Events Calendar
 What's Happening? From our interactive museum exhibits to our Research Library to our premier meeting and event space, there's always something fun happening at the Oregon Historical Society. See below for upcoming events.
Spring & Summer 2013 Calendar of Events click here (PDF) Want to be the first to find out about new events and exhibits at OHS? Sign up for our e-mail list Community Day A quarterly free day for the whole family! Saturday, June 22 Activities from 11 AM – 3 PM, free admission all day! Presented by Portland General Electric
Join us as we celebrate the opening of our two summer exhibits on the presidency and civil rights! Take a docent led tour through Windows on America: The Challenges of Presidential Leadership and For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights. Meet our 16th president Abraham Lincoln as actor Stephen Holgate recreates a 19th century town hall meeting at 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM. Visit with civil rights activists Bob Boyer, Harvey Lee Garnett, and Donna Maxey in the For All the World to See exhibit hall from Noon to 3 PM. Make a Lincoln hat at the craft table, or add your artistic flair to a collage project. End the day with a bite of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, sold on the plaza by New Avenues for Youth. History Pub “Portland’s Don Johnson: From Kennedy School to the World Champion N.Y. Yankees” Monday, June 24, 7 PM McMenamins Kennedy School Co-sponsored with Holy Names Heritage Center and McMenamins Free and open to the public
For 16 years, beginning in the mid-1940s, Don Johnson did what so many kids only dream of doing. He played professional baseball with the likes of Satchel Paige, Ted Williams, even Fidel Castro. He roomed with DiMaggio, hitchhiked to Spring Training with Billy Martin, and to this day wears a World Championship ring. Don didn’t make the Hall of Fame, nor--in the days before big salaries and multi-million dollar endorsements—did he make a fortune. But he is rich beyond measure with memories of historical, hilarious, and unbelievable experiences and exploits he shared with some of baseball’s greatest legends and biggest characters! Lunchtime Lecture: “Lincoln: Historical Reflections on Hollywood’s Interpretation” Dr. G. Thomas Edwards, William Kirkman Professor of History Emeritus, Whitman College Wednesday, June 26 at 12 PM OHS Madison Room Free with museum admission
Professor Edwards, who for many years taught classes about the Civil War and has led several tours of battlefield sites, offers a historian’s insights on the recent Hollywood blockbuster, Lincoln. He will address questions such as: Was the debate over the Thirteenth Amendment the best issue for film makers to address? What is the historical basis for the film? What additional context or scenes could have been included, and what historical inaccuracies are portrayed in the film? Regardless of how you felt about the film (or if you saw it at all), this presentation will offer a historian’s insights on a significant historical event. Maxville Annual Gathering Saturday, June 29, 10 AM – 4 PM City Park, Downtown Wallowa
A program of the Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center, proudly co-sponsored by the Oregon Historical Society The Maxville Annual Gathering — a full-day family-friendly event that celebrates the logging history of Wallowa County — is organized by the Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center, which collects, preserves, and interprets the rich history of the multicultural logging community of Maxville, Oregon, and similar communities in the Pacific Northwest. (Learn more about the Center in the Summer 2012 issue of the Oregon Historical Quarterly.) This year’s gathering will feature talks by regional and national scholars about the history of the Civilian Conservation Corps, including the particular history of African Americans who served and the Corps’ impact on the Pacific Northwest. Admission is free, and donations are welcome. “Laughing All the Way to the White House” with OHS Executive Director Kerry Tymchuk Tuesday, July 2, 7 PM Free and open to the public
OHS Executive Director Kerry Tymchuk assisted former Senator Bob Dole in the writing of two books of political humor, Great Political Wit, and Great Presidential Wit (in which they ranked all of our nation’s presidents by their sense of humor). In "Laughing All the Way to the White House," Tymchuk will share some of his favorite stories, jokes, and anecdotes as told by America's presidents. Celebrate Independence Day with the Founding Fathers! Oregon History Museum Open July 4th 10 AM – 5 PM
