• A section of the bowsprint and figurehead on the bow of BALCLUTHA.

    San Francisco Maritime

    National Historical Park California

Plan Your Research Visit

Fairy lassoing a seahorse

W.S. Gilbert's The "Bab" Ballads (Barbara Johnson Whaling Collection)

The library is open to the public Tuesday through Thursday 1pm-5pm. Public access to archival collections (documents, photos, plans) is by appointment only, Monday through Friday, 1pm-4pm, and the third Saturday of the month. (Closed most federal holidays.) Please contact us to make an appointment with a reference librarian, for assistance with your research, or for more information.

Please consult our Collections FAQ for detailed information on our policies.

Directions: The Library is located on the third floor of Building E, in Fort Mason Center (also known as Lower Fort Mason), located near the intersection of Buchanan and Marina Blvd. (Entrance across from the Marina Safeway.) Building E is the easternmost warehouse building, near the Festival Pavilion and the Firehouse building. Or, to put it another way, the Library is located at 37° 48.4' N, 122° 25.8' W, as charted by volunteers Larry Kellogg and Doug Burrill.

Accessibility: The main reading room is wheelchair accessible.

  • Have a question? Contact us! Have a question? Contact us!

    Reference staff is available to help with your research Read More

  • Collections FAQ Collections FAQ

    Frequently Asked Questions about research in the collections Read More

  • Search our catalogs Search our catalogs

    Online catalogs of books, photographs, objects held by the Park Read More

  • How to help How to help

    Volunteering, donating, joining, internships, and Read More

Did You Know?

Fog envelopes San Francisco Bay, leaving only the top of the Golden Gate Bridge visible.

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.” Many attribute this phrase to Mark Twain, however the origin is unknown. It is a good thing to remember when visiting San Francisco Maritime during the summer. Don’t forget a coat, as the summer fog keeps temperatures in the city cool.