Oregon Historical Society Museum facts for kids
Museum entrance in 2019
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| Established | 1898 |
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| Location | Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Type | private: history |
| Visitors | 44,000 (est. 2010) |
The Oregon Historical Society Museum is a cool place in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. It's a history museum where you can learn all about Oregon's past. The museum opened way back in 1898. About 44,000 people visit it every year!
One of its most famous items is the Portland Penny. This special copper coin from 1835 helped decide the name of Portland. Two people flipped it to choose between "Boston" and "Portland." "Portland" won! The museum has more than 85,000 old items. It's also approved by the American Alliance of Museums, which means it's a really good museum.
Contents
History of the Museum
The Oregon Historical Society runs this museum. It started small in the late 1800s. The first museum was inside Portland City Hall.
Over the years, the museum moved several times. In 1913, it moved to the Tourny Building. Then, in 1917, it moved to the Public Auditorium. This building is now called the Keller Auditorium.
In 1966, the museum moved to its current home. This building is on the South Park Blocks in Portland. There's a huge mural on the side of the building. It's called Oregon History and shows scenes like the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
The museum's main entrance area was updated in 2002-2003. This project cost about $3.75 million. In 2002, nearly 27,000 people visited the museum.
For a long time, the museum got money from the state and local county. This funding stopped in 2003. Later, the state legislature gave the museum money again. In 2009, they received $2.5 million.
Now, people in Multnomah County can visit for free. This is because county voters approved a plan to help fund the museum. In 2010, about 44,000 people visited the museum.
Museum Collections
The museum has over 85,000 items in its collections. These items tell the story of Oregon's history.
Some of the cool things you can see include:
- The famous Portland Penny that named the city.
- A storage chest from Captain Robert Gray's ship, the Columbia Rediviva.
- A sandal that is 10,000 years old!
- Items from the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition.
- Amazing Native American artifacts.
- A collection of miniature vehicles.
- Many everyday items like old jars and dresses.
Exciting Exhibits
The museum has permanent exhibits that are always there. It also hosts special traveling exhibits.
Oregon My Oregon Exhibit
One main exhibit is called "Oregon My Oregon." It's a huge display, about 7,000 square feet. This exhibit covers Oregon's history from early settlers to today.
You can see a reproduction of a ship's hull. There's also a 1940s-style general store. A complete lunch counter from an old diner is also on display. And don't forget the 9,000-year-old sandal! The lunch counter part of this exhibit won an award in 2005.
Traveling Exhibits
The museum often has special exhibits that visit for a short time. For example, in 2005, there was an exhibit celebrating 200 years of the Lewis & Clark Expedition.
In 2001, they showed beautiful Native American trade blankets. These blankets were from the collection of artist Dale Chihuly. The museum also features traveling exhibits with historic photographs.
Other Museum Features
The Oregon Historical Society also has a research library. This library holds many old books and documents. It also has a huge collection of historic photographs.
You can visit the museum store too. It sells books about Oregon history and fun souvenirs. The museum is approved by the American Alliance of Museums. This means it meets high standards for museums.
See also