Before the fireworks kick off, visit the Oregon History Museum for a tour of Windows on America: The Challenges of Presidential Leadership. Spend Independence Day with Washington, Lincoln, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and other notable leaders of our country. **Note the OHS Research Library will be closed on July 4th** Book Signing: Nikkei Baseball: Japanese American Players From Immigration To Internment To The Major Leagues with Samuel Regalado Wednesday, July 10 at 12 PM OHS Madison Room Free with museum admission
Join author Samuel Regalado for a talk and book signing on his newest work, Nikkei Baseball. According to Japanese Americans author Paul R. Spickard, the book is, “a worthy intellectual contribution that details the transformation of the meaning of baseball for Japanese Americans,[and is] is likely to be on the shelves of every scholar of sport history.” A historian of sport history himself, Regalado has appeared on NPR, PBS, "The American Experience," and was a 1994 Smithsonian Fellow. Summer of Citizenship Lecture: Dr. Kimberly Jensen Wednesday, July 10, 7 PM “From Citizens to Enemy Aliens: Oregon Women, Marriage, and the Surveillance State during the First World War” $5, Free for OHS Members Purchase or reserve your ticket
Federal legislation in effect from 1907 to 1922 required women who were U.S. citizens and then married men who were citizens of other nations to forfeit their U.S. citizenship and take on the civic status of their husbands. During the First World War, some 400 Oregon women became enemy aliens as a result of their marriage to German men in the state. Registered and kept under surveillance by state and local officials, many of the women resisted state actions against them and definitions of themselves as enemies and aliens. Their case challenged the idea of democracy at home at a time when the Wilson administration and many Americans believed that the United States was participating in a war to make the world safe for democracy.
Dr. Kimberly Jensen is Professor of History and Gender Studies at Western Oregon University and is the author of Oregon’s Doctor to the World: Esther Pohl Lovejoy and a Life in Activism (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2012). Summer of Citizenship Lecture: Professor Robert J. Miller Sunday, July 14, 2 PM “Are American Indians Federal and State Citizens Today?” $5, Free for OHS Members Purchase or reserve your ticket
American Indians are mentioned in the United States Constitution, and the Founding Fathers recognized that they were not American citizens or citizens of the states where they were located, but were instead citizens of their own indigenous governments. Starting in 1887, Congress began granting U.S. citizenship to some Indians under specific statutes. All Indians were finally made U.S. citizens in 1924, but the states took several decades to recognize Indians as state citizens. Professor Miller will explain this process and its continuing effect and controversy today.
Robert Miller is a professor at Lewis & Clark Law School and will be moving to the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University in August. He is the Chief Justice of the Grand Ronde Tribe Court of Appeals and is a citizen of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe. He is a board member of the Oregon Historical Society. Oregon Project Dayshoot 30th Anniversary Event July 15, 2013, Midnight-Midnight
On July 15, 2013, photographers and videographers from around Oregon, will participate in a 24-hour project to capture a single day’s worth of images across the state. This historical event will take place 30 years to the day after the original Project Dayshoot, in which 92 Oregon photographers collected thousands of photographs between midnight and midnight on July 15, 1983. This year’s event will include many of the same photographers who participated in the original project. The goal of the project is to record and preserve a portrait of the state as seen through the lenses of its citizens. These images will be displayed online and in a physical exhibit, and will become part of the permanent collection of the Oregon Historical Society. The organizers of the project invite professional photographers and videographers to participate in this unique event. For more information, contact Brian Burk at 503-781-0567 or projectdayshoot@gmail.com, or visit their website at http://dayshoot30.org/.
Summer of Citizenship Lecture: Dr. William Lang Wednesday, July 17, 12 PM “Citizens in the New West: Thomas Jefferson, the Louisiana Purchase, and New Orleans” $5, Free for OHS Members Purchase or reserve your ticket
When we think about the Louisiana Purchase, we usually think about the huge territory acquired from France in 1803, but there were many small stories as part of that acquisition – in some ways none more interesting that Jefferson’s idea for the city of New Orleans, the second most important port in America at the time. A story about slavery, wealth, and citizenship, Jefferson’s ideal New Orleans was impossible to match with reality.
