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New Signs Reveal Long Beach's Most Surprising History
By Staff Writer
Published on Wed, Jul 15, 2026
Long Beach's history is full of fascinating stories, and now residents and visitors have a new way to discover them.
The City has installed 10 new historical signs highlighting notable locations and memorable moments from Long Beach's past. Spread throughout Long Beach, the signs share interesting facts, historic photographs and little-known stories that celebrate the people, places and events that helped shape Long Beach into the community it is today.
The current collection of signs features locations including the City's first City Hall, first school, first store and first saloon, along with other iconic landmarks such as the Jergins Tunnel, Harvey Milk Park and the former Municipal Auditorium.
You can also learn about some of Long Beach's more unexpected history. One sign tells the story of Minnie, a 63-pound fin whale discovered washed ashore in 1897 by two local teenagers before eventually finding a permanent home at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Another shares the tale of an Old West outlaw's mummy that was unexpectedly uncovered at The Pike during the filming of The Six Million Dollar Man in 1976.
You can learn more about each of the historical signs and see each sign’s location on the library’s website. The signs were searched and written by Long Beach Public Library Special Collections Librarian Jeff Whalen, who is also the host of the Library's local history podcast, Don't Know Beach About History: Short Histories of Long Beach.
The new signs represent the first phase of a broader effort to recognize historic places and stories throughout Long Beach. As the program continues to grow, additional signs will be installed at historical points of interest across the city, giving residents and visitors even more opportunities to explore Long Beach's rich history—one stop at a time.
