Idaho State Historical Society (ISHS)

What Idaho State Historical Society (ISHS) does

The Idaho State Historical Society (ISHS) is a state government agency and 501(c)(3) organization that preserves and shares Idaho's cultural heritage through museums, archives, historic sites, and preservation programs. Founded circa 1881–1884, it operates four core venues — the Idaho State Museum, Idaho State Archives, Old Idaho Penitentiary, and the State Historic Preservation Office — along with additional historic properties including the Idaho State Capitol, Table Rock, Rock Creek Station/Stricker Homesite, Pierce Courthouse, and Historic Franklin Properties. It serves three principal segments: the general public and families seeking cultural experiences; K-12 students and educators through field trips, camps, homeschool days, internships, traveling trunks, and National History Day in Idaho; and researchers, genealogists, and historians using the State Archives' catalogs and digitized collections. Documented reach in 2025 included more than 4,800 students from 99 schools visiting the Old Idaho Penitentiary across 400+ curriculum-aligned programs.

The product surface is multi-channel. Physical offerings include site visits, guided tours, and education programs; digital offerings include the online store at store.history.idaho.gov, the M Store and Souvenir Confinement gift shops, and digitized photo and document collections accessible through idahohistory.contentdm.oclc.org. The most distinct revenue instrument is the Idaho Cultural Resource Information System (ICRIS), a subscription-based cultural resource management platform priced at five tiers from $500 (Limited) to $6,000 (Unlimited), with a $2,000 Federal Agency tier, providing project tracking, surveyor mobile app access, and GIS/shapefile exports. Membership is sold across five annual subscription tiers from Individual ($50) to Garnet ($500), and ISHS participates in two reciprocal membership networks: the in-state Idaho History Reciprocal Membership Program and the national Time Travelers network. The Foundation for Idaho History (EIN 80-0031592) operates as a wholly-owned fundraising subsidiary, generating approximately half of the annual budget through donations, memberships, admissions, and events, with the remainder funded by State of Idaho legislative appropriations.

The technology stack is modest and purpose-built: no disclosed mobile applications beyond the ICRIS surveyor app, no public APIs or developer portal, and reliance on Mailchimp for newsletter delivery. The 14-member Foundation board draws from finance, law, nonprofits, government relations, and academia, providing governance capacity for the Reimagining capital campaign and grant programs including Esto Perpetua, Sister Alfreda Elsensohn, and Century Farm & Ranch. Operating geographies are confined to Idaho, and the customer mix is highly dispersed across consumer, institutional, and professional buyers with no named anchor accounts.

Name

Idaho State Historical Society (ISHS)

Legal name

Idaho State Historical Society

Website

https://history.idaho.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1884

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Idaho State Historical Society operates Idaho's official museums, archives, historic sites, and State Historic Preservation Office, serving the public, K-12 educators, and researchers through admissions, memberships, donations, grants, and the ICRIS subscription platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Preservation Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Historical Sites (71212), Museums (712110), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations) (THAJADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

History Museums (THAJADAB), Archaeological Sites & Heritage Interpretation Centers (THAJADAG), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Historical preservation services
• Museum education programs
• Archival research services
• Cultural resource management
• Historic site management

Headquarters

HQ city

Boise, Idaho

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership program with multiple tiers (Individual $50, Dual $75, Family $100, Quartz $250, Garnet $500) providing complimentary admission, discounts, and exclusive access to members.
2. Admission Fees: Revenue from admission to physical sites including Idaho State Museum, Old Idaho Penitentiary, and other historic properties.
3. Donations and Contributions: Tax-deductible donations accepted online and through the Foundation for Idaho History to support preservation, education, and programs.
4. Gift Shop Sales: Online store selling merchandise including apparel, books, jewelry, housewares, and souvenirs related to Idaho history and museums.
5. Educational Programs: Revenue from camps, classes, and programs including homeschool days at $4 per student plus adult admission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Idaho State Historical Society is a state government agency that preserves and shares Idaho's history through museums, archives, historic sites, and educational programs. It operates the Idaho State Museum, Idaho State Archives, Old Idaho Penitentiary, and State Historic Preservation Office, while offering membership programs, school field trips, gift shop merchandise, and the subscription-based Idaho Cultural Resource Information System (ICRIS) for archaeological and preservation work.

Product overview

The Idaho State Historical Society (ISHS) operates a multi-venue historical and cultural organization consisting of core attractions (Idaho State Museum, Idaho State Archives, Old Idaho Penitentiary, State Historic Preservation Office) and an online presence. The Idaho Cultural Resource Information System (ICRIS) represents the primary fee-based subscription product with tiered pricing (Limited $500, Pro $1,500, Business $3,000, Unlimited $6,000, Federal Agency $2,000) offering GIS, mobile app, and export capabilities. Supporting services include an Online Store for admissions/events/memberships, a tiered Membership Program (Individual through Garnet levels), Museum Education Programs (camps, outreach, internships), and the Foundation for Idaho History for fundraising.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Foundation for Idaho History: The official fundraising arm of the Idaho State Historical Society, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that bridges funding gaps between state legislative appropriations and resources required for programs, exhibits, and events.
• M Store
• Souvenir Confinement

