Corvallis Historic Auto Club

08/24/2026

08/20/2026

Of interest to club members

𝙏𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝘼𝙞𝙧 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢 𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙑𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝘼𝙫𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢

𝙁𝙊𝙍 𝙄𝙈𝙈𝙀𝘿𝙄𝘼𝙏𝙀 𝙍𝙀𝙇𝙀𝘼𝙎𝙀

TILLAMOOK, Oregon- August 20, 2026 — The Port of Tillamook Bay Commissioners have approved a term sheet for the land lease and future sale of Tillamook’s historic World War II-era Hangar B to Vintage Aviation Museum, a Utah-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

With Vintage Aviation Museum set to assume operation of the Museum from the Port of Tillamook Bay and become its future owner and operator, an exciting new chapter is beginning for the Museum. 𝘽𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚: 𝙬𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝘼𝙞𝙧 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢.

Our identity is deeply connected to Tillamook, Naval Air Station Tillamook, historic Hangar B, and the people and stories that have shaped this remarkable place for more than eight decades. Preserving and sharing that history will remain at the heart of everything we do.

Work is already beginning behind the scenes as we are preparing to welcome visitors back to the museum. We look forward to sharing a reopening date as plans move forward.

Vintage Aviation Museum plans to relocate most of its aircraft collection to Tillamook, bringing additional historic aircraft to Hangar B and expanding the Museum’s aviation collection. Looking ahead, the vision is to utilize the entire historic blimp hangar for aviation-related exhibits, aircraft displays, preservation, education, and visitor experiences.

The future of historic Hangar B will remain a priority. Following the Museum’s reopening, efforts will continue toward the repair, restoration, and long-term preservation of this extraordinary piece of Oregon and American aviation history so that it can be preserved and enjoyed by visitors for generations to come.

At the Tillamook Air Museum, we have always believed in thinking big, taking chances, and finding new ways to bring aviation history to life. Operating as part of a nonprofit organization will provide greater flexibility to pursue new opportunities, partnerships, funding sources, and projects as the Museum moves forward. Visitors can expect us to keep pursuing ambitious projects exploring new ideas and creating opportunities that keep the Museum moving forward.

Just as importantly, we will continue strengthening our connection with the community we call home. Education and outreach will remain an important part of our mission, including working with local schools and developing partnerships throughout our community.

We want to recognize and thank the Port of Tillamook Bay, which has owned and operated the Tillamook Air Museum for more than a decade. We have enjoyed a strong and supportive relationship with the Port, and the Museum would not be what it is today without their trust, support, and belief in our mission. We are deeply grateful for everything they have done to help us grow and look forward to continuing that relationship into the future.

Our relationship with the Friends of the Tillamook Air Museum (FOTAM) will remain an important part of our future. FOTAM’s volunteers have provided tremendous support to the museum and its mission, and we are incredibly grateful for their dedication and hard work. We look forward to continuing our strong partnership with FOTAM as we move forward together.

For those who would like to be part of this next chapter, contributions to Vintage Aviation Museum can help support exhibit preparation, restoration, and other work associated with preparing the Tillamook Air Museum to once again welcome the public.

𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝘼𝙞𝙧 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙑𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝘼𝙫𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢:

https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/7577fb8f-4c8d-4f84-94d9-7dbdd9408746

We look forward to what comes next and, most importantly, to welcoming you back to the Tillamook Air Museum.

Additional information, including updates on our progress and a reopening date, will be shared as plans move forward.

𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙑𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝘼𝙫𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢

The Vintage Aviation Museum is a Utah-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving historic aircraft, aviation artifacts, and the stories of the people who shaped aviation history. Through preservation, education, exhibits, and visitor experiences, the museum works to ensure that America’s aviation heritage remains accessible to future generations.

𝘼𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙏𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝘼𝙞𝙧 𝙈𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙪𝙢

Housed in historic World War II-era Hangar B, the Tillamook Air Museum is a dynamic and ever-changing aviation museum dedicated to bringing history to life. Featuring a diverse collection of historic aircraft, immersive displays, hands-on interactive exhibits, and unique visitor experiences, the museum shares the remarkable story of Naval Air Station Tillamook while exploring aviation and military history from across the nation and around the world. The Tillamook Air Museum believes history should be experienced, not simply observed, and continues to find new and exciting ways to make the past accessible, educational, and fun for visitors of all ages.

𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙨

Sean O’Brien
President, Vintage Aviation Museum
503-569-4387
[email protected]

Christian Gurling
Museum Curator, Tillamook Air Museum
503-842-5793
[email protected]

Michele Bradley
General Manager, Port of Tillamook Bay
503-354-8043
[email protected]

08/06/2026

In February 1942, bulldozers rolled into the fir-covered farmland north of Corvallis, and by that September, a city had risen from nothing. Camp Adair, originally called the Corvallis Cantonment, was built in just seven months on 57,000 acres of the Willamette Valley. Nearly 1,800 buildings went up: 500 barracks, a full hospital complex, a bakery, a bank, five movie theaters, and eleven chapels. 🪖

At its peak, Camp Adair held roughly 40,000 soldiers, more people than lived in most Oregon cities at the time. Had it been incorporated, it would have briefly ranked as the second largest city in the entire state. The 96th "Deadeye" and 104th "Timberwolf" Infantry Divisions trained here on muddy maneuver grounds soldiers nicknamed "Swamp Adair," preparing for campaigns across the Pacific and Europe. The camp was formally dedicated on September 6, 1943, honoring Henry Rodney Adair, a cavalry officer killed in action in 1916. 🇺🇸

By 1946 the barracks emptied, but the site kept serving: a naval hospital, a detention camp for German and Italian prisoners of war, and later an Air Force radar station that stood watch until 1969. Today most of that vast cantonment has returned to farmland and the E.E. Wilson Wildlife Area, with the small city of Adair Village carrying the name forward. Two original barracks were moved and preserved near Adair Village City Hall in 2010, among the last physical links to the 40,000 who once trained here. 🌲

For a few years in the 1940s, this quiet stretch of the Willamette Valley was one of the largest, busiest places in Oregon. Have you ever driven past Adair Village and wondered what stood there during the war?