Collections & Exhibits

The Museum’s Collections reflect the local history and culture of the City of Arcadia.

A variety of materials are preserved which include:

• Photographs
• Archives
• Art
• Historical books for our Research Library
• Objects

Main time periods for the collections include:

• Tongva (local Native Americans)
• Rancho Santa Anita (1839 - c1909)
• City of Arcadia (1903 – present)

Photographs of Arcadia in any time period and any subject; local businesses; schools; Arcadia High School; Monrovia Arcadia Duarte school; the 1984 Olympics; the Rose Parade; the Baldwin family and early City residents; Cultural histories in Arcadia;  information on historic structures; local artists and authors; maps and aerials; local Veteran’s artifacts; Arcadia civic activity; Arcadia’s organizations and clubs; Route 66; Santa Anita Park; the Santa Anita Japanese Assembly Center; the Arcadia World War I Balloon School and much more.  

Arcadia has hidden histories in every corner! If you have an artifact that tells the history of Arcadia that you would like to see preserved, protected and shared with the public, please contact the Museum Curator at (626) 574-5468.

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Current Exhibits: 
City Council Chambers

Visit the display in the Council Chambers building to see: Moments That Made US
The exhibit explores the principles of the United States and shares multiple perspectives from some of our most significant moments. They show how the nation has advanced the founders’ ideals, and when we’ve fallen short, inviting us to reflect on what it means to be American. 

Arcadia City Hall
Stop by the Cashier's desk to see the Rancho of Santa Anita exhibit.

At the Gilb Museum for a limited time:
Visit our gallery space to see Milestones in Arcadia. Discover the history of Arcadia through its key milestones and our Nation's anniversaries, including America's 250th birthday and the Centennial of Route 66. 

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Permanent Exhibits:

The Museum’s permanent gallery exhibits a chronology of Arcadia’s history featuring Arcadia’s early inhabitants, Mission San Gabriel and Santa Anita Ranch Owners.
Other topics include the story of Elias J. “Lucky” Baldwin and the early City of Arcadia.
Topical histories introduce Santa Anita Park, the World War I Balloon School and the Santa Anita Japanese Assembly Center.

Additional permanent exhibits are: 
“Anita Baldwin: A Portrait” 
“Arcadia Walk of Fame”
“Arcadia in the Movies” 
“Women in Arcadia”

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Exhibits Around the City:

Thoroughbred Racing Walk of Champions

Take a self-guided walking tour along Huntington Drive in downtown Arcadia to see informational plaques about historic jockeys, horses, trainers, owners and other key figures. Courtesy of the Arcadia Historical Society and the Gilb Museum. 
See more info and a map here:

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Arcadia Woman's Club Collection:

California Revealed is a State Library-supported project to help California’s heritage institutions digitize and provide long-term access to collections that are significant to California history (e.g., books, documents, newspapers, and audiovisual recordings). They also provide access and preservation services for existing digital collections.

The Gilb Museum nominated the Arcadia Woman's Club Collection to be added to the online California Revealed collection, which can be found HERE

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Oral Histories:

If you have been a long-time resident of Arcadia and would like to sit for an oral history recording to share your wealth of knowledge about Arcadia people, places and events, please contact the Museum.  These oral histories will be added to our archives and will be preserved, protected and used for future research and exhibits.

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CatalogIt Hub:

The Museum recently changed its database to CatalogIt, an online system used for cataloging their collections. 
To view some of the collections, please click HERE.

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Community Collections Digital Exhibit:

Click HERE to view

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Sohana Sahni - Girl Scout Gold Award 2023