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Benicia Historical Museum at Camel Barns

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The Benicia Camel Barn Museum stems from Benicia's unusual contribution to U.S. military history. In the 1850s and 1860s, the Army experimented using camels as pack animals in the Southwest desert. However, because of the outbreak of the Civil War, the project was shelved and the camels were shipped to the Benicia Arsenal to be sold.

The Museum is located on the second floor of Building #9.

The job of collecting artifacts for a museum began in 1975. Items were stored at a number of different locations until the Arsenal site became available. The Benicia City Council dedicated the Camel Barn Complex as a museum on December 7, 1982. Numerous local individuals and groups contributed to the successful conversion of the facility to museum use.

A variety of displays and exhibits recount the history of Benicia & the U.S. Army arsenal.

Location: 2060 Camel Road, Benicia California 94510 Telephone 707-745-5435 Fax 707-745-2135

Other History nearby:
(Alameda) Alameda Historical Museum
(San Francisco) Alcatraz Island
(San Francisco) Ansel Adams Center for Photography
(San Francisco) Asian Art Museum of San Francisco
(Benicia) Benicia Historical Museum at Camel Barns
(San Francisco) California Historical Society


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03/18 Coming to The Benicia area
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California Exposition & State Fair Sacramento CA June12-28 The Cal Expo is the site of the California State Fair. All year Satellite Wagering, Waterworld USA, Paradise Island Fun Center and an RV Park are just a few of the features of the Cal Expo.The first State Fair was held in 1854 in San Francisco at the old Music Hall. The fair offered premiums (prizes) for its competitions and included such agricultural exhibits such as 2-inch-long peanuts, 72-pound beets and a 10-pound carrot that was longer than 3 feet. Horseracing was part of that first fair and has continued to be a part of the fair ever since.
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Midsummer Mozart Festival San Francisco CA July18-28 Organized in 1974, the Festival is the only music festival in North America dedicated exclusively to Mozart.