Oregon is home to many wonderful large museums, as well as many unique and smaller museums showcasing unusual collections or focused on preserving one special period of time. Many are run by volunteers who love to share their passion for the subject matter and can give you a great insider’s tour. As with most small museums, it is best to check their website for hours and if you need to call in advance for entrance.
Chinese House Railroad Museum
Echo
230 Bridge Street, Echo, Oregon Chinese House
The Chinese House Railroad Museum is a small building, once the home of Chinese workers living in the area working on the railroad. It features Union Pacific and Oregon Railway & Navigation Company tools, photos and other items used in early Echo and Oregon railroad operations.
Historic Photos of Echo and relics from Echo businesses are also on display. A large collection of patent medicine bottles, alcohol containers and a few Chinese artifacts were excavated from the site of the White House privy pit by archaeological students in the mid-1990s and are also part of the collection.
Elaine Annan Doll Museum
Mount Angel
Kam Wah Chung & Co. Museum
John Day Oregon State Parks
Once a general store, a doctor’s office, a post office, a library and a center of Chinese social and religious life, it is now one of the most unusual museums you will find anywhere. In John Day, Oregon, Kam Wah Chung (translates to “Golden Chinese Outpost”) & Co. is a one-of-a-kind property, a National Historic Landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1865, the building’s earliest customers were primarily Chinese residents of Canyon City and the John Day area who were attracted by work generated by Eastern Oregon’s gold strikes of the period. Some chronicles suggest it served travelers as a trading post and stage stop.
Photo: Drew Johnson
Marshfield Sun Printing Museum
Coos Bay
The Marshfield Sun Printing Museum is a historic newspaper and job printing shop on the National Register of Historic Places. It features the original equipment of The Sun newspaper (1891-1944) and exhibits on printing and local history. Free admission.
Oregon Film Museum
Astoria
Housed in the old Clatsop County Jail, the museum invites visitors to explore the films and production behind making movies in Oregon. Wander through this building that was an actual working jail (from 1914 – 1976) and the scene of the famous opening jail break from the Goonies.
Oregon State Hospital of Mental Health
Salem
2600 Center Street NE, Salem, OR 97301 OR State Hospital Museum
The Oregon State Hospital Museum of Mental Health is located in first floor of the Kirkbride Building on the campus of the Oregon State Hospital in Salem, Oregon. Admission $6-7
Natural History Museum of Mt. Angel Abbey
Mount Angel
1 Abbey Drive, Mount Angel, Oregon 97373 Mount Angel Abbey
The monks of Mount Angel Abbey are proud of this eclectic display, ranging from geological and environmental specimens to art and artifacts, ancient and contemporary, temporal and ecclesial, collected from a diverse cross-section of cultures. They also have a collection of rare and old books on display in their museum. Free admission.
The Hat Museum
Portland
1928 SE Ladd Ave, Portland, OR 97214 The Hat Museum
This collection offers a carefully chosen selection from among the most characteristic styles of past eras, providing a wide-angle historical perspective on what has always been the essential accessory. Reservations required.
Bohemia Gold Mining Museum
Cottage Grove
308 South 10th Ave, Cottage Grove OR Bohemia Gold Mining Museum
The museum is a living and expanding memorial to all miners, and to the rich history of gold mining activities in the Bohemia Mining District. The museum’s collection of photographs, tools, ore samples, and other artifacts pays tribute to the area’s gold mining history.
Multnomah County Library Special Collections Display
Portland
801 SW 10th Ave, Portland OR Multnomah County Library
The John Wilson Special Collections houses the rare book and other special collections of Multnomah County Library in a controlled environment for the preservation of rare and historically significant materials. It includes books as early as the 13th century, books noteworthy for their bindings, paper or typography; unusual books; and important books of the private press movement including many local authors. Open limited hours per week.
The Baker Heritage Museum
Baker City
2480 Grove Street, Baker City, OR 97814 Baker Heritage Museum
The Baker Heritage Museum offers many exhibits including the life of early pioneers, and has two interesting special collections. An extensive collection of rocks, fossils and minerals, housed at the museum, is one of the finest in the western United States. It is a private collection begun in the 1930s and donated to the museum in 1983. For movie buffs, there is also a unique display of items related to the movie “Paint Your Wagon” which was filmed in Baker City.
Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum
Cave Junction
30902 Redwood Hwy, Cave Junction, OR 97523 Smokejumper Museum
The historic Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum honors one of the oldest standing smokejumper bases in the world and the people who protected this area. Experience an era when Jumpers parachuted into remote areas of our National Forests to extinguish lightning caused fires.