Products and services

• Idaho State Museum The state's primary museum for preserving and exhibiting Idaho's cultural heritage, featuring collections ranging from frontier firearms to Chinese coins and children's toys. Open to the general public for visits, tours, and educational programs.
• Idaho State Archives The official repository for State of Idaho records and private donations including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs with searchable catalogs and indexes. Serves academic researchers, genealogists, and historians seeking primary source materials.
• Old Idaho Penitentiary A historic territorial prison site open to the public, offering guided tours and educational programs about Idaho's law and correctional history. Field trips and curriculum-aligned programs for K-12 students.
• State Historic Preservation Office A state office coordinating historic preservation activities including Section 106 project reviews, tax credits, easements, archaeology permits, and National Register of Historic Places nominations.
• Idaho Cultural Resource Information System (ICRIS) A subscription-based cultural resource information management system that enables project tracking, surveyor mobile app access, table/shapefile exports, and additional GIS layers for archaeological and historic preservation work. Tiered pricing from $500 to $6,000 annually.
• ISHS Membership Program A tiered annual membership program with Individual ($50), Dual ($75), Family ($100), Quartz ($250), and Garnet ($500) levels offering complimentary admission, discounts at the gift shop, early exhibit access, exclusive behind-the-scenes tours, and reciprocal benefits through Time Travelers and the Idaho History Reciprocal Membership Program.
• Online Store An e-commerce platform offering online admission purchases, event registration, membership benefits, and merchandise including apparel, books, jewelry, housewares, and souvenirs related to Idaho history and museums.
• Museum Education Programs Educational offerings including museum camps, traveling trunks, outreach resources, homeschool days, and the Gem High School Internship program. Designed for K-12 students, families, and educators.
• National History Day in Idaho A competitive academic program for students to research and present historical topics with regional and state contest levels, aligned with Idaho education standards.
• Idaho State Capitol Tours Public visits and guided tours of the Idaho State Capitol building as part of the network of historic sites operated by ISHS.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 4,800 students from 99 schools visited the Old Idaho Penitentiary through field trips in 2025, supported by more than 400 alignments to Idaho education standards

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Idaho History Reciprocal Membership Program (Participating Idaho Museums and Historic Sites)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Idaho State Historical Society participates in a reciprocal membership program with other Idaho museums and historic sites, providing members free admission to participating locations across the state.
• Time Travelers (National Historical Museums Network)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorISHS membership includes access to Time Travelers, a network of hundreds of historical museums and sites across the country offering reciprocal benefits to members.

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Smithsonian Institution: The Smithsonian Institution operates multiple museums, research centers, and archives at a national scale. Comparable as a higher-order public cultural institution with overlapping museum, archive, and education functions, though at substantially greater scale and scope than ISHS.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: A privately-funded national nonprofit focused on historic preservation, providing grants, advocacy, and a membership program. Comparable as a national preservation and heritage organization that supports state and local preservation efforts similar to ISHS's State Historic Preservation Office.

Direct peers

• Montana Historical Society: Montana's official state historical society operating a museum, library, archives, and historic sites from Helena. Closely comparable as a neighboring sparsely populated Western state historical society with a similar multi-site portfolio and hybrid funding structure.
• Oregon Historical Society: Oregon's state-level historical society operating a museum, research library, and educational programs with a hybrid public-private funding model. Directly comparable as a neighboring Pacific Northwest state historical society serving an analogous mix of public visitors, K-12 students, and researchers.
• Wyoming State Parks and Cultural Resources (State Historic Preservation Office): Wyoming's state agency that administers historic preservation, archaeological permitting, and cultural resources functions. Comparable as a small-population Western state agency with similar preservation, archaeology, and Section 106 review responsibilities.
• Nevada State Museum: Nevada's state-run museum system administered under the Nevada Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Comparable as a state-operated museum and cultural resource network in a neighboring Western state.
• Washington State Historical Society: Washington's official state historical society operating the Washington State History Museum and multiple historic sites. Directly comparable as a Pacific Northwest state-level history organization with similar museum, archive, and education programming.
• History Colorado: Colorado's state historical society (formerly Colorado Historical Society) operating multiple museums, historic sites, and the State Historic Preservation Office. Directly comparable as a Western state historical society with parallel museum, preservation, and education programs.
• Utah Division of State History: Utah's state agency responsible for historic preservation, state archives, and historical programming. Comparable as a neighboring Western state history agency with overlapping preservation, archives, and education mandates.

Others

• American Association for State and Local History (AASLH): The professional association supporting state and local history organizations across the U.S. Provides training, accreditation, and a peer network that includes organizations like ISHS. Comparable as the primary professional and trade body for the state historical society category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@idahostatehistoricalsociet3853
• Facebookfacebook.com/idstatehistoricalsociety
• Instagraminstagram.com/idstatehistoricalsociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/idaho-state-historical-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Idaho State Historical Society (ISHS)