Willamette Heritage Center Changing Exhibits
Caralyn B. Shelton The Nation’s First
Female Governor
Caralyn B. Shelton. WHC Collections 2019.013.0007
Open July 11, 2025 – December 6, 2025
Recognized as the first female acting governor in the United States, Caralyn B. Shelton served as Oregon’s Governor during the transition between the terms of George E. Chamberlain and Frank W. Benson in 1909 – 3 years before Oregon women were granted the right to vote!
In her three-day tenure as acting Oregon Governor, Caralyn B. Shelton demonstrated that a woman could execute the duties of the highest state office. Her story was told by newspapers all over the world at the time, but few today know her name and her remarkable story.
In addition to telling this remarkable story, this exhibit will be the first-time artifacts from the Caralyn B. Shelton Collection at the Willamette Heritage Center will be on display.
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Pop Up Gallery
Renska Swart. 63.1.59.1.19
Corsets and Brassieres: How Undergarments Reflect Women’s Freedoms and Autonomy
April 11 – July 11, 2025
This exhibit highlights the collection of women’s undergarments, sewing supplies, photographs and more from Renska Swart, a Salem businesswoman from the 1920s. Follow the transition from the Victorian age into the modern age as seen from the lens of undergarments and fashion, and the social, political and economic changes that accompany it.
Past Exhibits
See more past exhibits here.