Karpeles Manuscript Library

We walked by this place and decided to take a peek inside because the name of it was intriguing. We were immediately greeted by a wonderful lady who explained a little history/details about the library, and we were pleasantly surprised to find that admission was free! I am SO GLAD that we stopped to look around. We ended up spending almost 2 hours in the place! It was full of cool manuscripts, artifacts, items from history, and detailed information. It was very inclusive of different countries, religions, beliefs, and theories. We kept being delightfully surprised with every turn. We had never heard of the library before, and have since found out that there are several of them in America, and now we are hoping we get to stumble upon another one sometime. I highly recommend checking it out if you are in Santa Barbara for the day (like we were) or staying there on holiday.

My wife and I have long been fans of the Karpeles Manuscript Libraries, beginning with the one in Buffalo. We visited the one in Tacoma, WA, many times, until its closure. Staff members told us that this location was the original one. After the founder's death a few years ago, the family reduced the number of locations from 17 to 6. This is the place to view fascinating documents related to the history of this great country, along with some historic artifacts and awesome ship models.

The Karpeles Manuscript Library is a must visit. From the inspirational written word to eclectic and surprising historical gold. At every turn I was happily surprised by what was on display. The experience was amplified by the beautiful Ms.Alexandra, who with great aptitude provided a wealth of information on particular documents I was interested in. Truth be told I was interested in everything. The Karpeles Manuscript Library, a hidden gem in Santa Barbara. Visit respectfully and enjoy. I sure did and will be visiting again.

We walked by and my daughter wanted to stop in. I’m so glad we did. There were so many cool manuscripts and artifacts.

Diane was very helpful and knowledgeable. Lovely museum with lots of interesting manuscripts.

A fantastic collection of documents and artifacts! The subject matter is very inclusive of history, religion, science, music, literature and art. Spend an hour or a day admiring historic documents from our lifetime back to early civilization s. Gather your family and friends, attendance is free. An investment of your time will be rewarded with a most enjoyable experience.

I went there 25+ years ago, I enjoyed it. I was in the next street over today (Mon, 11/07/2022 - 11:18 PM ) with a friend, I should have gone again! One of the few things in Santa Barbara that is free.

Very interesting museum covering a wide range of topics. It’s free, a great walk-through, and the people who work here are super knowledgeable and friendly. Recommend a visit!

We walked in not knowing what to expect from this unassuming building, but the Karpeles Manuscript Library turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The variety and significance of what's on display is impressive. From the inspirational written word to unexpected historical treasures, every corner had something that caught our interest. It's a little tight inside, but that just speaks to the amount of history they've managed to pack in there. Everywhere you look, there's something fascinating to check out. It's also free to visit, which makes it a great way to spend a random Tuesday or fill some in-between time. Probably won't be back, but if you're into history or know someone who is, it's a great spot to visit. Definitely a cool find in Santa Barbara.

The Karpeles Manuscript Museum is a Santa Barbara treasure. Great place to lean about historic events and famous people. Manuscripts and informative descriptions are displayed to provide the visitor a wonderful educational experience. The collection is diverse so that it appeals to a wide audience. Definitely a unique and unforgettable experience. Highly recommended for those interested in history.

One of our favorite stops when visiting Santa Barbara. There's so many amazing artifacts and historical pieces. And it's free! What a generous gift to all who visit.

What a little gem! Who knew this existed. So much more than just manuscripts. There's a dinosaur at the entrance with a Hawaiian lei to welcome you. The gentleman at the desk is a regular encyclopedia. Original Emily Dickinson and writings for HH Pope Pius XII. Gotta come back with my eldest!

Free admission. Educational and informative yet fun. Wide variety of exhibits and original manuscripts that changed or shaped history.

Attention History Buffs! This is your kinda place. I have passed by this nondescript facade museum in downtown Santa Barbara countless times curiously wondering what was hidden behind its gates and walls. While visiting a nearby business I noticed the gates were actually open. I stepped in to find out that it is a 100% FREE museum (donations happily accepted)! While I was sort of aware of what a manuscript was, I was impressed by the collector, Karpele's, extensive collection. Who knew it was the world's largest private holding of important original manuscript documents! The library operates thirteen locations throughout the US--including Santa Barbara, CA. At this particular museum, scholars are allowed to use the facility to research and study the archived manuscripts. They only feature up to 25 documents to the public at any one time, with topics that cover History, Music, Science, Literature and Art. Here are a few documents that exist here: - Proposal Draft of the Bill of Rights - The birth of Protestantism by Martin Luther - Declaration of Allegiance of all Indian Tribes to the United States - The Constitution of the Confederate States of America A few of my favorite, and more fascinating finds, were: - A mosquito in amber from the Jurassic Park ages (70,000,000 years ago!) - Multiple Disney character artist secrets and expressions, including Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Dumbo - A map of California when it was thought to be an island - An entire plethora of Egyptian petroglyphs Hours: Wednesday thru Sunday 12:00-4:00 PM Admission: None/Free Side note: They have a pleasant outdoor courtyard that is perfect for a coffee, book or quick lunch.

Such an amazing library. Well thought out and presented displays. It is just awesome!

