The New Exhibit

Telling the Story of Marin
The design of the permanent exhibit gallery in the new Marin History Museum has been in development for several years and is now nearly complete. Museum staff, working closely with Academy Studios, our contracted exhibit design and fabrication firm in Novato, have created a truly exceptional history museum experience. Read on to learn more about the Museum’s exciting, engaging way of preserving Marin’s past for the future….

Marin County is one of the most recognizable place names in the United States. One of the oldest and most famous counties in California, Marin immediately conjures associations and stereotypes. “Affluent Marin.” “Beautiful Marin.” The county is often viewed as the land of bubbling hot-tubs and wealthy residents living in idyllic settings. But Marin County is more than a playground for the wealthy. It is a unique place filled with a rich and colorful history. Marin is a place of contradictions and odd pairings – of affluence and idealism, along with isolationism and innovation. It is a county were over one-third of the land is open space dedicated to public parkland or agriculture. Marin is home to the first curbside recycling program in the nation and staunch environmentalists. At the same time, Marin is a county with limited mass transit and some of the most congested roads in the Bay Area.

These paradoxes make Marin, “Marin.” In order to tell the story of such a special place, we are creating a very special Museum. The Marin History Museum will combine multiple disciplines – art, history, culture and geography – to provide visitors with a fresh approach to understanding the broader story of the county. This innovative, interdisciplinary exhibit will showcase the extraordinary world of Marin encompassing its divergent personalities and idiosyncrasies – its artists, hippies, farmers and technicians – all in one place. The permanent exhibit gallery will be the starting point for visitors to learn about the county. It will also provide local residents with a place to share and explore the diversity of Marin’s culture and history. Visitors to the new Museum will see firsthand how the rolling hills, rugged seashore and lush flowing valleys have defined the county’s cities and towns as well as the people who call the county home. By linking cultural history with natural history, we are creating a new kind of museum that provides visitors with an understanding of how decisions and choices of the past have impacted the way the people of Marin live today. In turn, visitors will see how their choices today will shape the future.

Artist’s rendering of the central exhibit area, with artificial trees “growing” up into the central glass atrium. (Image by Academy Studios.)

A New Approach to History
The diversity of the land continues to shape Marin’s unique communities and their journeys through time. Exhibits within the Museum will be organized by geographical region, linking cultural and natural history in a way that no history museum has done before. From the green farmland of West Marin to the shimmering waters of Bays & Islands, each of the Museum’s five sections will highlight the stories and events that have made Marin the place it is today.


Floor plan showing visitor flow patterns, exhibit
locations, walls and support columns. Click the diagram
for a larger view. (Image by Academy Studios.)


Diagram showing the five thematic and geographic areas. Click the diagram for a larger view. (Image by Academy Studios.)

Mount Tamalpais: Inspiring Generations
Mount Tamalpais serves as the central physical landmark for Marin county. Since the 19th century, the mountain has drawn tourists, artists, innovators, entrepreneurs, dreamers and hippies seeking its inspiration and beauty. Today, the citizens of Marin continue to protect "Mt. Tam" and its natural beauty for generations to come.

Visitors to Mount Tamalpais will explore themes such as:

• The history of the mountain’s recreational uses – hiking, cycling and camping
• Muir Woods as one of the country’s first national monuments
• The Mount Tamalpais & Muir Woods Railroad – the “Gravity Railroad”
• The mountain as a nerve center for cultural change and experimentation
• The naturalists and environmentalists inspired by Mount Tamalpais

Bays & Islands: Navigating Waterways
Talk to native Marinites and they will describe their affinity to the water. Marin is a peninsula connected by land to only one other county (Sonoma), leaving the majority of Marin surrounded by water. This unique relationship will be explored in the history of the communities that have developed on Marin’s bays and islands, each one with its destiny tied to the water.

