Oregon Historical Society

Founded on December 17, 1898, the Oregon Historical Society is a private museum, archival library, and educational institution based in downtown Portland. Its stated purpose has long centered on collecting, preserving, exhibiting, and publishing historical material, with a special focus on Oregon and U.S. history.

For more than a century, it has served as a hub for anyone curious about the region’s past. The society shares that work through its museum, research library, digital collections, educational efforts, and the Oregon Historical Quarterly, helping make Oregon history accessible to researchers, students, and general readers alike.

Today, the organization describes itself as putting the power of Oregon’s rich and surprising history into everyone’s hands. With tens of thousands of artifacts and a vast archive of photographs, films, books, and manuscripts, it remains one of the most important centers for exploring the history of Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.