The History Mill

The History Mill is a local research cooperative made up of citizen historians working to research, document, and share the history of Grass Valley and the surrounding Northern Mines region. Members explore the people, industries, communities, and events that shaped one of California's most important historic gold-mining districts.

Their work is particularly relevant to North Star House. The estate cannot be fully understood without the history surrounding it, including the North Star Mine, Grass Valley's mining era, the Foote family, and the broader community that developed around the region's mining industry. The History Mill helps preserve those stories and make historical research accessible to a wider audience, supporting North Star House's mission of preserving both a historic place and the history connected to it.

The group's work has also directly benefited the estate. In 2025, The History Mill released historian Jerry Martini's extensive study of mining fatalities in the Grass Valley Gold Mining District as its first publication, with proceeds from the booklet designated to support restoration work at North Star House.