Upcoming Speaker Night Events
Ghost Towns of Nevada County
With Bernie Zimmerman
When: Thursday, October 17th at 7:00 PM.
Where: The Sierra Presbyterian Church located at 175 Ridge Road, Nevada City.
For our October Speaker Night, Nevada County Historical Society is pleased to hear from local author Bernie Zimmerman who will talk about his book, Ghost Towns of Nevada County and featuring the history of our local ghost towns and their cemeteries. His book contains histories of 38 ghost towns and Bernie’s talk will share the history of several ghost towns whose cemeteries remain today.
The book will be available for purchase.
Admission: FREE and open to the public, this event lasts one hour. Free refreshments offered after the presentation. For more information, call or text Daniel Ketcham at (530) 477-8056.
History of Lake Olympia & Glenbrook Park
With Tanis Thorne and Vince Seck
When: Thursday, November 21st at 7:00 PM.
Where: The Sierra Presbyterian Church located at 175 Ridge Road, Nevada City.
“Lake Olympia and Glenbrook Park” is the story of recreation in the Glenbrook Basin over a hundred year period from 1851 to 1958.
“Once upon a time, there was a world-class racetrack there. And later a lake in the pines. There was an island in that lake and a dance pavilion on that island. On a summer’s night Japanese lanterns shone on a wooden bridge that led to the pavilion where moonlight dancing called in three-quarter time to the town nearby.”
The book benefits from the fresh and knowledgeable first-hand accounts by Vince Seck, whose family owned Lake Olympia, and the research and writing of a professional historian.
It embarks on something entirely new: the recreational history of Nevada County. Before it became a center for shopping, the Glenbrook Basin hosted a world-class racetrack and later a splendid resort with an artificial lake.
Admission: FREE and open to the public, this event lasts one hour. Free refreshments offered after the presentation. For more information, call or text Daniel Ketcham at (530) 477-8056.
Coming Events in 2025
Second Sunday Steam-Up
Nevada County Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum
When: Sunday, May – October 2025 (Exact dates to follow)
Where: 5 Kidder Court, Nevada City, CA 95959.
Come join our locomotive team as they have both their steam locomotives steamed up and ready to go!
The museum exhibits a collection of railroad and aviation artifacts, photographs, and documents for visitors and historians alike. Exhibits include the NCNGRR Engine 5, rolling stock, an early steam automobile, and other examples of Nevada County’s transportation history. The gift shop offers railroad-themed books, toys, gifts, clothing, and other collectibles. Visitors are offered a docent-led historical tour of the museum, rail yard, and restoration shop. Admission to the museum is free.
For more information, check out the Railroad Museum website and train schedule.