History Center – Moraga Historical Society
1500 St. Mary’s Rd. Moraga, CA 94556-2099
The Moraga History Center is located in the same building as the Moraga Library, The entrance is around the corner to the right of the main library entrance.
The Moraga Historical Society was established in 1965 to gather and preserve knowledge about the history of the Rancho Laguna de los Palos Colorados, a portion of which land is now the Town of Moraga.
The Rancho was a land grant of the 13,316 acres, given to Joaquin Moraga and his cousin, Juan Bernal, by the Mexican government in 1841. Moraga was the grandson of Jose Joaquin Moraga, who led a number of expeditions to the San Francisco Bay area, and who is most noted as the founder of the San Francisco Presidio and Mission.
Our History Center, located in the Moraga Library building, contains our collection of artifacts, photos, books and files about Moraga. The Society is a volunteer organization. General meetings, held four or five times annually, feature speakers or programs of local historical interest.
Romerias, held annually, offer tours to historical places in the Bay Area. The Society has published a hardcover, 225-page book, Moraga’s Pride, which covers the history of the Rancho.
Third Grade Tour
Every April the Moraga School District third graders visit the History Center to complete their unit of study on the history of the town of Moraga.
The Center’s three rooms contain displays especially prepared for their visit.
The first room contains artifacts of the natives who were here when the Spanish arrived. There are dioramas constructed by Les Krames to give the students a clearer understanding of the native Saklan tribe and the early Mexican settlers.
The second room contains displays and artifacts showing evidence of animals in Moraga before humans arrived here. There are also models of the Sacramento Northern Railroad cars.
The third room houses displays of items used in the ranch houses that were part of the first settlements in the Moraga Valley. Farming and ranching artifacts are displayed.
