About Us
Sparks Museum & Cultural Center
April 1, 1985 a small group of Sparks citizens met to form a nonprofit organization to preserve the history of Sparks, Nevada for future generations. In its 26th year the museum continues these goals: record the area history of yesterday and today for the future with emphasis on March 15, 1905 when the town became a chartered city.
The museum is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization which depends upon membership fees and donations. Beyond collecting, preserving and displaying artifacts from the past, the museum enriches the local schools through guided tours and special outreach programs like "Color Me Sparks".
Early in the museum's exsistence the City of Sparks recognized its historical importance and provided an empty storefront at 820 Victorian Avenue. In 1995 Washoe County recognized the significance of the project by donating the Sparks Justice of the Peace building at 814 Victorian Avenue to the City of Sparks for a museum. Today these two buildings allow the creation of 'yester-year' displays from before the settlers to life after Wadsworth was moved to the new Southern Pacific Railroad Facility eventually named "Sparks".