park Branch Library, Mission Street and Sixth Avenue
The Local History Department is the archives for Carmel-by-the-Sea, and is devoted to acquiring, preserving, and making available historically significant items concerning the history of Carmel. These collections include: photographs, books, letters, diaries, programs, manuscripts, maps, scrapbooks, and works of art.
Hours: Monday-Friday, 2-6pm
For research help, please call 831-624-1615 or email hml.localhist@gmail.com.
Collections
Feature Resource
Internet Archive: Historic newspapers, photographs, scrapbooks and lectures, available online without a library card
Genealogy & Family History
Featured Resource
Ancestry Library Edition: US & international genealogy research (Only available in the library.)
Maps & Buildings
Featured Resource
City of Carmel Property Files: construction information, permits and plans for individual properties within city limits
- Carmel House & Building Research
- Carmel Preservation Foundation Collection
- (Full collection guide)
- Historic Houses - Carmel-by-the-Sea
- Artists and Artisans - Carmel Woods
- The Eighty Acres - Carmel-by-the-Sea
- Historic Inns - Carmel-by-the-Sea
- (Additional information)
- List of Deeds of Property
- 1920-Feb 1928
- Part I (Blocks A-73)
- Part II (Blocks 74-End)
- 1928-Jan 1934
- 1939-1940
- Read more
My Carmel Oral History
Newest Interview
Art Black: Interview with Art Black, longtime Carmelite, member of the Carmel Fire Department, and local fire marshal for more than 30 years. Art shares memories of Carmel in the 1950s and 1960s, stories of when Carmel had a volunteer fire department, his time as an EMT, and his many interesting moments as fire marshal, including interludes with Clint Eastwood and the Pope. (Interviewed conducted April 29, 2025)