Windows on America

Type: Online Exhibit Audience(s): Teachers, Family-friendly

  • Teachers
  • Family-friendly
  • Handicap Accessible Friendly

From June 2013 through February 2014, the Oregon Historical Society was proud to showcase Windows on America, the first ever public display of the world-class Mark Family Collection. Now, thanks to a new partnership with Visiting Media, students and history enthusiasts across Oregon and beyond can experience the exhibit online!

Using Visiting Media TrueTour™ technology and a computer or tablet, visitors to the virtual exhibit can experience the same content offered in the physical exhibit, as well as new digital enhancements. Get up close to artifacts, read text panels, hear recordings of historic documents, and go behind the scenes of some of the exhibit's treasures in videos with OHS Executive Director Kerry Tymchuk.

Tips for Exploring the Online Exhibit

  • Click or tap and drag on the TrueTour™ to rotate your view of the exhibit.
  • Scroll or pinch to zoom in or out
  • Click or tap the Full Screen button to expand or contract the TrueTour™.
  • Full-screen icon
  • Click or tap an Arrow icon to move to a different spot in the exhibit.
  • Arrow icon (alt)
  • Click or tap a Play icon to view short videos with OHS Executive Director Kerry Tymchuk.
  • Play icon (alt)
  • Click or tap an Information Icon to read more about an object, or to listen to audio readings of original documents.
  • Information icon (alt)
  • Click or tap an Information Icon to read more about an object, or to listen to audio readings of original documents.

About the Exhibition

Carefully acquired over more than fifty years, the Mark Family Collection consists of documents, images, and objects that give unique perspective on more than two centuries of American history. Focusing on presidential leadership and major turning points in the history of the United States, this exhibition opens windows in the hearts, minds, and councils of the most influential leaders of our nation.

The treasures featured in Windows on America rival the Smithsonian collections. Beginning with a letter from George Washington, the exhibition is graced by the likes of Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and John F. Kennedy. Some of the notable highlights include:

  • An exact reproduction of the Declaration of Independence
  • House of Representatives copy of the Thirteenth Amendment
  • Swatch of fabric from Lincoln's Fords Theatre Chair
  • The letter, pierced by a bullet, that was in Teddy Roosevelt's pocket during an assassination attempt in 1912 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  • The only copy of the Atlantic Charter signed by Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt
  • John F. Kennedy's Oval Office Table and Rocking Chair

News Coverage

Pete Mark shares presidential artifacts at Oregon History Museum

OregonLive, June 07, 2013

In 1820,John Quincy Adams hired William J. Stone to create an exact replica of the Declaration of Independence—every flourished signature of each Founding Father, every phrase that shaped the foundation of the United States of America. Stone made 201 copies. Melvin "Pete" Mark, Portland real estate executive, has one. The print is one of about 300 pieces of presidential history Mark has collected over 50 years. For the first time, he's moving them from a vault to the walls of the Oregon History Museum for "Windows on America: The Challenges of Presidential Leadership," open June 15 to Oct. 31.

Windows On America with Kerry Tymchuck

Comcast Newsmakers, November 14, 2013
Comcast Newsmakers of Oregon and Southwest Washington is hosted by veteran journalist Ken Ackerman. It features informational discussions with local, state and federal elected officials as well as community, non-profit, education and civic leaders. It is a great way for residents in the community to find out about the people and issues that directly affect their lives.

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Presenting Sponsors