Visitors to Bays & Islands will examine:

• The history of San Quentin
• Sausalito and Marin City and their key roles during World War II
• Angel Island – from Miwok village, to military base and immigration station, to state park
• China Camp and its fishing ties to the San Francisco Bay and local inhabitants

Central & Northern Marin: Building Community
Following along Highway 101 is Marin County’s urban corridor, as officially drawn by the 1973 countywide Plan. Central and Northern Marin is home to the largest percentage of the county’s population. From the Mission San Rafael to the county Courthouse to the Marin Civic Center, San Rafael has served as the seat of county government for more than 150 years.

Visitors to Central & Northern Marin will explore topics like:

• Marin families and businesses
• Railroads and ferries
• The birthplace of curbside recycling
• Marin’s far-reaching non-profit organizations
• The diversity of Marin’s population

West Marin: Living in Abundance
From the time when Coast Miwok villages dotted the landscape, Marin has been a region plentiful in natural resources. A mosaic of micro-climates helps sustain the richness of the land. Beginning with the Gold Rush, West Marin’s dairy industry has provided butter and milk for San Francisco and much of California. Since the 1970s, West Marin has become an innovator in sustainable agriculture, internationally acclaimed for its organic food and pioneering farmers.

Visitors to West Marin will discover:

• The role of the Spanish and Mexican land grants
• Gold Rush era Marin and the dairy industry
• Innovators in sustainable agriculture
• Internationally acclaimed organic foods and farming pioneers
• Conservation efforts to preserve farmland and Point Reyes National Seashore

Headlands: Bridging the Divide
The construction of the Golden Gate Bridge was a defining event in the development of Marin County. With the completion of the bridge in 1937, the county experienced an unprecedented population boom practically overnight – but the Marin Headlands remained the same. Decades of military control of the strategic Headlands helped insulate this area from the effects of rapid post-war growth. Reacting to an influx of new residents and the demand for new housing, local citizen groups organized to protect and preserve the natural environment of the county.

Visitors to the Headlands will encounter:

• The debates over construction of the bridge
• The changes to the county after completion of the bridge
• What might have been – Marincello and other planned growth
• 1930s marketing campaign for “Marvelous Marin”
• Military history of the Headlands
• Conservation efforts and the development of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Exhibit Highlights

• Coast down Mt. Tam with vintage films of the Gravity Railroad.
• Brand a (paper) cow with a cattle brand from an historic Marin ranch.
• Do (a little) hard time in a recreated San Quentin prison cell.
• Watch a Miwok woman create a basket from native reeds and grasses.
• Get inspired by Marin painters, writers, poets, musicians and sculptors.
• Add your family snapshots to the Marin Family Photo Album.
• Plan day trips throughout the county with a detailed guide from the Museum.
• Share your opinions about the future of Marin, and participate in ongoing discussions.

Special Museum Spaces

• The multipurpose theater can accommodate different group uses. School groups can use kid-sized tables and chairs for activities. Movable seating transforms the space into a theater with multimedia capabilities. The space can be cleared for parties, art installations and other events.
• The central space beneath the rotunda can be partially cleared for cocktail parties or sit-down events. The exhibits and trees in the center are a sophisticated setting for a reception.
• The temporary exhibit gallery provides opportunities to explore topics in greater depth through in-house productions and traveling shows.

Design Parameters:

• 2,500 square feet of permanent exhibition space
• Arranged into 5 sections according to cultural geography
  o West Marin
  o Central & Northern Marin
  o Bays & Islands
  o Mount Tamalpais
  o Headlands
• 1,500 square feet of temporary exhibit space
• Theater/Multi-purpose space

Floor plan of the new Marin History Museum showing locations of the five thematic and geographic areas. Click the diagram for a larger view.

Gravity Railroad

Angel Island

The Johnson-Kinsella Millinery and Fancy Goods Store, c. 1880. Three sisters, Mrs. Richard Kinsella, Mrs. Robert Parker and Mrs. Robert Johnson with their children.

Horse Plow

Golden Gate Bridge