Benicia Capitol State Historic Park

Benicia Capitol State Historic Park California State Park, the last remaining pre-Sacramento Capitol building.

Today is the 176th anniversary of California's entry into the Union. However, because it took three months for news to t...
09/09/2026

Today is the 176th anniversary of California's entry into the Union. However, because it took three months for news to travel from Washington, nobody in California knew that we were a state. Ironically, California's most popular newspaper, the Daily Alta California, wrote an angry article demanding statehood on the very day that became a reality.

"Salamander" Safes like the one in our office were the first effective fireproof safes in the world. The design patented...
07/04/2026

"Salamander" Safes like the one in our office were the first effective fireproof safes in the world. The design patented by Enos Wilder in 1843, as US patent no. 3117. They quickly became famous for their indestructability, as evidenced by the second picture, a cartoon in which a Millerite prepares for the Second Coming by locking himself in a Salamander Safe with food and supplies so he might wait out judgment day.

A happy 4th of July from all of us here at the Capitol!

Safe picture is by Capitol staff. Cartoon is from the Library of Congress.

Good news! Anytime before July 6th you can get a free Historian passport, allowing you free entry into California Histor...
06/20/2026

Good news! Anytime before July 6th you can get a free Historian passport, allowing you free entry into California Historic Parks, including the Capitol! Follow the link below for details!

https://www.calparks.org/historypassport

Smoking was banned in the Benicia Capitol due to the danger of fire, so if you wanted a to***co fix, you had to chew. A...
06/06/2026

Smoking was banned in the Benicia Capitol due to the danger of fire, so if you wanted a to***co fix, you had to chew. And our senator's did; 25 of the 27 had a to***co habit. Spittoons like these are all over the Capitol building, to avoid having the floor covered in to***co juice.

On one of the desks of the Senate there is a fourth grade reading book that was almost certainly used when the building ...
05/09/2026

On one of the desks of the Senate there is a fourth grade reading book that was almost certainly used when the building was a schoolhouse. Inside it are doodles from the students who must have used it, and library stamps from 1887.

Do you think your old schoolbooks will ever be studied by historians? 🤔

Last Thursday a whole host of 3rd graders came around to see the Capitol and the Fischer-Hanlon House. We only managed t...
04/25/2026

Last Thursday a whole host of 3rd graders came around to see the Capitol and the Fischer-Hanlon House. We only managed to get a picture of the last group, but in total, more than sixty kids got tours!

In 1853, New York built the massive "Crystal Palace" to host the World's Industrial Exhibition. At the Benicia Capitol t...
04/18/2026

In 1853, New York built the massive "Crystal Palace" to host the World's Industrial Exhibition. At the Benicia Capitol the legislature appointed James E. Wainwright, county clerk of San Francisco, to serve as California's delegate to the exhibition, representing California and sending reports back to the state government. Over a million people visited the exhibition, but you won't find the Crystal Palace in New York anymore; it burned down in 1858.

Address

115 West G Street
Benicia, CA
94510

Opening Hours

Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Website

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