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.
Local History is OPEN!
Hours:
- Monday: 2-6pm
- Tuesday: 2-6pm
- Wednesday: 2-6pm
- Thursday: 2-6pm
- Friday: 2-6pm
For research help, please call 831-624-1615 or email hml.localhist@gmail.com.
Buildings & Maps
Home & Building Research
- Carmel House & Building Research: A resource guide put together by our local history librarian
- Inventory of Historic Carmel Buildings: Part I (Blocks A-69) and Part II (Blocks 70-End)
- City of Carmel Building Permits: 1920-Feb 1928; 1928-Jan 1934; 1939-1940
- Fire Insurance Maps Online: Access through your library account. Historical maps of Monterey County houses and buildings, 1880s-1950s. (Email hml.localhist@gmail.com to request additional maps.)
- House Names in Carmel (This map is not created or maintained by the City of Carmel-By-The-Sea.)
- List of Deeds of Property, Carmel Development Company Papers (1903-1935)
Historic Building Brochures
- Artists and Artisans - Carmel Woods
- The Eighty Acres - Carmel-by-the-Sea
- Historic Houses - Carmel-by-the-Sea
- Historic Inns - Carmel-by-the-Sea
Maps
- Fire Insurance Maps Online: Access through your library account. Historical maps of Monterey County houses and buildings, 1880s-1950s. (Request additional Carmel maps.)
- Homes of Famous Carmelites (Additional information)
- House Names in Carmel (This map is not created or maintained by the City of Carmel-By-The-Sea.)
- Old Carmel on Historypin: Explore Carmel’s history overlaid on today’s streets. Find Jo Mora’s studio, George Sterling’s home, Carmel’s first library and much more.
Digital Collections
- Carmel Development Company Collection: Business records of the development of Carmel, from Devendorf and Powers, 1891-1997. (Full collection guide.)
- Carmel Fire Department Films: Historical films from the Fire Department, 1930s-1980s.
- Herbert Heron Collection: Hundreds of photographs from the Forest Theater (1910-1960s), and the diaries of the Theater’s founder. (Full collection guide.)
- Local History Lecture Series: Lectures on the history of Point Lobos, Robinson Jeffers, Henry Miller, and much more.
- Local History Shorts: Short educational videos on topics in Carmel history.
- My Carmel Oral History Project: Interviews with Carmel residents that capture some of the history and daily life of our village.
Genealogy
- California Death Index: Deaths occurring 1940-1997
- Find A Grave: Millions of cemetery records
- Heritage Hub: US obituaries, death notices and more, 1824-present (learn more)
- Legacy.com: Find obituaries from over 1000 newspapers, 1998-present
- Monterey Family History Center: Great resource for genealogical information. Volunteers available to assist.
- Social Security Death Index: 1935-2014, nationwide
Newspapers
- California Digital Newspaper Collection: Selected newspapers, 1846-present
- Carmel Magazine: 2006-present
- Carmel Periodicals: Carmel Cymbal, Carmelite, Pacific Weekly and more
- Carmel Pine Cone: 1915-2006 (with some search tips) and 2007-present
- Monterey County Herald: Search articles from 2002-present
- Monterey County Weekly: Archived and searchable, 1998-present
- Monterey Historical Newspapers: 1846-1959
Oral History
- My Carmel Oral History Project: Interviews with Carmel residents that capture some of the history and daily life of our village.
Research a Building
Online Resources
Carmel House & Building Research: A resource guide put together by our local history librarian