Museum Visit
Local history museum in a 1911 Beaux-Arts bank
When open, explore Humboldt County history including the Nealis Hall Native American collection, all housed inside Albert Pissis's 1911 former Bank of Eureka building.
- Duration:
- 1 hr
Museum / Historical Site
Clarke Historical Museum
1911 Classical Revival former bank in Old Town Eureka — now Humboldt County's local history museum — with local lore of female-employee ghosts tied to the original bank ownership.
240 E Street, Eureka, CA 95501
Wheelchair Accessible
Research-Backed · 5 sources
Research updated May 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Donation-supported small museum. Per recent Yelp listings the museum is currently marked 'temporarily closed' — verify before visit.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Old Town sidewalks; ground-floor museum entry.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1911 · Designed by San Francisco architect Albert Pissis · Originally home to the Bank of Eureka and the Savings Bank of Humboldt · Houses the Nealis Hall Native American collection · Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The Bank of Eureka commissioned San Francisco architect Albert Pissis to design a new building at 3rd and E streets in Old Town Eureka in 1911. Pissis, known for Beaux-Arts and Classical Revival commercial work across Northern California, produced a two-story structure clad in glazed architectural terra-cotta with a columned facade — an unusually monumental piece of bank architecture for a city the size of Eureka in that era.
The building served as a working bank for roughly half a century. In 1960 Eureka High School history teacher Cecile Clarke purchased the building, using proceeds from the sale of her family's sheep ranch, to house her growing collection of Humboldt County artifacts. The Clarke Historical Museum opened to the public soon after and has occupied the bank building ever since.
The museum's collections include local pioneer-era objects, photographs, and the Nealis Hall Native American collection, one of the most significant regional collections of Northwest California indigenous material culture. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and remains one of the architectural anchors of Old Town Eureka.
As of early 2026 the museum's Yelp listing is marked 'temporarily closed'; the museum's official website continues to publish exhibit and event programming, and visitors should confirm operating status directly before planning a visit.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarke_Historical_Museum
- https://www.clarkemuseum.org/about-the-clarke.html
- https://hauntedhumboldt.wordpress.com/2015/04/25/a-few-haunted-places-in-eureka/
- https://mwg.aaa.com/via/places-visit/haunted-places-california
- https://www.clarkemuseum.org/tea--spirits.html
Museum employees report witnessing several ghosts around the property (per AAA Via)According to Haunted Humboldt: presence of ghosts of female bank employees said to have been harassed by the original bank owner (folkloric attribution)
Ghost lore at the Clarke Historical Museum is now documented across multiple independent sources. The Haunted Humboldt blog (2015) is the earliest in our review and reports that the building is said to be haunted by the ghosts of female bank employees who, per the blog, were sexually harassed by the original bank owner. This account should be treated as folkloric — the specific harassment claim is not independently verified.
AAA Via's 'Haunted Places to Visit in California' feature, an independent tourism-press source, states plainly that 'Employees of the Clarke Historical Museum say they have witnessed several ghosts around the museum property.' This is a second independent attribution, drawing on the museum's own staff rather than reproducing the Haunted Humboldt account, and confirms the building's haunted reputation as institutionally acknowledged.
The Clarke Historical Museum itself partners with Haunted History Tours — described on the museum's website as 'Eureka's only authorized Ghost Tour,' led by Eric Vollmers — for the annual 'Tea & Spirits' event, which combines a museum gathering with a guided walking tour of Old Town's haunted history. The museum's willingness to host paranormal programming on its own premises, alongside staff-reported sightings cited by AAA Via, supports the building's standing as a haunted-tourism destination in Eureka.
Some aggregator sites add references to 'upper-floor cell activity,' but those accounts appear to conflate the Clarke building with the separate Humboldt County jail — a distinct local property — and we therefore do not include those phenomena here.
Notable Entities
Unnamed female apparitions (former bank-employee tradition per Haunted Humboldt)
Media Appearances
- AAA Via 'Haunted Places to Visit in California'
- Old Town Haunted History Ghost Tour (Eureka's authorized ghost tour) — annual 'Tea & Spirits' museum partnership
Plan Your Visit
1 way to experienceSources & Further Reading
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Clarke Historical Museum family-friendly?
Standard small history museum. Paranormal lore is local and gentle, not part of the museum's programming. Overall family fit: High.
How much does it cost to visit Clarke Historical Museum?
Donation-supported small museum. Per recent Yelp listings the museum is currently marked 'temporarily closed' — verify before visit. This location is free to visit.
Do I need to book in advance?
No advance booking is required, but checking availability is recommended.
Is Clarke Historical Museum wheelchair accessible?
Yes, Clarke Historical Museum is wheelchair accessible. Terrain: Old Town sidewalks; ground-floor museum entry..