The Museum of American Heritage (MOAH) is the Bay Area's only museum exclusively dedicated to the history of technological innovation from 1750 to 1950.
Originally opened in 1990, MOAH relocated to the historic Williams House in downtown Palo Alto in 1998.
MOAH is a family-friendly learning environment where visitors of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to explore scientific and technological history through our unique exhibits, special events, and programs.
In addition to our exhibits and programs, MOAH maintains a collection of over 8,000 historic electrical and mechanical artifacts.
Interested in viewing our entire collection? Browse our online collection here!
Hours of Operation:
Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm
Free General Admission, Donations Appreciated!
Museum of American Heritage
Located in the Marshall Mathews Garage
Henry Ford's 9N tractor, introduced July 1, 1939, helped transition from horse to mechanical work on the farm. Considered perhaps the most significant agricultural development of the 20th century, only about 100 in 1939
9Ns remain today.
Visit the Museum of American Heritage’s COLLECTION PAGE and search the entire collection database HERE!
Artifact of the Month!
1939 FORD 9N FARM TRACTOR
Stephan Dabrowski shares some history of the Museum of American Heritage's 1939 Ford Tractor! Stephan donated his tractor to the museum, which now lives in the Marshall Mathews Garage. Visit the Museum of American Heritage to see it in person!
See more videos like this one on MOAH’s YouTube channel.
Current Exhibitions
MOAH’s current exhibition, Honoring 35 Years of Collectors, is on display through September 21, 2025.
Special Exhibitions
Minding the Store, on display in the surgery room until August 8th.
Upcoming Exhibitions
It All Adds Up: Adding Machines and Calculators, on display in the surgery room beginning Friday, August 15th.
Teen Design Exhibit - Through the Lens of Time: The importance of roll film in personal photography, on display in the medical lab beginning Friday, August 8th.
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Yuri Liberzon - Summer Concert Series
Fri., Aug. 15 @ 7:00pm
MOAH is excited to welcome back internationally acclaimed classical concert guitarist and recording artist, Yuri Liberzon!
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MOAH's Chocolate Chip Cookie Festival
Sat., Aug. 23rd
1pm-4pmJoin us for an end-of-summer bash and a celebration of America’s most iconic dessert!
Click here for event description.
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Harvesting History: Celebrating Heirloom Foods
This event will feature a cooking demonstration from Laura Stec, a talk on Heirloom foods by Peter Ruddock, and a walk through the Museum of American Heritage’s garden with garden volunteers.
For more information about our presenters, visit
http://www.resilientfoodsheds.org/ and
351 Homer Ave. Palo Alto, CA 94301
Thank you to our Local Business Supporters!
Become a Local Business Supporter today and let MOAH promote your business!
See MOAH’s Local Business Supporter page for more details.
“Great place to go and spend an hour or so and wonder how life used to be 100 years ago and how it has progressed. Very nice garden in the front and back as well. The volunteers were very nice and helpful!”
— Sunil, Union City, CA