Protecting Our State's Cultural Legacy

History shapes people’s understanding of who they are as individuals and as members of a civilization. The Oregon Historical Society is a scholarly asset and a public resource dedicated to putting the power of history into everyone’s hands and to advancing knowledge in all corners of the world.

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ExhibitsView All

Models in Motion: The Ivan L. Collins Collection of Historic Vehicles in Miniature

Ivan Collins’s models of historical horse-drawn vehicles authentically capture every detail to preserve history for future generations. This exhibition showcases 60 wagons that Collins made during his lifetime.

January 26 – September 1, 2024

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Birds of the Pacific Coast: The Illustrations of R. Bruce Horsfall

Combining his love of nature and art, R. Bruce Horsfall created detailed illustrated depictions of birds for “Birds of the Pacific Coast” written by Willard Ayres Eliot. One hundred years after the original printing, OHS is proud to display

September 21, 2023 – May 19, 2024

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Portland Past and Present

Using historical photographs from OHS’s research library paired with contemporary photographs taken by Peter Marbach, this exhibition illustrates how major architectural and geographic features in Portland have, or have not, changed over...

December 29, 2023 – July 7, 2024

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Camp Namanu, A 100 Year Journey Toward Inclusion

Camp Namanu’s 100-year transformation from a legacy of cultural appropriation to a commitment to shaping a brighter, more equitable future is highlighted in this original exhibit.

February 16 – June 9, 2024

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Migrant Labor Families in the 1960s: Portraits from the Valley Migrant League Photographs

Experiences of migrant labor families working in the Willamette Valley during the 1960s are documented in this photographic exhibit. Captured by volunteers and staff for the Valley Migrant League’s newspaper, “Opportunity News,” the images...

January 29 – December 31, 2024

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EventsView All

Ned Blackhawk

Ned Blackhawk (Western Shoshone) is a professor of history and American Studies at Yale. In “The...


Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

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Oregon Historical Quarterly covers

Oregon Historical Quarterly

The Journal of Record for Oregon History

The Oregon Historical Quarterly publishes well-researched, well-written history about Oregon and the Pacific Northwest and is enjoyed by scholars and general readers.

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Library

Research and Library

The Oregon Historical Society’s research library is an invaluable resource for learning about the past and providing context on the present. Visitors can enjoy broad access to the world’s largest collection of Oregon-related materials, both in the library’s newly renovated...

Digital History

Digital History Projects

The Oregon Historical Society’s Digital History Projects provide authoritative and comprehensive resources on Oregon’s history and culture. Visit OHS’s four digital history websites to browse encyclopedia entries, interactive maps and timelines, and materials from OHS’s...

From the OHS Blog

Gossip, Gold, and Juicy Fog: Notes from George Himes’s Early Records

The diaries and notebooks of OHS’s first curator, George Himes, reveal the origin stories of some of...

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Series and individual lecture tickets on sale now!

Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series

For over twenty-five years, the Oregon Historical Society’s Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series has hosted...


Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

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