Grand Opening: Caboose 507

[FREE admission to the Museum all day from 10 am – 4 pm]

On September 19, 2025, at 10 AM, Willamette Heritage Center will open its first permanent exhibit since 2007 – 18 years ago!

The grand opening of Caboose 507 will provide hands-on learning throughout the interactive exhibit. Thanks to the new ramp built by our hard-working staff and volunteers, Caboose 507 now offers accessible opportunities for everyone to view this treasure from Salem’s history.
Join us for the ribbon cutting ceremony at 10:00 AM, then stick around to celebrate with free admission to the museum for the day, plenty of activities for the kids, and smash burgers available for purchase, courtesy of Lively Station.

We can’t wait to spend the day with you and unveil this exciting new exhibit.

More about Caboose 507:
The west half of the museum’s parking lot used to belong to the Southern Pacific Railroad Company and contained Section Housing for railroad workers and track maintenance sheds for equipment. The forthcoming Rail heritage exhibit will look at the history of the railroad on this site and the industry it supported.

Built for the Oregon & California Railroad in 1909, this wooden caboose was moved to the museum grounds in 2017. Future exhibits will talk about what life was like on the railroad and how it supported local industry.

Learn more about the history here.