Dr. William L. Lang is Professor Emeritus of History at Portland State University and the author or editor of over seven books of history on the American West. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Oregon Encyclopedia Editorial Board and is a board member of the Oregon Historical Society. Summer of Citizenship Lecture: Dr. Preston Pulliams Tuesday, July 23, 7 PM “Citizenship Education and the American Civil Rights Movement” $5, Free for OHS Members Purchase or reserve your ticket
Citizenship education played a significant role in the drive for voting rights and civil rights for African Americans. For example, in the 1940’s Citizenship Schools were created in the South to increase African-American adult literacy and to empower African-American communities. These Citizenship Schools, by helping African-American Southerners learn to read, contributed to successful efforts for the right to vote and building the foundation for the Civil Rights Movement. Citizenship education continues to be a significant factor in the ongoing struggle for equality in America.
Dr. Preston Pulliams, who will retire as District President of Portland Community College in June 2013, has served in community college administrations for several decades and also has taught at the graduate and undergraduate level as well as in high schools, focusing on civics, psychology, and educational leadership. He serves as a board member of the Oregon Historical Society. History Pub “Holmes v. Ford: Slavery on Trial in the Oregon Territory” with R. Gregory Nokes, author of Breaking Chains: Slavery on Trial in the Oregon Territory Monday, July 29 at 7 PM (doors open at 6 PM) At McMenamins Kennedy School Co-sponsored with Holy Names Heritage Center and McMenamins Free & open to the public; donations to the Oregon Food Bank accepted
Missouri slaves Robin and Polly Holmes and their children were brought to Oregon in 1844 by their owner, Nathaniel Ford, with the promise of freedom in exchange for developing his Willamette Valley farm. Ignoring the Oregon Territory's unenforced law against slavery, Ford didn't free the parents until 1850, even then keeping their children. Seeking the return of his son and two daughters, Holmes took his former master — an influential farmer and legislator — to court. In his new book, R. Gregory Nokes (author of Massacred for Gold: The Chinese in Hells Canyon) tells the story of the only slavery case adjudicated in Oregon’s pre–Civil War courts. He follows the largely unknown experiences of other Oregon slaves and explores the historical context of racism in the West. Summer of Citizenship Lecture: Dr. Robert Johnston Wednesday, August 7, 12 PM “Democracy and the Politics of the Body: From Anti-Vaccination to Anti-Fluoridation in Oregon History” $5, Free for OHS Members Purchase or reserve your ticket
Oregon’s current anti-fluoridation movement has plenty of precedents in terms of popular concerns about the politics of the body. Citizens have long resisted mainstream views of public health, especially in regard to vaccination. Conventional ideas emphasize the danger and irrationality of those who fight the establishment, but Johnston sees such dissidents as—on the whole—wise and democratic.
Robert D. Johnston is Associate Professor of History and Director of the Teaching of History Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is the author of The Radical Middle Class: Populist Democracy and the Question of Capitalism in Progressive Era Portland, Oregon and is at work on a history of controversies over vaccination in American history for Oxford University Press. Summer of Citizenship Lecture: Dr. Andrew Fisher Wednesday, August 14, 12 PM "Speaking for the First Americans: Nipo Strongheart and the Campaign for American Indian Citizenship" $5, Free for OHS Members Purchase or reserve your ticket
Nipo Strongheart, a showman of mixed Yakama and white ancestry, travelled the country during the 1920s as a professional lecturer, chautauqua performer, and field representative for the Society of American Indians. Fighting on two fronts – the cultural and the political – he joined other "Red Progressives" lobbying for reforms in federal Indian policy and full citizenship for the "First Americans." This talk, part of a larger study of Strongheart's life and career, uses his activism to explore questions of national belonging in a time of heated debate over the place of non-whites, new immigrants, and women within the United States.
