Current Exhibits
A Museum in the Making
April-May 2025
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The second Tillamook County courthouse after being recently constructed in 1905.
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Lucia Wiley-Portraits of America
"Mrs. Adolf Spreckels"
Portrait of Alma Spreckels, by Lucia Wiley,
pastels,
date unknown
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Currently on display at Tillamook City Hall
210 Laurel Ave, Tillamook, OR 97141 Born and raised in Tillamook, Oregon, Lucia Wiley has become synonymous with the Works Project Administration's beautification efforts during the Great Depression. Though she is revered as a muralist, Wiley's works are variable in style and medium. Two of her murals are located here in Tillamook at the county courthouse and city hall and many of her smaller pieces were donated to the Tillamook County Pioneer museum by her descendants. Visit the Tillamook City Hall to explore the heart of early-mid 20th-century America, both real and imagined, portrayed in Wiley's art and learn about a master artist who called this place home. |
Upcoming Exhibits
Oregon Voices
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September 3 - November 25, 2025
The Oregon Voices traveling exhibit examines some of the important people, industries, organizations, and laws that have shaped the state from the end of World War II through 2020. The exhibit have five, three-sided kiosks covering a the following topics in Oregon's history: Industry and Economy, Equal Rights and Social Justice, Migration and Immigration, Environment and Energy, and the Indigenous Tribes of Oregon. |
Past Exhibits
Letitia Carson: An Enduring Spirit of Hope and Freedom
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February 1 - March 29, 2025
Letitia Carson was a Black Oregon homesteader, farmer, and matriarch living in the time of Oregon’s exclusion laws. This exhibit tells the story of Letitia’s transition from enslaved woman to landowner, and how her persistence and grit carved pathways for Black and Indigenous Oregonians today. Researched and curated by Oregon's only historical society dedicated to preserving and presenting the experiences of African Americans statewide for more than 30 years. To learn more, visit the Oregon Black Pioneers website by clicking here. |
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Contact: How Cross-Cultural Exchange Shapes Us
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February-November 2023
The second installment of The Placemaking Series, Contact: How Cross-Cultural Exchange Shapes Us, seeks to explore the widely accepted story of First Contact between Europeans and the Indigenous Tillamook people. First Contact is defined as when two or more cultures, who have never interacted, meet for the first time. Social scientists then expect to see changes in physical items and social customs as a result of that interaction. However, records shows us foreign influence through Material Culture reached the North Oregon Coast decades before any European power permanently settled in the Oregon Country. This poses the question: What influence do objects have on humans and societies? And does that change how we think about the stories of history we accept and teach each other? Contact: How Cross Cultural Exchange Shapes Us Virtual Exhibit |
The Power of Place: Tillamook's Founding Industries
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April-December 2022
This exhibit explores how Tillamook County's unique environment gave rise to its founding industries: dairy, timber, fishing, and tourism. Moreover, it examines the relationship between people and the land, the impact of our environment on our communities through the centuries, and our impact on the natural world around us. The Power of Place highlights how interconnected our past, present, and future are to the land and water we live on, and how it has shaped who we are and who we will grow to be. |
1927 Hammond Mill, Garibaldi, OR
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The Tillamook County Fair: A Time to Shine
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July - December 2021
Come explore the history of one of Tillamook County's most beloved and renowned fixtures--the Tillamook County Fair! From its humble beginnings as a downtown "carnival" in the late 19th century, to its present lineup of horse racing, 4H contests, big-name musical acts, and of course, the Pig N' Ford races, one thing has always been at the center of it all: Community. We invite you to learn about what has been ranked as one of the best county fairs in the United States and to get excited for fair time to roll around again. |
1954 Tillamook County Fair Pig N' Ford Races (Courtesy of Rosemary Zimmerman)
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Art Accelerated
Black-Capped Chickadee
Watercolor on canvas, 2020
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Feb 2-May 28, 2021
TCPM partnered with local, artist-based non-profit Art Accelerated to bring a temporary gallery space for local artists to exhibit and sell their works. 20% of art sales were donated to the museum. Contact Art Accelerated for future shows/information. |
Her-Story: An Oregon Perspective on the Women's Suffrage Movement
Poster of Inez Milholland Boissevain, a martyr for the cause of Suffrage
February-November 2020
To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, TCPM exhibited photos and narrative of the women of the National Movement as well as Oregon participants.
Included essays by today's prominent Oregonian women - including Governor Kate Brown, Poet Laureate Emerita Paulann Petersen and Senator Betsy Johnson - as to what the vote means to them.
To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote, TCPM exhibited photos and narrative of the women of the National Movement as well as Oregon participants.
Included essays by today's prominent Oregonian women - including Governor Kate Brown, Poet Laureate Emerita Paulann Petersen and Senator Betsy Johnson - as to what the vote means to them.