List of historical societies in the United States

This is a partial list of historical and heritage societies in the United States.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by editing the page to add missing items, with references to reliable sources.

National societies

State societies

Societies with museums include:

Other state associations

Territorial societies

Federal District societies

County and local societies

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

Johnson County Historical Society building in Clarksville, Arkansas (photo 2021)

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Georgetown Historical Society building in Delaware, US in 2020

Florida

Georgia

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Simpson County Historical Society building in Mississippi (photo 2019)

Missouri

1920 newspaper item about the formation of the Clark County Historical Society, Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

McLean County Historical Society museum building in Washburn, North Dakota (photo 2007)

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

See also

References

  1. ↑ "California Historical Society to Dissolve and Transfer Collections to Stanford", nytimes.com, January 28, 2025
  2. ↑ Su Kim Chung (2015). "We Seek to Be Patient": Jeanne Wier and the Nevada Historical Society, 1904-1950 (PhD thesis). University of California, Los Angeles – via escholarship.org.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 American Association for State and Local History (2002), Directory of historical organizations in the United States and Canada (15th ed.), Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, ISBN 9780759100022 – via archive.org
  4. 1 2 "Historic Districts Coalition", dcpreservation.org, Washington, DC: DC Preservation League, retrieved November 15, 2025
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 "Nonprofit Explorer", propublica.org, New York: ProPublica, retrieved June 26, 2025
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 American Association for State and Local History (1944), Historical societies in the United States and Canada: a handbook, Washington, D.C – via HathiTrust{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Elva R. Scott Local Historical Society Award", alaskahistoricalsociety.org, Alaska Historical Society, retrieved July 9, 2025
  8. 1 2 "Alaska's Digital Archives", vilda.alaska.edu, OCLC 850948178, retrieved July 9, 2025
  9. ↑ The Frontiersman, Palmer, Alaska, May 23, 1963 – via Chronicling America{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  10. ↑ "Nome Historical Society changes meeting days", Nome Nugget, Alaska, August 3, 1962 – via Chronicling America
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Historians & Historic Organizations", encyclopediaofarkansas.net, Central Arkansas Library System, retrieved July 8, 2025
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Social Networks and Archival Context, United States: SNAC Cooperative, retrieved June 25, 2025
  13. ↑ "Early pioneers of Pope", Russellville Democrat, Arkansas, May 11, 1876 – via Chronicling America, Report of Caleb Davis to the Pope County Historical Society
  14. ↑ "Stone County Historical Society – Mountain View-AR". Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Kaua'i Historical Society | Established 1914". kauaihistoricalsociety.org. Retrieved July 17, 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Terry Abraham, ed. (2015), "Western United States and Canada", Repositories of Primary Sources, 1995-2015, University of Idaho Library
  17. 1 2 3 4 "News and Notes: Local Societies", The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society, vol. 62, no. 2, p. 162+, April 1964, JSTOR 23375901
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Kentucky Local History Trust Fund", history.ky.gov, Kentucky Historical Society, retrieved July 7, 2025
  19. ↑ "Local History and Genealogy", LibGuides, Kentucky: Big Sandy Community and Technical College, retrieved July 4, 2025
  20. 1 2 3 "Kentucky Digital Library", kyvl.org, Kentucky Virtual Library, retrieved July 7, 2025
  21. ↑ Appleton Prentiss Clark Griffin (1907), Bibliography of American Historical Societies (2nd ed.), Washington DC: Government Printing Office – via HathiTrust
  22. ↑ "Annual History Awards | Kentucky Historical Society". KY Historical Society.
  23. 1 2 Terry Abraham, ed. (2015), "Eastern United States and Canada", Repositories of Primary Sources, 1995-2015, University of Idaho Library
  24. ↑ "Historical societies in the United States", Officers, Act of incorporation, Constitution, List of members, Historical societies in the United States, 1896, Baltimore, MD: American Historical Association, 1896, p. 42+ – via HathiTrust
  25. 1 2 3 "Local Historical Societies", mississippihistory.org, Mississippi Historical Society, retrieved July 10, 2025
  26. 1 2 3 "Award Recipients: Outstanding Local Historical Society Award (formerly Frank E. Everett, Jr. Award)", mississippihistory.org, Mississippi Historical Society, retrieved July 10, 2025
  27. ↑ "O.S. scouts sell tags for county historical society", Pascagoula Chronicle-Star and Moss Point Advertiser, Mississippi, October 13, 1950 – via Chronicling America
  28. ↑ "M.E. Historical Society to meet", Hattiesburg News, Mississippi, October 21, 1913 – via Chronicling America
  29. 1 2 "Partners", msdiglib.org, Mississippi Digital Library, retrieved July 10, 2025
  30. ↑ "Clark County's New Society", The Daily Gate City and Constitution-Democrat, Keokuk, Iowa, January 27, 1920 – via Chronicling America
  31. ↑ Society, Missouri Historical. "https://mohistory.org/https:". The Missouri Historical Society is ... Missouri Historical Society and was founded in 1866. Retrieved July 17, 2026. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  32. 1 2 "Missouri Local Historical and Genealogical Societies Directory", shsmo.org, State Historical Society of Missouri, retrieved July 26, 2024
  33. ↑ "Links of Interest", frenchcolonialstudies.org, Illinois, US: Center for French Colonial Studies, retrieved July 20, 2025
  34. ↑ "Digital Initiatives: North Dakota Memories Collection", LibGuides, Bismarck, ND: North Dakota State Library, retrieved July 10, 2025
  35. 1 2 3 "North Dakota State Archives", history.nd.gov, Bismarck, ND: State Historical Society of North Dakota, retrieved July 10, 2025
  36. 1 2 3 "Partners", Gateway to Oklahoma History, Oklahoma Historical Society, retrieved July 7, 2025
  37. ↑ Michele Seikel; Tabitha Manners, Oklahoma Digital Collections (PDF), Oklahoma Library Association, retrieved July 7, 2025
  38. ↑ "Spencer Historical Society Binder 01 | Metropolitan Library System". www.metrolibrary.org.
  39. 1 2 "Historic Preservation", Research Guides, University of Oregon Libraries, retrieved July 7, 2025
  40. 1 2 3 4 5 "Regional Historical Societies and History Museums", Oregon Blue Book, Oregon Secretary of State, retrieved July 7, 2025
  41. 1 2 "Contributing Organizations", northwestdigitalheritage.org, Northwest Digital Heritage, retrieved July 7, 2025
  42. ↑ "Home historical society commended by speaker", East Oregonian, Pendleton, OR, November 24, 1913 – via Library of Congress' Chronicling America

Further reading