OUR STORY
The Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum (MCARLM) is a Monterey County facility that interprets artifacts and stories from the late 1800s through World War II. The collections are principally agricultural-related and specific to local history.
The museum complex has 7 buildings: the Exhibit Barn, Olson Blacksmith Shop, Tractor and Harvester Shed, and the History of Irrigation Museum, the historic Spreckels House, La Gloria Schoolhouse, and the King City Train Depot. All are completely furnished with turn-of-the-century artifacts. Outside exhibits showcase antique farm equipment dating from the late 1800s into the 1940s.
The main Exhibit Barn features displays that illustrate the development of Salinas Valley agriculture and rural life from the late 1700s to 1940.
Our hands-on programs (from our popular elementary school goldrush field trips to our free historical buildings walkthrough tours) place visitors at the center of the story as history unfolds around them. Come visit MCARLM and find your place in history.
OUR MISSION
Here at the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum, we celebrate the past, present and future of Salinas Valley agriculture and rural life by interpreting authentic objects, providing exceptional programs and building community connections.