Lakeport's old courthouse holds a county memory room

Lakeport’s Historic Courthouse Museum is a useful stop because it keeps several Lake County stories under one roof. The museum sits in Courthouse Park on Main Street, so it feels tied to the county seat instead of tucked away somewhere separate.

Inside, the exhibits point in a few directions at once. There are Pomo baskets and other Native American artifacts, geologic history of Clear Lake, gems and minerals, pioneer pieces, a restored courtroom, and research materials. That range fits the county. Lake County is lake, mountain, Native homeland, farm country, resort memory, and courthouse town all at once.

The museum story also has a local champion behind it. Belle Davidson brought the idea of starting a museum to the Board of Supervisors in 1932. Decades later, the old courthouse was restored, and the Historic Courthouse Museum opened in 1978.

For someone new to Lakeport, this is a good place to slow down. The waterfront shows the town’s setting. The museum fills in what people have carried through that setting over time.