SAN FRANCISCO—The Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz sum up San Francisco for many, but Emperor Norton I, Beach Blanket Babylon, and the history of hippies are some of the things San Francisco really has to offer, if the San Francisco Welcome Center’s new History Museum has anything to say about it.
Both locals and tourists agree that just by being in the city you can feel the “eccentricity,” says associate curator Tim Evans, and the history of the city is no different.
Visitors to the museum are greeted upon entrance with a life-size wax statue of the self-proclaimed “Emperor of these United States and Protector of Mexico,” Joshua Abraham Norton. The narrow hallways then lead curious tourists on a do-it-yourself tour of 21 rooms, each one with a theme and completely tiled with old photographs, artifacts, and trivia.
Located on the fourth floor of the San Francisco Welcome Center on Powell Street where anyone can stop by for city information, these 21 rooms aren’t nearly enough to hold the city’s anecdotes.
Evans says there are many more exhibits to come, some of which will be rotated at six-month intervals, but many schools have been wanting to take tours through the museum before the holidays, hence the early opening.
Eventually, the goal is to work with locals, who can help showcase the extensive collections of odds and ends—such as slot machines—throughout the city.
“The first slot machine—three-reel, cash pay—was built right here, invented here in San Francisco,” said Stephen Squires. “Designed and manufactured right here, by Charles Fey.”
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