Wolfe Video Review

Nice and comfortable! It is about past local history and Mercury mining!

took wilderness first aid here. bad cell service. groomed lawns

Outstanding. Colonial furnished former home and former Inn. Also, a GREAT little museum explaining the discovery of and the mining of Cinnabar rock and the process used to turn it into Mercury (which was essential during the Gold Rush).

Very interesting history of the Almaden area and a beautiful historic home.

Fun small museum about mercury mining, nice docents.

My son paid ten dollars to go on a field trip and went on a one hour bus ride to see rocks...... How facinating.....

Really interesting historic museum of mining. Tiny, but a nice location for kids to learn about California history.

Super cool, completely furnished with items and furniture from the 1800s.

Friendly and knowledgeable docents. Really cool pieces that really set the mood for the time period. A nice stop if you're in the area to do some hiking.

Really well done museum. Very informative and great displays.

I love that place, and plan on going again. I have learned to either go in the morning when it is not so hot, or in the evening. I prefer the morning. I went in the summer, I think that I will go in the spring next time. There will be pretty flower's that I can shoot picture's of.
My two photo buddies and I found a mine it was the coolest thing. The rock's that are laying all around have tiny specks of silver in them, and they are sparkling. Of course I took a tiny little sample. We will be going back to find the April mine, I may have the name wrong. There were no restroom's there when we went.

This place has a tonn of history. Good display and knowledgeable ranger to explain the exhibit and to answer any question. Must visit.

Small and informative. Take your time and watch the video at the back. Don't miss picking up some of the cinnabar rocks- much heavier than you might expect!

I figured all the goods would be out on the trails and that I wouldn't want to spend a whole lot of time in the museum. Wow, was I wrong. I really enjoyed listening to one of the volunteers explain in great detail all the history, equipments, and politics of the time, answering any question we could throw her way - and then some. Definitely worth a visit if you've not been and you're in the park!

This is a great place to learn about local history. Who knew the oldest man in California was tucked in the hills of Silicon Valley.

Very nice museum and wonderful tour that shows how the mercury was extracted from the mines, and the history of the place.

Excellent little museum featuring the rich history of Mercury mining and production in New Almaden, and in many ways, the true beginning of what is now the booming Silicon Valley.

I had no idea the Gold Rush was dependent on the Mercury/Quicksilver from mountains south of San Francisco. This place is filled with stories of entrepreneurship, material science and Silicon Valley ancestry.

Little hidden piece of history. Small museum with lots of information about the mining in this area before the gold rush.

Awesome little museum with some really great mineral specimens. The volunteer docents here are amazing! They were engaging, knowledgeable and incredibly kind. Overall an excellent experience. Also the grounds were beautiful and I noticed the back had picnic tables and a couple of nice bbq pits.

I love to visit the museum and look though everything especially the old newspapers.

First I would like to thank the staff for the kindness and consideration they showed us during our visit. They were wonderful in sharing their extensive knowledge of the history of New Almaden Quicksilver Mine and park.
The Mining Museum is housed in a building called Casa Grande, and was built in 1854, and renovated by the county five years ago at a cost of $6 million. It sure looks great and houses many mining artifacts. Casa Grande is a three story building with the top story dedicated to offices for the park, the bottom floor houses conference room and the ground floor is where the museum and gift shop are. Some of the rooms are furnished with mostly donated or loaned period furnishing that were not from Casa Grande, but fit right in. Furniture that was here are a book case in the office area and some other pieces, but most is donated. There is even a square Steinway piano that was donated. The floor in the left side room is original, but the floor in the right side rooms is a modern replica. Beyond the gift shop on the right are the exhibits, and they are excellent. Using mining artifacts collected by Constance Perham, the museum give you a sense of what life was like for the miners. These artifacts that were used by the miners give a sense of authenticity to this museum. Realizing that the Ohlone Indians were using cinnabar, which contains mercury, Mexican Cavalry Officer Captain Andres Castillero made the first mining claim in California in 1845. Mercury being crucial to the mining of gold and silver, New Almaden soon became and important factor in the California Gold Rush. Due to it's location, New Almaden soon displaced mercury from Almaden, Spain. Mercury was also shipped to other countries, including China, because of it's location to coastal ports.
New Almaden Quicksilver mine was therefore a huge money maker and important economic driver for California. The museum also has an extensive archive of unique photographs because one of the managers and doctor were photographers, and they documented underground mine work as well as everyday life of the miners and their families. This archive is available online for free. The entrance fee is FREE, but if you want to contribute $2 to support the museum, there is a mailbox where you can put in some money, but this is completely voluntary.
Go see this museum, it is situated in a small valley where the company town was located. You can take a walking tour and see homes were the skilled workers lived, or visit the period cemetery. There are hiking trails that lead to mines and equipment used when the operation was active (now cleaned up and safe), and will give you a good workout. There are views that are awesome and relaxing. Casa Grande has a landscaped garden in the back with picnic benches. You can get married here, have a company meeting or just walk in and enjoy being in a building 166 years old. This is a historic place off the beaten path and worth your time to visit. So close to San Jose, this is a hidden gem.

