By Virginia Bruce

A coalition of history groups around the county is working to save the history collection housed on the PCC Rock Creek Campus. The History Roundtable is conducting a survey to gather public input to help find a solution to the crisis. Following a series of poor decisions by the former board and a drastic loss of funding, the county museum closed in late 2024. Since then, the Washington County History Roundtable has been advocating to save the massive collection of physical belongings, archival records, and photographs. 

The collection originated in the 1890s with a settler descendant group, Native Sons and Daughters of Oregon. In the 1950s, the collection came under the care of the Washington County Historical Society. The current facility was built at the Portland Community College Rock Creek Campus in 1982. The Society expanded the building in 2008 and rebranded it as Washington County Museum. It was rebranded again by a new leadership team as Five Oaks in 2018.

The museum had been partially funded by Washington County, who also owns the collection of photographs, documents, and artifacts. After the museum closed, the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) looked at several options: moving a county imaging team to the building, hiring an outside contractor to do inventory, moving the collection to smaller or long-term storage, resurrecting the old Washington County Historical Society, or opening a Request for Proposals (RFP) process concurrent with conducting inventory.

None of those options were chosen. Instead, the BCC has opted to hire two specialists to conduct inventory over the next three-to-five years. Then the county will open the RFP process to look for a new steward to care for the collection and possibly run a museum. If they do not receive an acceptable proposal by 2033, the county will make further decisions about the future of the collection. The current BCC does not want to use county funds for the museum past the RFP process. After the May and/or November elections, new BCC leadership and new members could decide to revise the plan when they take office in 2027.

According to the lease agreement with PCC, the county or new steward must vacate the building by 2038, so the school can have the facility for their campus purposes. If a solution can be found, a new steward may be able to re-negotiate with the county and/or PCC for continued support and new lease agreements.

The county staff working on the inventory plan and securing the facility have submitted a budget, which could be accepted by the BCC in June, or it may require revision, thus delaying the process further. Staff are still working on an inventory plan which they will submit at the same time. Once both are approved, specialists will be hired to conduct the inventory.  

Finding a capable group or setting up a new non-profit takes time, dedication, and funding. Many decisions need to be made, so the Roundtable wants to get opinions and ideas from everyone who has an interest in saving this important collection and making our shared history accessible to the public again. We are also looking for more members. Currently meetings are held over Zoom, and time commitment and involvement is up to the volunteer.

Please click this link and take the survey! No prior knowledge is needed. The survey takes about two minutes. You can take it anonymously or include your name/email. If you’re interested in getting involved, we welcome new participants. Email Virginia Bruce for more information.