The Oregon Historical Society has been acquainting the citizens of Oregon with their state’s history since the organization’s founding in 1898, and in October the institution pieced together its personal collection of Oregon artifacts in the ongoing exhibit Treasures of the Vault.
The society’s website describes the vault as containing everything “from the rare and priceless to the peculiar and mysterious. The artifacts in the Oregon Historical Society’s collection document everything from key moments in the state’s history to the minute details of daily life.”
Treasures of the Vault brings to the public the most “historic, intriguing and unique items.” There are approximately 80 pieces in the exhibit, and about half of them are Portland-related.
The bright blue dress that Barbara Roberts wore when she was inaugurated as the state’s first female governor in 1991, for example, hangs on a mannequin near the entrance. One of the Santa-land monorail trains from Meier & Frank displays metal and paint worn down by children and the ravages of many Christmases. The very flags that were placed inside former governor and senator Mark O. Hatfield’s office now resides with the society as well.
One of the society’s most prized treasures, according to Executive Director Kerry Tymchuk, is the branding iron that Meriwether Lewis carried with him throughout his life.
“To be able to see something that [Lewis] held makes a real connection with Oregon history,” he said.
Ten years ago, the Oregon Historical Society bought a warehouse in Gresham. Since then, the museum’s collection of antiques, all of which have been donated, has been stored for preservation. The vault contains 85,000 historical pieces and 2.5 million photographic images, all capturing Oregon’s history. Most have never been publicly displayed—until now, that is.
Donna Burgess is a Portland resident who recently visited the museum for the very first time.
“I found the artifacts the museum chose [for Treasures of the Vault] to be very interesting, especially the old map of downtown Portland,” Burgess said. “I was born and raised in the area and found it to be a fantastic piece of history.”
This is precisely the reaction that Tymchuk and the Oregon Historical Society’s staff strive for. Their goal is to preserve Oregon’s history and show that history’s continuing importance to the present and future of the state.
“I enjoy when the audience that comes and views the vault receives a wide scope of Oregon history. To me, history isn’t just memorizing dates and names and places. History is stories,” Tymchuk said. “The story of the Willamette meteorite, the story of Meriwether Lewis and the story of the Trojan nuclear plant are only a few examples. Each artifact has a story behind it, a story worth telling.”
The society chose to give back to the public after the passing of a controversial levy in 2010.
“The voters of Multnomah County passed a levy giving us two million a year for the next five years,” Tymchuk said. “In return, all Multnomah residents have free admission to the museum. This exhibit was part of our way of thanking the voters by bringing out the history that they are helping to save.”
Visitor Services Representative Joey Beach has worked at the Oregon Historical Society for three years and personally enjoys Treasures of the Vault.
“There are about 50 to 60 people that come in the building a day,” Beach said. “It’s really good to have some things from our own collections on display for them.”
Treasures of the Vault is located on the second floor of the Oregon Historical Society, which is comprised of four floors. The first and second floors contain galleries. The third contains a permanent exhibit on all aspects of Oregon’s history. The fourth floor consists of a research library containing 25,000 books that are available to Portland State students and the general public.