Very nice and informed people at the museum of quicksilver. Learned a lot.

Casa Grande, a small museum which contains artifacts from the quicksilver (Mercury) mine located here.

Worth going there.
Nice museum, nice old houses around.

Fun place to explore and hike. However, within the past 30 years the tick population has exploded. Be careful and check yourself.

This place was very cool with its recreated home and history

Fascinating history. Nice gift shop. Helpful volunteers.

A fantastic bit of history. Took a group of teenage scouts here and they were captivated by the photos and artifacts -- actually looked up from their phones for the entire time we were here. A hidden gem of a place to visit.

Full of history, and nice people. Love the living history events.

Visited last Monday for the first time. Excellent presentation. Time well spent.

My daughter and I popped in on a whim and were pleasantly surprised! Bridget guided us and let us explore on our own as well. Afterwards she helped us choose a perfect hike to finish the day. Thank you, Bridget!!

My kids loved learning about mining and different rocks.

Great local history and explanation on the quicksilver mining process. Note: only open F-Tu 1200-1600

We had a great tour of the museum. With bad air making a visit to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco an unhealthy choice we looked for what we could do indoors near Mountain View. We headed here, to an old Mercury mine. It was interesting to find out where the Mercury in our fluorescent lights used to come from, and how it used to be refined. (Until we found this mine, we didn't know Mercury was mined here.)

Great guided tour and interesting facts about the history of the mine.

Great drive and interesting old school history of Silicon Valley

Excellent little museum about the nearby cinnabar mines and refineries that produced mercury. In an historic mansion.

Excellent museum. Super friendly staff and very knowledgeable.

You really get a feel for how important the mercury production was for the gold rush.

I've lived in the San Jose area for 20 years and never realized this museum existed. We went for my son's 4th grade field trip and I loved it so much that I would definitely go back and would also recommend it to others. The museum is very informative about the mining process and the history of the area during that time. They have a lot of displays and an area that describes the typical day in the life of a miner. A portion of the museum has been decorated in the time frame of that era so you can see how the mining manager might have lived as he sought investors for the company. We also had a picnic lunch on the grounds and did a brief walk around the town to see some of the old homes and the graveyard. It was a lovely day and a fantastic field trip.

Very knowledgeable docents. Interesting history of the booming murcury business back in the day.

After living in San Jose for 30 years, driving to New Almaden a few times, this was my first vist to the museum. What a profound lesson I learned. It is extremely well presented, full of things I did not know and filled me with more respect for the people who settled here and those who worked (and I mean worked) the mine. I knew cinibar was the ore from which mercury was derived, but now know much more about it. I even learned where the name Almaden came from. I suggest this as a wonderful trip to understand more about our wonderful spot on earth.

Fantastic small museum, volunteer staff more than happy to give tours, fascinating history.

Interesting hidden gem with good info and exhibits about the history and importance of cinnabar/quicksilver mining in the San Jose area. Guides were very helpful, and did a great job with my 5-year-old grandson answering questions and directing us to things to look at.

Fun place to explore and hike. Awesome! Loved it. Will definitely Going again

Really well-done small museum with lots of interesting displays and helpful docent. Great way to learn about the Quicksilver/mercury mines which were such an important part of San Jose's history. Highly recommended.

The place wasn't all that big or anything but it was decked out and our tour guide/park ranger was really nice and answered a lot of questions. I feel like I learned a lot of historical information.

Friendly, well informed guide. Beautiful drive past farms and forests enroute. Pretty house (named Casa Grande), well thought out and executed exhibits with plenty to see, hear, read about how quick silver was mined, used, and affected the people involved. Historic, scientific, and social stories of workers, owners, equipment, and technology.

Antique packed front rooms showed how homes were furnished and decorated way back when. Gift shop had cool stuff to help entertain and teach kids.

Cost is free, but a modest $2 donation is suggested, and well worth it for families or school groups.

Very interesting place to visit and the docents were very knowledgeable.

A wonderful part of history in the region. Well worth the visit.

Great museum that is not overrun with visitors. There is a lot of information inside.

An amazing place with tons of history. The trails are serene and beautiful with a mystical feel that reminds you of a lost California. The Museum tour is enlightening.
They also have a wonderful bookstore/gift shop!

Small free historic museum about the mining industry there. Staff were very friendly and knowledgeable. Watch out for this tree out back - the bunya pine has large, heavy seed pods. One almost hit me.

Very informative, great place for anyone interested in California's history, economics and place in the world.

Beautiful building and a great historic site in the bay area.

The Casa Grande museum was do-able... Not overwhelming. The volunteer guides were knowledge, fun and willing to take time. We went 2 days! I learned a lot about mercury mining and smelting. The village is quaint and charming. There is a free self-guided tour of the houses on the main 2 roads. The cemetery's most famous resident is the arm of a 13 year old boy! Yes, there are oddities.

Overall, a peaceful, informative, pleasant visit that will leave you wanting to come back!