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

Motown: The Sound of Young America

Curated by the GRAMMY Museum®, this exhibition traces the evolution of the Motown label, focusing on its major artists and musical achievements, and explores how the sound of Motown continues to influence some of pop music’s most important...

September 23, 2022 – March 26, 2023

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Our Unfinished Past: The Oregon Historical Society at 125

For 125 years, the Oregon Historical Society has preserved Oregon’s history through its collections, library, educational programs, exhibitions, and scholarship. This exhibition explores the people, events, and stories that have shaped our...

January 13 – December 17, 2023

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Main Streets: Wesley Andrews Photo Postcards

Main streets are familiar yet distinctive to their time and place. This exhibit, using photographs from the Wesley Andrews postcard collection preserved in OHS’s research library, captures both the homogeneity and uniqueness of main streets

October 26, 2022 – April 30, 2023

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Experience Oregon

Visitors of all ages, and from all parts of the world, come to the Oregon Historical Society each year to learn about Oregon. Whether you were born here, have chosen to make this place home, or are just passing through, it is undeniable...

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Jewish Antifascism

Looking at the Jewish radical tradition, Shane Burley discusses how the Jewish experience can inform an...


Virtual program via Zoom

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From Stumptown to Motown and Back Again: An Evening with Mel Brown

Famed Portland jazz drummer Mel Brown will share stories from his years with Motown records, in...


Oregon Historical Society

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Free Admission for Oregon Statehood Day

February 14, 2023, will mark Oregon’s 164th birthday, and OHS is commemorating this milestone by offering


Oregon Historical Society

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Beyond Oregon: New Scholarship on Jewish Identities in the West

In this presentation, four contributors to the new anthology Jewish Identities in the American West will...


Virtual program via Zoom

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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 the most authoritative and comprehensive online resources on Oregon history. Using expert scholarship and OHS’s extensive collections of photographs, artifacts, and archival materials, the Oregon History...

From the OHS Blog

Oregon Statehood Day and the Legacy of Exclusion

The life of Letitia Carson is the lens for this exploration of the history of Oregon statehood and Black...

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Mark O. Hatfield Lecture Series

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


Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall

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