Founded 114 years ago by the Sons of the Revolution, the museum occupied several locations throughout Los Angeles before moving to Glendale 34 years ago. Today the library is still run by the organization as well as Friends of the Library and volunteers. Despite the name, the materials preserved at the museum cover a much wider scope of history, including right up to the Civil War.
Emphasis is placed on California history and its contributions to the Revolutionary effort and America's collective identity, Denger said.
In addition to the artifacts, the museum has more than 35,000 volumes in its collection, running the gamut from art and music books to fictional works of the era, with roughly a third dating to the 1800s.
"It's the largest collection of its type west of the Mississippi River," Denger said.
The museum and library get most of their artifacts as donations from various sources, from people who have inherited artifacts to history buffs, he said. And one of the differences about the Sons of the Revolution library is that most of its documents are available to the public.
