The building that houses the Sacramento Valley Museum was built in 1911 to serve as Williams Union High School.  The school graduated classes from 1912 until 1956 when a new high school was built.  It sat dormant for six years until Sacramento Valley residents took up its cause.

The group of citizens who made up the first board of the Sacramento Valley Museum Association, in an effort to encourage interest in the developing museum, opened for viewing in March 1963. The Museum officially opened in June 1964.  In addition to exhibits of historic material, there were art exhibits and a room dedicated to art classes for the community.  Today the 16,000 square foot building that houses the SVM collection contains multiple rooms of exhibits that represent the rich histories of the Sacramento Valley. Museum staff and volunteers are planning new exhibits and making research material more accessible to the public. Nothing at the museum would be possible, however, without the dedication of the board members, volunteers, and staff who served the museum faithfully through the years.