San Mateo County History Museum — Attraction in Atherton

As a former museum curator and program coordinator, I expect cultural and historical institutions to accurately present the past in contemporary contexts. The San Mateo County History Museum falls short in numerous ways: Interpretation and Cultural Insensitivity:

Outdated terminology: Exhibits still use the offensive term "Orient" (see image). Disrespectful display of human remains: A cut Qing queue (human hair braid) is displayed next to racist cartoons mocking it, ignoring the cultural trauma and personal consequences for the individual who cut it.

Historical inaccuracy: The Land of Opportunity exhibit uses the modern Chinese flag to represent early Chinese immigrants, who were actually subjects of the Qing Empire. This misrepresentation reinforces dangerous propaganda about China's history.

Exhibit Space Mismanagement:

Skewed priorities: The sports exhibit is larger than the space dedicated to the indigenous Ohlone people.

Ignored context: Despite being housed in a 1910 courthouse, there's no mention of the judicial system's role in racial issues in America. Environmental oversight: The redwood logging exhibit glosses over the severe, lasting ecological damage from clear-cutting old-growth forests.

Nonsensical immigration exhibit: The interactive map for visitors to pin their family's immigration origins only shows the USA, not the world. This defeats the entire purpose of an immigration exhibit.

Historical Misrepresentation:

Whitewashing Japanese American history: The exhibit claims Japanese Americans were "recruited" from internment camps, ignoring that they enlisted to prove their loyalty as Americans. See the Japanese American National Museum.

Perpetuating misconceptions: The use of the modern Chinese flag in historical contexts reinforces inaccurate ideas about China's political history.

In sum, the San Mateo County History Museum itself belongs in a...

Trash museum, avoid. The way it's written is like straight out of an outdated history textbook. There's a sad attempt at combining 8+ completely different ethnic immigrant cultures into one exhibit. Instead of doing a shallow book report a bunch of cultures, they should have just done proper deep research for a select few. It felt like a lot of cultures were reduced, there was a corner on one indigenous group, and the majority of the room was about colonists. Then they transitioned nonsensically from colonial history to wrestling and American pop culture like huh??? Mexico was one flimsy exhibit about Day of the Dead, for example. There's problematic language used that needs to be updated, like mentioning how Chinese immigrants brought things back the "Orient," I can't recall the last time I even saw the Orient or Oriental term being used in education... Or encasing a Chinese person's hair alongside propaganda used to discriminate against them. Also, there was an interactive exhibit on what state your parents/grandparents came from, and the only options were US states. Like hello, in a exhibit about immigrants why is the world map not used?

This place is a disgrace of an educational institution lol, surprised they haven't been cancelled... They need a serious update. Waste of time. They have an obligation to represent people in a realistic and human way, and yet have failed.

I will admit, there is one room I enjoyed- the interactive technology exhibit (stagecoach, using a scale, looking at old soda machines and phone booths etc.)...

We couldn't have asked for a more perfect place to host our wedding ceremony than the San Mateo County History Museum! The entire experience was nothing short of magical. The venue itself is stunning, full of character and charm.

The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful from start to finish. They went above and beyond to ensure everything ran smoothly, and even took beautiful pictures throughout the ceremony, which they kindly shared with us afterward. It truly felt like they were invested in making our day perfect.

One of the best touches was the room provided for the bridal party to relax and do last-minute touch-ups. It was such a thoughtful addition and gave us the space we needed to feel calm and collected before walking down the aisle.

Overall, the San Mateo County History Museum made our wedding day unforgettable, and we would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a beautiful and...