Discover the fascinating agricultural history of Santa Cruz County, Pajaro Valley and Watsonville. School groups and families from Santa Cruz County and all over the US spend hours exploring our educational exhibits, historical archives, and the agriculture research in the Codiga Center & Museum. When you visit, be sure to stop by our charming gift shop "Country Corner!"
We are located at the entrance to Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville, California.
We are located at the entrance to Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds in Watsonville, California.
Services
The mission of the Agricultural History Project (AHP) honors and promotes knowledge about agriculture on the Central California Coast, both past and present. AHP preserves, exhibits, collects and builds community awareness of the economic, cultural and ethnic aspects of agriculture in the area. We are a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit charitable organization founded in 1986.
Buildings & Exhibits: Our exhibits are housed in four buildings, totaling 20,640 square feet. Volunteers constructed almost all of the exhibit buildings as well as the ongoing equipment renovation which you may see in progress when you visit. When you visit our facility, you will learn about the crops, people, and farming practices that have made the Central Coast of California what it is today.
Potatoes and wheat were once major crops of the Central Coast of California. Today these fields are growing lettuce, strawberries and raspberries. Years ago, ships and railroads, not today's trucks, transported the agricultural bounty to markets. Come and visit our museum to learn about the people and crops that made this area so unique.
Admission is free but visitors are asked to help support the work of the Agriculture History Project (AHP) with a suggested donation of $2.00 per person. AHP is located at the entrance to the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds (2601 East Lake Avenue) on state highway 152 four miles from Watsonville. It is in the heart of the bountiful Pajaro Valley, midway between Santa Cruz and Monterey.
These reports document activities of the Santa Cruz County Farm Advisor, changes in agriculture, erosion control efforts, dairy herd improvement, 4-H Club activities and other agricultural practices in the county, and include black and white photos. Henry Washburn photos and films. Subjects are mostly agricultural from the 1930s and 1940s, but include scenes from around the county.
