Sanborn maps were created for many towns and cities in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and Mountain View was no exception. Sanborn maps were created to allow fire insurance companies to assess their liability. Accordingly, they feature information about buildings and structures. This book of Sanborn Maps for Mountain View was published in 1921 and was periodically updated into the late 1950s. Updates were applied by literally pasting revised portions over the original map. This book of maps is part of the Mountain View Historical Association collection.

The Mountain View Prune and Apricot Exposition was first held in 1915 and quickly grew to be a major regional event. Prune and apricot orchards occupied much of the countryside surrounding Mountain View into the post-World War II era and the Prune and Apricot Exposition was an occasion for the area's growers to showcase their product. The final exposition was held in 1930, but Mountain View and surrounding areas continued to be a center of dried fruit production until urbanization claimed most of the agricultural land in northern Santa Clara County in the 1950s and 1960s. This trophy is part of the Mountain View Historical Association collection and was donated by former Mountain View mayor Matt Pear.

Did you or a friend or family member attend High School in Mountain View? If so, you may be interested in browsing the History Center's collection of yearbooks. The History Center has yearbooks for Mountain View High School for most years prior to the mid-2000s and a smaller selection of yearbooks from other area schools including Los Altos and St. Francis High Schools. Most year books are part of the Mountain View Historical Association collection.

City directories are listings of who lived in a place and where, but they often contain much more, including information about local institutions and advertisements. The History Center has a small collection of directories for Mountain View and the surrounding area, as well as a larger collection of phonebooks.

This is a Mountain View firefighter’s helmet dating to the early 20th century. Mountain View's fire department was first organized in 1875, meaning it predates the establishment of the city by 27 years. This helmet is an example of a traditional leather helmet of the type invented by New York City luggage-maker Henry Gratacap in the 1820s. It features a wide brim that hangs over the wearer’s back to shield from water and debris. The rigid cap portion and brass decoration could be wielded to break glass. The design, now about 200 years old, proved so successful that similar leather helmets can still be obtained from manufacturers of firefighting equipment. This helmet is part of the Mountain View Historical Association collection.

The History Center has a large collection of documents and ephemera relating to the City of Mountain View, especially Mountain View Public Library. Learn about the more than 120 year history of Mountain View's city government and how it has changed over the years. 

This plate from the 1876 New Historical Atlas of Santa Clara County shows Mountain View and its neighboring communities. This atlas not only shows the location of towns and roads, but also the boundaries of land grants made when the area was part of Mexico and the extent of later subdivisions and their owners. This atlas is part of the Mountain View Historical Association collection.

This oil painting depicts the Adobe Building and was painted by Ormand Newfarmer in 1935 and was donated to the Mountain View Historical Association by his widow Helen Newfarmer. Originally built in the 1930s for the Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Adobe Building on Moffett Boulevard has served as the City of Mountain View's community center and headquarters of the Recreation Department. More recently, it has served as a meeting place for the Mountain View Historical Association. This painting is part of the Mountain View Historical Association collection and was donated by Helen Newfarmer.

This ledger was used by the Mountain View Department of Public Works to track street paving jobs in the 1920s and 1930s. It records segments of street completed, contracts between the city and paving contractors, correspondence from the city engineer, and technical maps of Mountain View's streets.