Andrew Fisher grew up in Portland, attended the University of Oregon, and received his Ph.D. in History from Arizona State University. His first book, Shadow Tribe: The Making of Columbia River Indian Identity, examined off-reservation Native communities and tribal nation-building along the Mid-Columbia. Summer of Citizenship Lecture: Gov. Barbara Roberts Sunday, August 18, 2 PM "Voting: Inclusion. Exclusion. Confusion. Where does Oregon stand?" $5, Free for OHS Members Purchase or reserve your ticket
Former Oregon Governor Barbara Roberts will give the audience a history lesson complete with "the good, the bad, and the ugly" in Oregon's voting past. As a former Secretary of State in charge of Oregon's voting system, she has experienced the state's more recent record of opening access to more and more voters. As a descendent of Oregon Trail pioneers, however, she is also keenly aware of the exclusionary voting past Oregon locked into the state's original constitution. She weaves these contradictions together and then measures Oregon's current voting laws and practices against our nation's 49 remaining states. Roberts's thirty years in elective office coupled with a decade directing programs on government leadership at Harvard University and Portland State University give her a broad perspective on voting laws and policy. Summer of Citizenship Lecture: Pat Young Wednesday, August 21, 12 PM “Building Political Power: Stories from the Early Days of Gay Rights” $5, Free for OHS Members Purchase or reserve your ticket
Five dollars a plate for Spaghetti. Twenty five cents for buttons. 150 dollar donations to candidates who supported gay rights. A staff member sleeping on the office floor at night just in case someone called who needed help. These are some of the things that Portland Town Council did during the early days of gay rights in the late 1970s. By the mid 1980s, another gay rights group raised thousands of dollars and charged $100 a plate to attend a fundraising dinner. Lesbian lawyers won cases so gay parents could keep custody of their kids. Lesbians formed a vibrant culture with bookstores, softball, and women’s music. Then there was the backlash. Anti-gay ballot measures were sponsored by the Oregon Citizen’s Alliance with the slogan of “No Special Rights for Homosexuals.” That was then, but how times have changed as gay marriage is on the horizon.
For the past 19 years, the Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest (GLAPN), housed at OHS, has been saving and collecting local gay history. Pat Young, who holds an M.A. in History from Portland State University, has been a member of GLAPN from the beginning. She will share stories about local gay history and the GLAPN collection. History Pub Portland in the 1960s: Stories from the Counterculture with author Polina Olsen Monday, August 26, 7 PM At McMenamins Bagdad Theater *note different location* Co-sponsored with Holy Names Heritage Center and McMenamins Free & open to the public; donations to the Oregon Food Bank accepted
The August History Pub will feature a panel discussion with Portland author Polina Olsen and notable counterculture icons of the era. Following the presentation, local musicians will perform songs that inspired and were inspired by this revolutionary time. In 1968, Newsweek reported an imminent threat of twenty thousand hippies descending on Portland, Oregon. Although the numbers were exaggerated, Portland did boast a vibrant 1960s culture of disenchanted and disenfranchised individuals seeking social and political revolution. Barefoot and bell-bottomed, they hung out in Portland's bohemian underground and devised a better world. What began in coffee shop conversations found its voice in the Willamette Bridge newspaper, KBOO radio station, and the Portland State University student strike, resulting in social, artistic, and political change in the Rose City. The panelists will bring to life the beat-snapping Caffe Espresso, the incense and black light posters of the Psychedelic Supermarket, and the spontaneous concerts and communal soups in Lair Park. Summer of Citizenship Lecture: Nichole Maher Tuesday, September 3, 7 PM “Making the Invisible Visible: Research and Advocacy on Behalf of Urban Communities” $5, Free for OHS Members Purchase or reserve your ticket
Although commonly described as one of the whitest cities in America, the Portland metro area is actually home to a wide array of diverse people of color, including communities of African Americans, African immigrants and refugees, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Latinos, Native Americans, and Slavic communities. Faced with a history of relocation, institutional racism, and complex relationships to citizenship, members of those communities in 2001 formed the Coalition of Communities of Color to increase political power and obtain self-determination by bringing to the public the data necessary to understand inequality and advance equity. Maher will discuss the communities’ complicated relationships to citizenship and how they have responded with research and advocacy.
