Grass Valley Museum and Cultural Center

About Grass Valley Museum and Cultural Center

The Grass Valley Museum and Cultural Center in Grass Valley combines a historic nunnery and orphanage with exhibition spaces, gardens, and a chapel. Visitors tour the compound and view Victorian-era furniture, art, clothing, musical instruments, and artifacts from the Gold Rush period. The Russell Rose Garden contains over 100 heritage roses, trees, and plants arranged within the walled grounds. Saint Joseph's Chapel features intricate pressed tin tiles and stained glass windows. The facility is the oldest women's convent still standing west of the Rockies and the oldest complete Sisters of Mercy building in the United States, built by Mother Baptist Russell. The nuns' former cells now serve as artist studios. The compound preserves the history of 25 Sisters and staff who cared for approximately 350 young people, mostly girls, around 1900. The site functions as a museum, cultural center, and historic landmark in California's Sierra Foothills.