The Historical Society suspends its local lecture series

In cooperation with local and state efforts to protect the safety of the public, the Humboldt County Historical Society is suspending its local lecture series.

Lectures ordinarily occur at the Humboldt County Library in Eureka on the first Saturday of each month, and feature a presentation by a speaker on a topic of local historical interest. In recent years, lectures have also periodically been held in Southern Humboldt at Redway School. At this time, all scheduled lectures have been canceled pending further notice.

In addition, the research facility of the Humboldt County Historical Society at the Barnum House in Eureka is closed and will remain closed until further notice. Notifications of any resumption and rescheduling of lectures or re-opening of the research facility will be announced in the local media, according to a HCHS press release.

For the foreseeable future, the Humboldt County Historical Society’s plan is to make lemonade out of lemons, the press release said. During closure of its research facility, staff will be working remotely from home with a focus on accelerating ongoing efforts to digitize the collections, and further development of online resources for both members and the general public.

Though the Barnum House will remain dormant for the time being, the organization welcomes the opportunity to make significant strides toward these goals. They are consistent with the HCHS mission, which includes “preserving, interpreting, creating, and sharing historical information by making our collections available to researchers, and furthering an understanding and appreciation of all peoples, places, events and activities of Humboldt County and related areas.”

The Humboldt County Historical Society has already begun posting new historical content through its website (www. humboldthistory.org) and social media page — first of which is an article about the local impact of the Spanish influenza pandemic of 1918—1919 in Humboldt County, written by Matina Kilkenny. First published in the Humboldt Historian in 1994 and reprinted in 2018, the article is now available to the public at www.humboldthistory.org/gif-med/missing-faces.

While the research facility is closed, phone messages (707445-4342) and emails bookstore@humboldthistory.org will be accessed and responded to when possible. Visit www.humboldthistory.org.