Gresham Historical Society

Gresham Historical Society The Gresham Historical Society is a free public resource dedicated to sharing Gresham's history.

The Gresham Historical Society got its start in 1976, the year of the United States Bicentennial. It wasn't until 1989, when the Gresham Library's book collection finally became too big for its building, that the Historical Society gained a permanent home. Gresham's 1913 Carnegie Library opened as the Gresham History Museum in 1994 and it has continued to serve the community ever since. With the g

oal of documenting and preserving Gresham history, we focus on the collection, interpretation, and exhibition of historical items, including books, documents, objects, and photographs. The Gresham History Museum is open five days a week and it features exhibits that rotate regularly in order to showcase the broadest range of historical subjects possible.

09/03/2026

Who else is happy to see the rain return?
Rainy days are a great time to get some work done at the museum. Today, we were hard at work greeting visitors, filing documents, auditing the collections database, and working on the upcoming guidebook. It's a great day to be a museum nerd!

09/02/2026

Can you guess what today's Mystery Object is? The answer may gross you out, but it's a great insight into the lives and values of people who lived a long time ago.
Check back next week for the answer!

08/26/2026

Thursy Jane Cathey led a life of hardship and died at only 50 years old. Of her 11 children, 4 died before the age of 7.
Rose explains how this unusual dress is tied to Thursy's life and death. You can see the dress itself on display in our current exhibit until November 1.

08/21/2026

What's under the bagel shop?
An old basement containing a lot of Gresham's history! Join us for a quick tour behind the scenes at our offsite museum storage.

Meet Old Betsy!This 1928 fire engine has been fully restored and is now on permanent display next to the Gresham Fire De...
08/19/2026

Meet Old Betsy!

This 1928 fire engine has been fully restored and is now on permanent display next to the Gresham Fire Department at City Hall. Not only was it the city's first fire truck; it was still going on calls in the early 1970s! You can learn more about Old Betsy's history, and the process of making a permanent display space for it, on the latest episode of "Fully Involved:" the Gresham Fire Department's YouTube series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLPIQSJsIRI

We’ve had so many visitors to the museum today! Jan and her daughter came in, who had grown up here. They shared many me...
07/30/2026

We’ve had so many visitors to the museum today! Jan and her daughter came in, who had grown up here. They shared many memories of working at Polar King and crazy high school shenanigans. Jan shared this picture from the 1967 Gresham Yearbook of her sister Jean Ross and her friends at Dea’s In and Out. Comment below if you recognize anyone else in the photo! What’s your favorite Dea’s memory?

This cute bird feeder was left behind at the Tie Dye event, at the Gresham Arts Festival. If you lost it come stop by th...
07/24/2026

This cute bird feeder was left behind at the Tie Dye event, at the Gresham Arts Festival. If you lost it come stop by the front desk.

The museum is open and we have AIR CONDITIONING!!! We have a fun scavenger hunt for all levels, adults included. If you’...
07/24/2026

The museum is open and we have AIR CONDITIONING!!! We have a fun scavenger hunt for all levels, adults included. If you’re looking for something to do to keep the kids busy this summer come on in. Who knows what memory will be unlocked or treasure you will find.

Our new sign is Mr. Gresham-approved!Thanks to volunteers Travis and Mike for installing the sign and re-installing the ...
07/23/2026

Our new sign is Mr. Gresham-approved!
Thanks to volunteers Travis and Mike for installing the sign and re-installing the statue, "Family Ties" by Rip Caswell.
The new sign is intended to boost our visibility from Main and 4th Streets. It's made of sandblasted cedar and stands on custom steel supports, and it weighs in at about 200 pounds! As we celebrate our 50th anniversary, it's fitting that our new sign is intended to last (at least) the next 50 years. Come check it out!
This project was made possible by a grant from Travel Portland via the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce.

The team is ready to tie-dye!Join us tomorrow at the museum from 9am to 3pm for DIY Tie Dye, our annual fundraising even...
07/18/2026

The team is ready to tie-dye!

Join us tomorrow at the museum from 9am to 3pm for DIY Tie Dye, our annual fundraising event! You'll get help at every step of the way and take home a groovy t-shirt at the end of it.

See you tomorrow at the Festival of Arts!

Historic Downtown Gresham
Gresham Center for the Arts Foundation

Address

410 N Main Avenue
Gresham, OR
97030

Opening Hours

Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 12pm - 4pm

Telephone

(503) 661-0347

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