Welcome to the Historical Society of South San Francisco

 The Historical Society was formed in 1971 in efforts to save the Martin House. Built in 1893 by South San Francisco founding father, William J. Martin, the house was located on the corner of Grand and Eucalyptus Avenues. Unfortunately, that effort failed and a disastrous fire destroyed the beautiful house in 1974. 

 In 1980 an effort sponsored by St. Paul’s Methodist Church came forward to urge enactment of legislation to protect historic properties of South San Francisco. Thankfully, this venture succeeded and we now have the “Historic Preservation Ordinance” which recognizes the importance of our historic resources. The Sidewalk of Names (Miller Avenue in front of All Souls Church), the Magnolia Plaza Community Room (Grand at Magnolia Avenues), and 25 historic homes throughout the city are protected under this ordinance. One of these buildings, The Plymire-Schwarz House (519 Grand Avenue) is a fine example of how and why we should preserve our City’s unique character.  

 The South San Francisco Historical Society has two facilities in South City featuring historical information.  The Historical Society Museum, at 80 Chestnut Avenue, houses a collection which includes vintage clothing, photos and artifacts, oral history tapes, historic school yearbooks, newspapers and maps, special exhibits, and a database for researching historical photographs.  The Plymire-Schwarz House is a restored 1905 colonial revival style house located at 519 Grand Avenue.  This historic home was donated to the Historical Society who worked diligently to restore the furnishings with period-appropriate antiques.