Willamette Heritage Exhibits

Changing Exhibits

In partnership with Coral Knit Fiber Arts, the Willamette Heritage Center is headed under the sea with a walk-through, “underwater” textile exhibit. This exhibit is included with museum admission.
Opening March 22, 2024 at 10 am.

Members only preview, March 21, 2024 5:30 – 6:30 pm

Permanent Exhibits

Houses Tour

The Willamette Heritage Center cares for three of the oldest frame houses still standing in the Pacific Northwest. The Lee House and the Methodist Parsonage were built in 1841 to house members of the Methodist Mission to Oregon (1834-1844).

The Boon House was the residence built by Oregon Trail travelers John D. and Martha Hawkins Boon and family in 1847. Today the houses host a variety of exhibits from period rooms to hands-on galleries that look at the lives and livelihoods of Mid-Willamette Valley residents of the past.

Thomas Kay Woolen Mill

The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, founded in 1889 by Thomas Lister Kay, was one of numerous textile mills that operated throughout the Valley. These textile mills were critical components in Oregon’s economic stability. The Mill produced fine woolen blankets and fabric for more than seventy years and was managed by four generations of the Kay family – a legacy still perpetuated at the world-renowned Pendleton Woolen Mills, owned and operated by Kay’s descendants.

Rail Heritage Exhibits (COMING SOON!)

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.

Travelling Exhibits

Do you want to host an exhibit?

The Willamette Heritage Center has a number of stand alone exhibits available for loan to local organizations.