The Collection
JHS holds and preserves more than 2,500 historical items in its Gold Rush inventory: nearly 1,000 gold mill records and invoices; 300 gold deposit slips; dozens of telegrams, letters, and photographs; and various miners’ tools such as a two-man bucksaw (also known as a misery whip, because sawing was a day-long miserable job) and a dynamite-hole drill. Miners’ personal items round out the collection, from mine-owner George Woodward’s black dress jacket to a woman’s pair of black rhinestone-buckled shoes.
Many of JHS's most prized historical items were posted on the highly regarded and curated California Revealed website in 2024, and more items are being evaluated for possible inclusion in 2025. California Revealed, a nonprofit California State Library initiative, helps public libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and other heritage groups digitize, preserve, and provide free online access to archival materials documenting the state’s histories, arts, and cultures. JHS’s photographs of Eureka Mills, Jamison Mine, Main Street, the Mohawk Stamp Mill, and many of Johnsville’s early settlers are viewable on the California Revealed website.
Photo Collections
A sampling of the Johnsville Historical Society's photography collection is featured below; click on each image for more information. Additional images will be added to this website as more donations are collected to help with the cost of preserving and documenting the collection.
The Town of
Johnsville
Stamp Mills of Johnsville
The Wooden Bridge
to Johnsville
Johnsville in
the Winter
The Families
of Johnsville