Welcome to the Oregon Historical Society

This year marks 155 years since Portland acquired the land that became Washington Park. This exhibition invites us to honor the layered histories of the land that forms the park — from the first stewards of this place to those who later sought belonging here — and to reflect on how...

Women’s fashion shifted dramatically around World War I, moving from ornate Edwardian styles to the streamlined silhouettes of the 1920s — mirroring broader social change. Featuring portraits taken by photographers at Portland’s Bushnell Studio from 1915 to 1925, this exhibition...

More than a scenic drive, Oregon’s Highway 101 has shaped life along the coast for a century — but the story of travel here begins far earlier. Since time immemorial, Native people have lived along Oregon’s coast, using waterways, beaches, and extensive trail networks for travel and...

In honor of Independence Day, OHS is hosting a special display of what is believed to be the first United States flag raised in Portland after Oregon became the 33rd state. The flag was hand-sewn by Ann Elizabeth Bills in 1861 and is preserved in OHS’s museum collection.

While the Yasui family endured racism and incarceration, they also shared a commitment to equal justice through engagement with the local, state, and national forces that determined — and withheld — their civil rights. Through photographs, personal journals, documents, and objects,...