The roots of the Sausalito Historical Society can be found in a 1974 state request for a city-wide inventory of what Sausalito officials felt was historically important — mostly buildings.
Jack Tracy
Jack Tracy, who was then in an electrical-appliance business with his brother, and whose wife Janet was serving as City Clerk, got involved in that.
The following year, when the city moved its offices into the abandoned Central School, Tracy was asked to put together a historical display of whatever he could round up from various groups and individuals.
The whole affair was supposed to be short and routine. About 150 people, some band music and speech-making, and a brief glimpse at Tracy’s overnight collection of the town's past, and the party would be over.
The problem was that the collection was much more complete and significant than anyone had imagined.
"We scrounged everything we could find in Sausalito,” Tracy recalled. “People had never seen so much of Sausalito's history at once. Hour after hour, the mayor would ask us to remain another hour.
"The people walked through the historical exhibit and then they went home and started calling other people.
"We'd opened in the morning and didn't close until 6 o'clock that night. The people had never seen such a collection. That started it all."
A short time later then-Mayor Evert Heynneman offered Tracy the top floor of City Hall. The businessman, about to retire, decided to form the historical society in 1975 and started soliciting members, including Evert Heynneman, who became president of the Historical Society Board.
In 1985 the town recognized Tracy’s achievements by naming him the Grand Marshall of the fourth of July Parade. In his 1992 obituary, Marin Scope wrote: “Jack’s appreciation of vocal history is grounded in the strong sense of community.”
Bay Model Exhibit
Since then the Historical Society has presented over 50 rotating exhibits in its first 50 years. Three are ongoing: The Ice House, which opened in 1999, the Marinship Exhibit at the Bay Model which opened on September 30, 1980 and the Before the Bridge Walking Tour, which features 7 panels installed along the waterfront, which debuted in 2016.
Today The SHS archives include over 2,500 objects, 5,500 photos, 1,500 books, and 7,000 documents. We have a card catalog and in 2015 started to catalog our archives in Past Perfect, a digital collections management software.
Every Year the society marches in the July 4th Parade and staffs booths at the Caledonia Street Fair and Galilee Harbor Maritime Day.
We have also led several walking Tours: Portuguese and Caledonia Street Tours, weekly downtown history tours and a variety of historic scavenger/treasure hunts.
Schools Progam
The schools program was developed by Susan Frank, Bob Woodrum, Jesse Seaver and teachers at local schools in 2010. Costumed volunteers conduct historic field trips throughout Sausalito for local 3rd graders who receive workbooks. There is an awards program at the end of the school year.
We have hosted several history talks: Featured speakers included Neil Davis, Steefenie Wicks, Carl Nolte, Betty Goerke, Dorothy Gibson, Kevin Starr, Laura Ashley and Frances Dinkelspiel as well as SHS board members and volunteers. More talks are planned throughout the year, in conjunction with our 50th anniversary.
Society members are invited to join us at these activities.
— Larry Clinton