When I first became Executive Director of the San Diego Historical Society, and began to look over our collections, I was quite impressed at the size of our Public Records Collection. We hold nearly half a mile of public records in our Research Archives. The scope of the collection is tremendous, spanning over a hundred and fifty years of local government in San Diego, from the creation of the City and County in 1850 to the present.
Moreover, the collection is an exceptional resource for researchers. It documents great social and economic changes that have occurred in San Diego, and covers a large range of topics, from crime and violence to city planning. Historians, genealogists , newspaper reporters and a host of other types of researchers will find within the collection valuable, primary source information, often available from no other source.
This updated Guide to the Public Records Collection by Dennis G. Sharp now makes more of these records available to the public. It is a complete listing of all our current holdings. I believe that it will continue the fine tradition of local history in San Diego that was initiated in 1987 by Richard W. Crawford in the first edition.
Robert M. Witty
Executive Director
San Diego Historical Society
