The Tualatin Historical Society began in 1986. Co-founders Loyce Martinazzi and the late Karen Lafky Nygaard thought their interest in Tualatin's early days might be shared by others. They were correct. Early programs, held in the then-new Senior Center and built around a theme -early schools, Oregon Trail settlers, covered bridges - drew good crowds. Many activities and publications have followed, fulfilling the society’s mission "to preserve, promote and interpret the rich and colorful history of Tualatin”:
Pictorial calendars were published for the years 1988-199l. In 1988 the Society held a Diamond Jubilee Ball in Ramada Inn celebrating Tualatin's 75th birthday. In 1990 Society members dismantled the 1875 Hedges House with a plan to re-erect it downtown - the plan came to naught but John Bowles built a charming miniature of the quaint farmhouse for exhibit. In 1991 we helped raise $8,000 to have the collection of mastodon bones assembled by the University of Oregon for a standing display in Tualatin's original library. In 1994 we published, updated in 2004, Tualatin...From the Beginning, Tualatin’s history from the time of ancient mastodon to the building of the upscale Tualatin Commons. In 2002, we launched a digital conservation project to preserve our collection of 2000 historic photos (Tualatin’s Visual Chronicle). In mid-2003, Tualatin’s oldest church, built in 1926, was suddenly given to the THS, but it needed to be moved due to commercial development. Thanks to hundreds of volunteers and the City of Tualatin, we raised over $400,000 in cash and in-kind donations. The building was relocated July 17 and grand opening was held February 11, 2006. It now serves as the Tualatin Heritage Center. The opening of the Center is celebrated each February with a program on some aspect of Tualatin's history. A Heritage Garden planted next to the Center holds descendants of flowers and plants from the early settlers, including the Robbins rose that came over the Oregon Trail and hop plants from an early hop yard. Funds for the garden, $13,000 to date, have been raised by the sale of engraved bricks in the courtyard. In addition, the THS has sponsored harvest festivals, barn dances, Oregon pioneer days for 4th graders, a Winona Cemetery Stroll at Twilight (where 25 early settlers "emerged" from behind their gravestones to tell their story), Tualatin's First Hundred Years, a narrated video of early Tualatin scenes, mini-museums in the Van Raden Center at Crawfish Festivals, tours of historic houses, strawberry festivals and elegant teas at the Sweek House. Currently, we have an ongoing program of recording oral histories; some are included in the four books in the Tualatin-the-way-It-Was series. Last year the THS published a Little Red Schoolhouse coloring book. THS membership now totals more than 200. The Society's board meets on the first Wednesday of each month and holds monthly programs with guest speakers on the first Wednesday at 1:00 pm in the Center which are open to the public.