I would not recommend this museum to anyone because its director and his staff openly display prejudice towards Blacks. The less than favorable encounter began with the director who readily presumed that I had no business inside the museum and was loitering because I am Black. He openly demanded to know why I was in the museum and why I was in there. He readily announced his open prejudice when he stated the museum never had people sit inside for long periods of time. What he readily implied was that he had never encountered any Black people sit inside the museum. How shortsighted and bigoted. He also stated that he believed I was loitering and trespassing so he advised that I leave. When people pre judge others simply from their limited understanding, that's called bigotry. When people refuse to accept that others will neither acquiesce nor yield to their ignorance, it's called wisdom.

I've been to the Tacoma, WA location twice already, so when we were planning a trip to So. Cal, I made sure to include the Santa Barbara location on the itinerary. I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to visit this wonderful museum. Every three months, the main exhibit is replaced. When I visited on 12/28/2018, the main exhibit covered strong women throughout history, while one of the permanent exhibits presented the history of flight. Both exhibits were fascinating. I was particularly interested in the industrial design of early space flight control panels and the ancient Egyptian tablets. Even more impressive, according to a letter in the museum's possession, Marie Curie declined to publish work until she could establish a stronger foundation for her findings (a scientist who clearly valued the work over fame - quite admirable). Although I spent over an hour at the museum, I could easily have stayed for two more hours (the hours of operation are rather limited). This trip has inspired me to seek out the other 11 locations (13 total across the US).

A disparate and quirky collection of artifacts that included small dinosaur fossils, space flight controls, Egyptian sandstone hieroglyphics, music score drafts, founding of Texas papers, and five model ships. The visit was worthwhile but slightly distasteful due to a freak show vibe like at Ripley's Believe It or Not - particularly due to the sensationalized placard titles and frequent use of reproductions. Allow 20 to 30 minutes. Free admission.

Wow, I can't believe there are no reviews for this amazing place! We discovered it down a side street last time we were in Santa Barbara. It was closed at the time but we made note of the hours and came back another day. The Karpeles is the "Dean" of the Manuscript Library Museums that are in various places around the world. The exhibits change from time to time. Some of the rarities featured full-time are a stone copy of the Declaration of Independence, scores by many famous musicians, atlases (is the plural atli?), maps, and of course, many rare manuscripts. It's a beautiful shrine to the written word, and if you enjoy literature, reading, or just simply like visiting a beautiful old building full of rarities, check it out. The docents are incredibly helpful and love sharing their fondness for the contents of the museum. Admission is free.

If you have a spare half-hour, you should definitely pop in to this museum. We really enjoyed this FREE attraction! It is spacious and cool inside. While we weren't impressed by the photocopies of some of their rare pieces, we did enjoy the excellent informational write-ups. They rotate art exhibits every couple months and are currently featuring Masha Keating (through March 30, 2014). My favorite items were the portraits of famous composers by Louise Ann Donahue that are now part of the permanent collection - I could have looked at those for hours!

My favorite word is free. Stop by, give Einstein some lve. Take a lot of time or a little.

This is a hidden gem in SB and should be visited by all. There are mostly copies of important documents but still very cool and interesting. This museum is free which is great for people that can't afford the more expensive museums. This is a nice museum to spend an hour or so just reading historical documents!

It's amazing to see these important historical documents in real life!

Ummmkay. I am a literary geek. I love me some documents, I love museums, I love the smell of old books and I think the most wonderful place in the history of mankind is where I learned to read, the Elsie Quirk public library that smells like a century of pages turning under children's fingertips. And I thought I would love the Karpeles, I had it at the top of my list. But...I felt very let down. I don't know exactly what I was expecting, but the museum didn't compare to whatever it was I had in my head. The manuscripts are mostly copies of famous manuscripts, and there aren't a lot of descriptions in the museum to explain the DATE of the manuscript or the immense importance and why I should be looking at it through a little glass case. There are just some random quotes drawn from the exhibited text, and that wasn't enough for me. They have a few neat pieces, like a part of the Torah on deerskin that they state is 350 years old, but the whole place just feels a little bit sterile and derivative. For a document library, there were very few facts and even less real information, which is what I was craving. Instead, I looked very quickly over busts of heads with no name tag. Who are you, head that looks a bit like Benjamin Franklin?? And copies of manuscripts and music. It's just off. I hope that makes sense.

My husband and I both enjoyed this find. It has documents varying from Happy Birthday to Mozart to Lincoln to acient Torah. It has two floors, however, is small so you can go through in an hour or less if desired. If you don't want to spend a long time in a museum, spend a lot of money (no entrance fee), or be elbowed (we were the only ones there), this is a great option to view historical documents. Of note, I disagree with the reviewer that commented about 'copies' and 'glass cases". The documents are each in there own glass, labeled, case, so that they each can have the correct humidity for archival. (I noticed the upstairs Declaration is also wried directly to an alarm.) I guess the papers are valuable 'copies'? The reason for a 4 vs 5 is some of the space program models were not very enjoyableto me and some of the John Adams correspondences seemed insignificant to me. I'm not sure about for children, they might enjoy the space program models.

I am consistently astonished by the treasures in this small museum. If you have an hour to spare, wander in and prepare to be amazed.