CONTRA COSTA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

What CONTRA COSTA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY does

Contra Costa County Historical Society (CCCHS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit historical society founded in 1951 and headquartered in Martinez, California. It is the designated official historical archive for Contra Costa County and serves as the official repository for the county's Superior Court records and naturalization records. The society's customers and users include genealogists, students, academic researchers, local historians, county government offices, and the general public interested in county history. Core operations center on preserving and providing access to primary-source materials, including 20,000+ scanned images, 1,700+ maps, 200,000+ newspaper photo negatives, 9,300+ court case files, and 13,000+ naturalization cases.

The society's core products and technology platform include a physical History Center, a PACT (Public Access Catalog Terminal) for on-site records access, an online presence integrated with PastPerfect Online for collection management and the Online Archive of California (OAC) for statewide discovery, and an online bookstore. A Bookeye 4 archival scanner is being funded to expand digitization throughput. The business model is a diversified nonprofit revenue mix: individual memberships across tiers from Student ($20) to Sustaining ($1,500), research services billed at $20–$60 per hour, bookstore sales, event revenue, donations, and special fundraising campaigns such as the 75th-anniversary membership drive priced at 1951 historical levels. The operation is small (1–10 employees) and heavily volunteer-driven, with an open Executive Director position indicating a leadership transition in 2025. The current building is being marketed for sale by its owners, introducing relocation risk for both the collection and ongoing operations.

Name

CONTRA COSTA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Legal name

Contra Costa County Historical Society

Website

https://cocohistory.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Contra Costa County Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1951 in Martinez, California, serving as the official county archive and repository for Superior Court and naturalization records, providing research access, memberships, and educational programming to genealogists, students, historians, and county government users.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historical Archive & Research Services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (519210), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

akta.pro primary industry

Archives, Special Collections & Preservation Operations (Rare Materials, Conservation) (EDAEAGAJ)

Keywords

• Historical archive services
• Genealogical research
• County records preservation
• Local history publications
• Archival research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Martinez

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees at multiple tiers from Student ($20) to Stein & Bray Founder's Circle ($1,500), providing recurring revenue and member benefits including newsletter, research discounts, and bookstore discounts.
2. Bookstore Sales: Online bookstore selling historical publications, books about Contra Costa County, Images of America series, and local history titles. Members receive 10% discount.
3. Research Services: Fee-based research services including on-site research by staff ($20-30/hour for members/non-members), client-performed research, naturalization document copies ($30-60 for certified copies), and obituary research.
4. Event Revenue: Admission fees for events, lectures, and author talks. Annual meeting luncheons with pricing from $2 (special member rate) to $65 (with raffle tickets).
5. Donations: One-time donations accepted via PayPal to support mission. Special campaigns such as Bookeye 4 Scanner Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Contra Costa County Historical Society (CCCHS) preserves, protects, and provides public access to the records and heritage of Contra Costa County through its History Center in Martinez, California. It maintains extensive archival collections spanning 1850-present, including county government records, Superior Court files, naturalization records, photographs, and newspapers, and offers paid research services, an online bookstore of local history publications, and a tiered membership program that funds ongoing preservation work. Educational lectures, author talks, and community presentations supplement its archival mission.

Product overview

The Contra Costa County Historical Society operates a single integrated historical archive and research institution centered around its History Center facility in downtown Martinez. The core offerings include the physical archive housing county records, court records, maps, photographs, newspapers, and special collections dating from 1850; a PACT public access computer terminal with digitized records; online searchable databases; and a YouTube-hosted video documentary collection. The society supplements its archival mission with a bookstore (selling local history publications including the Days Gone By series and Images of America titles), a tiered membership program, and educational events. The products function as an interconnected system: the physical collections and digitized databases support research services, while membership and bookstore sales fund ongoing preservation work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• History Center Facility Access

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Diablo Valley College (DVC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 April 2025Co-presenter of the annual Contra Costa County History Conference. DVC provides Community Conference Center venue for the conference featuring exhibits from various historical societies and panels on local history topics.
• East Bay Regional Park DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with East Bay Regional Park District for oral history documentation at Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve. Betty Maffei served as moderator for oral history forums during annual Black Diamond Days Celebration. The district utilizes Society archives for historical information and photographs.
• Contra Costa History Alliance (CCHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCHA is a group of representatives from historical societies and museums in Contra Costa County. Alliance purpose: share information about purposes, plans, programs, and projects; address mutual issues; collaborate on projects and events; advocate for historic resources.
• Friends of the Joaquin Moraga Adobe (FJMA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for preservation and education about the Joaquin Moraga Adobe, the oldest surviving building in Contra Costa County. FJMA president Kent Long presents at Society events about the Adobe's history and reconstruction efforts.
• National Park Service - Eugene O'Neill NHSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for presenting programs about Eugene O'Neill's life at Tao House in Danville. National Historic Site staff present at Society annual meetings about the playwright's history in Contra Costa County.
• Online Archive of California (OAC)coreTechnology or IntegrationSpecial Collections are fully searchable through the Online Archive of California, a service of the California Digital Library, providing online access to the Society's archival materials.
• Contra Costa County Superior CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSociety is the official repository of Superior Court records. Certified copies of naturalization documents are performed by Superior Court clerks. The Society maintains court records from the 1850s through mid-20th century.
• John Marsh Historic TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTrust working to preserve John Marsh's stone house and convert surrounding land into John Marsh State Historic Park. Society provides historical documentation and archival support.
• Shell Martinez FacilityminorGTM or Marketing PartnerShell sponsored the Mount Diablo Aerial Beacon restoration video and celebration of 100 years in the community.
• Concord Museum & Event CenterminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEvent venue partner for annual membership meetings and luncheons. Society holds major events at this Concord venue.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Napa County Historical Society: County-level historical society serving Napa County with a research library and archive. Directly comparable in mission and Bay/Northern California county-level operating model.
• Alameda County Historical Society: County-level historical society serving Alameda County, California. Directly comparable as a peer Bay Area county historical society with archival and publication activities.
• Marin History Museum: County-level historical museum and archive in Marin County, California. Directly comparable in mission, structure, and Bay Area county-level scope.
• Sonoma County Historical Society: County-level historical society operating a history and genealogy library in Santa Rosa. Comparable in archival focus, genealogical research services, and Northern California county scope.
• San Mateo County Historical Association: County-level Bay Area historical association operating the San Mateo County History Museum and archives. Directly comparable as a county-focused historical society serving a similar Bay Area community with archival and educational programming.
• Santa Clara County Historical & Genealogical Society: County-level historical and genealogical society in Santa Clara County. Closely comparable as a regional historical/genealogical society offering similar research services, publications, and membership programs.

Broad incumbents

• FamilySearch: Free genealogy and historical records platform operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Comparable as a broad archival/genealogy incumbent that competes for researcher attention and donor support.
• California Historical Society: Statewide historical society and archive operating in San Francisco, maintaining collections on California history. Comparable as a peer historical society with a similar archival/library model but broader geographic scope.
• Ancestry.com: Large-scale commercial genealogy platform aggregating historical records. Relevant as a broad incumbent that competes for the same recreational genealogy and historical research audience.

Others

• Online Archive of California: A service of the California Digital Library that aggregates finding aids for archival collections including CCCHS's. Related as a digital infrastructure/distribution partner that amplifies the Society's collection reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cocohistory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/contra-costa-county-historical-society-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 CONTRA COSTA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY