Daly City History Guild Museum & Archive

10/11/2026

We had a wonderful time last night at the 2026 Cow Palace Grand National Rodeo and VIP barbecue dinner preceding it. Networked on behalf of the museum and met very nice folks.

Thank you to our friend, Allison Keaney, Cow Palace CEO, for a fantastic evening!

10/10/2026

Next Saturday, Oct. 17, the museum will be open from noon to 6 pm to coincide with the Top of the Hill Festival.

Come visit!

Be sure to join us for the 3rd Annual Top of the Hill Festival on Saturday, October 17th from 12pm to 6pm at Mission Street & John Daly Boulevard.

10/10/2026

Toward the end of the year we will switch from Donorbox to Zeffy as our website payment portal.

This was recommended to us by our good friend and Guilder Clayton Koo, who recently made the switch for the Daly City Public Library Associates which he heads.

Thanks to his sagely advice and donation of valuable time, Clayton created our Zeffy account. This portal is better suited to our needs and best of all, does not charge a fee for collecting and processing our donations and memberships.

Thank you, Clayton!

10/10/2026

A couple of exciting announcements to share.

Our own Perky Ramroth has been BUSY! In addition to updating her late parents' trivia book [historians Bunny and Ken Gillespie], she has curated an incredible exhibit of new photos and narratives that we originally showcased at city hall for the 115th DC Anniversary earlier this year. This was a major re-creation effort as the originals were too large for the museum. This is a permanent exhibit.

Thank you, Perky!

"The Great Daly City Historical Trivia Book," updated for 2026, is available for purchase at the Museum for just $10 including tax ($14 if mailed).

First published in 1986 and again in 2002, this 3rd edition of "The Great Daly City Historical Trivia Book" celebrates the unique history of Daly City, CA from the early days of Spanish occupancy to settlement by 1906 San Francisco Earthquake refugees, to the present day as a vibrant suburb of San Francisco.

Written and illustrated by long-time Daly City Historians Bunny and Ken Gillespie, the 2026 edition includes all of Ken Gillespie's illustrations from the first edition, as well as lots of new, fun material in question-and-answer format.

Come pick yours up at the Museum for $10, or order by mailing a check for $14 to the Museum at 6351 Mission St., Daly City, CA 94014. You may also purchase through our website [Donor tab on homepage] by paying $14 and entering your mailing address.

Fourteen posters that show historic events in Daly City's history from the late 1800s through the 2020's are now on permanent display at the museum. They were created by Perky Ramroth and Celeste DeMartini in celebration of Daly City's 115th Anniversary in March 2026, and were on display in City Hall's Octagon Gallery for several weeks this past spring. Please come to the museum to see them!

10/03/2026

Please join us!

Tickets are $40 each.

10/02/2026

While we're still designing promotional materials, the Guild's April 7, 2027 inaugural trivia dinner fundraiser will be a bargain priced at $40 per ticket. Spectacular raffle prizes and more!

Come one! Come all!

09/29/2026

We always receive interesting inquiries. Sometimes we're able to help; other times not.

The most recent issue that came to us is a request for information on the burial of 13 very, very old Chinese graves that are at one of the five Asian cemeteries in Daly City and not Colma. They're slated for disinterment and reburial. The developer is seeking do this 'with dignity.' However, the graves are from early in the last century and there are no known records. We have referred the developer to the County of San Mateo, which handles reburials. Unfortunately, they too would not have any historical records. Sadly, such situations are not uncommon with the passage of time.

09/28/2026

As San Bruno has no museum or local history organization--the late Darold Fredricks wrote the history of San Bruno and was the official city historian--we are attempting to secure one of the two remaining Tanforan Mission-style bells that hang in front of the old Sears store. [Photograph shows three; only two left.] The now-closed shopping center is slated for demolition, to be replaced by a bio. tech. campus. There used to be another five or six that hung with their brothers, but they are long gone--no doubt stolen by scrap metal thieves or souvenir seekers.

It's a long-shot, but Mark is trying his mightiest. Wish us luck!