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 CLOSED due to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
For research help, please call 831-624-4629 or email hml.localhist@gmail.com.
Digital Collections
- 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
- America’s Obituaries & Death Notices: US obituaries from 1860 – current
- California Death Index: Deaths occurring 1940-1997
- Find A Grave: Millions of cemetery records
- 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
Houses & Buildings
- Carmel House & Building Research: A resource guide put together by our local history librarian
- City of Carmel Building Permits (1920-1928)
- Inventory of Historic Carmel Buildings
- 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)
- Sanborn Fire Maps 1867-1970: Ask librarian for password, or use in the library
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
- 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.
- Sanborn Fire Maps 1867-1970: Ask librarian for password, or use in the library
Newspapers
- California Digital Newspaper Collection: Selected newspapers, 1846-present
- Carmel Magazine: 2006-present
- 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.