Nichole Maher, a member of the Tlingit Tribe of Southeastern Alaska, is currently president and CEO of Northwest Health Foundation; she served as the executive director of the Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA) in Portland, Oregon, for over 11 years. She holds a Master’s in Public Health from the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University and two Bachelors of Science. Summer of Citizenship Lecture: Dr. Marcela Mendoza Sunday, September 15, 2 PM “Citizenship and Belonging in Uncertain Times” $5, Free for OHS Members Purchase or reserve your ticket
The sense of belonging, and also of feeling integrated into a nation and a culture, are much deeper and substantial than the fact of holding legal citizenship. Yet, the mixed assemblage of rights and responsibilities included in attaining citizenship has significant meaning for every person who chooses to obtain a new nationality. This talk will look deeply into civic integration, exploring the legal, cultural, and emotional aspects of citizenship and belonging through the lives of Latin American immigrants in the United States.
Dr. Marcela Mendoza serves as the Executive Director of Centro LatinoAmericano in Eugene and is an anthropologist with thirty years of experience in field research and academic teaching. With Erlinda Gonzales-Berry, she is the co-author of Mexicanos in Oregon. Worldwide Spin in Public Day Saturday, September 21, 9 AM – 3 PM OHS Plaza Free and open to the public
Oregon’s diverse climates and fertile environments made it a booming hub for textiles in the 19th century. American entrepreneurs saw an emerging textile market all across the western territories, and they went to Oregon to make their fortunes. Raising livestock and making fiber, these frontier craftsmen produced goods that rivaled the finest cloths of Europe. In celebration of this history, OHS will host nearly 30 dedicated spinners for “Worldwide Spin in Public Day.” Come meet us in the plaza, where the spinners will be using wheels and spindles to honor the lost art of hand-made textiles. A demo table will be in the center of the plaza for anyone who wants to try their hand at spinning. Make Your Next Meeting Historic! Are you a member of a group or organization that would like to learn more about the Oregon Historical Society? Invite an OHS volunteer docent to attend your next meeting to learn about the exciting programs and services YOUR Historical Society has to offer!
Please fill out the form below and return to Rachel Randles at communications@ohs.org or by mail to 1200 SW Park Avenue, Portland, OR 97205. Once we receive your request, we will connect you with a volunteer docent to further discuss your event.
Event Request Form (PDF) Partner Events & Programs Free reciprocal admission to the Washington State History Museum June 15 - September 30, 2013
OHS Members: Take a road trip to Tacoma this summer for a FREE visit to our friends at the Washington State History Museum (present your membership card at the admissions counter at arrival). Opening June 8th at the museum is the exhibit In the Spirit: Northwest Native Arts, a precursor to the museum's annual festival on August 17. Held each year in August, In the Spirit: Northwest Native Arts Market and Festival encompasses a day of dancing, drumming, singing, and shopping with a diverse group of Native American artists - the perfect event for a weekend getaway up north! On August 24, get the real story on the infamous D.B. Cooper. In Cooper, visitors will explore many unanswered questions in the open investigation of the D.B. Cooper hijacking of Northwest Orient Airlines 305 in 1971. Feel as if you’re in an airport as you tour through the timeline and see artifacts such as the remaining parachute from the Cooper flight. OHS Partners with Vanport Oral History Film Fest Contest Contest Deadline: September 30, 2013 Monthly submissions due on the last day of each month
The Oregon Historical Society (OHS) has partnered with The Skanner Foundation to promote the North Portland Multimedia Training Center’s (NPMTC) 2013 Vanport Oral History Film Festival Contest. The 2013 contest, also sponsored by the Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission, invites submissions of a 3-5 minute video “snapshot” of individuals sharing their history. Although the film fest is named in honor of the lost city of Vanport, any topic or individual may be filmed as long as it can be classified as “oral history.” Another change this year is that any recording device can be used as long as the production transmits electronically or can be put on a DVD. For contest rules and to register, go to www.npmtc.com.
OHS will share their expertise to promote the contest through social media, event announcements and materials. Both organizations believe this is a great opportunity to increase historical awareness to the Portland community through the oral history genre. Oregon Experience From historical biographies to issues and events that have shaped our state, Oregon Experience is an exciting television series co-produced by OPB and the Oregon Historical Society. The series explores Oregon's rich past and helps all of us — from natives to newcomers — gain a better understanding of the historical, social and political fabric of our state.
Each half-hour show brings to life fascinating characters — both familiar and forgotten — who've played key roles in building our state into the unique place we call home. |
