Napa County Historical Society

"A Daughter of the Land: Maria Juarez's Connection to Indigenous California" with April Farnham
2025-11-08 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Goodman Library, 1219 First Street, Napa, CA, 94559, United States
Join us for the first lecture of our Fall 2025 Lecture Series, featuring guest speaker April Farnham and her research on Maria Juarez, who along with Cayetano Juarez ran the Rancho Tulocay on the east side of the Napa River during the period of Mexican expansion.
Maria de Jesus Higuera Juárez was married to Cayetano Juárez, owner of Rancho Tulocay on the East Side of the Napa River. In this guest lecture, discover Maria’s connections to Indigenous California and how her story reflects the experiences of other Indigenous and mestiza women during the Mexican era.
April Farnham, MA, is an Independent Historian and Park Interpretive Specialist at Sonoma State Historic Park. She has written and lectured extensively on California ethnohistory, women’s history, and Hawaiian mission history. Her forthcoming article, “Daughters of the Land”, explores the legacy of Father Serra’s interethnic marriage program in Alta California.
Seating is limited so please reserve soon. The presentation will be filmed and posted on our YouTube channel at a later date.

Saturday, November 8
$3
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[Sold Out] Historic Downtown Napa, Locals Walking Tour
2025-11-16 10:30 - 12:00 | Goodman Library, 1219 First Street, Napa, CA, 94559, United States
We are excited to announce our first special Downtown Napa walking tour for locals, with a discounted ticket rate! Held on Sunday, November 16, from 10:30 am to 12pm and meeting at the Goodman Library at 1219 First Street, this tour showcases some of the landmarks still standing from Napa’s storied past, and features the stories of early Napa residents and businesses. The walking tour traverses several blocks along First Street, Main Street, Third Street, and Brown Street, and takes about 90 minutes.
When purchasing tickets, please include your local Napa County mailing address at checkout. Orders with non-local addresses will be refunded.
This tour is sold out! Sign up for our eNewsletter to keep up with future offerings.

Saturday, November 16
$20
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Book Club at the Goodman
2025-11-19 18:00 - 19:00 | Goodman Library, 1219 First Street, Napa, CA, 94559, United States
The Napa County Historical Society’s book club meets the third Wednesday of each month from 6:00 to 7:00pm at the historic Goodman Library, located at 1219 First St. in downtown Napa.
This month’s book is There, There by Tommy Orange.
Join the Napa County Historical Society Book Club and enjoy drinks and snacks while diving into history with engaging discussions in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. All chosen books will be historical fiction or non-fiction. The chosen book list is available below and by request from info@napahistory.org
The Napa County Historical Society Book Club is free and open to the public, ages 21 and over.
No RSVP required. Please contact info@napahistory.org for more details.
Click here to see the Book List for Upcoming Meetings

Book Club at the Goodman
2025-12-17 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-01-21 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-02-18 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-03-18 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-04-15 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-05-20 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-06-17 18:00 - 19:00, 2026-07-15 18:00 - 19:00 and 5 more dates | Goodman Library, 1219 First Street, Napa, CA, 94559, United States
The Napa County Historical Society will kick off its new book club on Wednesday, July 16th. The club will meet the third Wednesday of each month from 6:00 to 7:00pm at the historic Goodman Library, located at 1219 First St. in downtown Napa.
Join the Napa County Historical Society Book Club and enjoy drinks and snacks while diving into history with engaging discussions in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. All chosen books will be historical fiction or non-fiction. The chosen book list through December will be distributed at this first meeting, and sign-up information will be collected.
Members will receive 15% off of chosen books if purchased at Napa Bookmine. Napa Bookmine is located at 1625 2nd St. in downtown Napa.
The Napa County Historical Society Book Club is free and open to the public, ages 21 and over.
No RSVP required. Please contact info@napahistory.org for more details.
Click here to see the Book List for Upcoming Meetings

Chinese in Napa Valley at Cameo Cinema
2026-02-02 17:00 - 19:00 | Cameo Cinema, 1340 Main St., St. Helena, CA, 94574, United States
Napa County Historical Society Presents “Chinese in Napa Valley”
New documentary reveals the pivotal contributions of Chinese immigrants to Napa County
The Napa County Historical Society (NCHS) presents Chinese in Napa Valley on Monday, February 2nd at the Cameo Cinema, located at 1340 Main St. in St Helena, Napa Valley.
Chinese in Napa Valley, directed and produced by Jeff Hamilton, EH LearnMedia, LLC, is a new documentary based on the book by John McCormick, revealing the pivotal yet long-overlooked contributions of Chinese immigrants to Napa County. Through archival images, family stories, and expert insight, it uncovers the labor, resilience and community life that helped shape the valley.
The screening will begin at 5:00 PM, with doors opening at 4:00 PM for seating and concessions. The documentary runs approximately 55 minutes and will be followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and contributors.
Tickets are limited and are $10/per person. Purchase here: https://napahistory.app.neoncrm.com/nx/portal/neonevents/events?path=%2Fportal%2Fevents%2F31003
