In late December last year, people interested in local history received a disturbing email informing us that the county’s history museum was closing. The Washington County Historical Society (WCHS) had been incorporated as a non-profit in 1956. Its collection of photographs, documents, and artifacts, primarily donated by “pioneers”—immigrants from eastern and midwestern US and European countries‚—moved through a variety of locations but finally were collected at a building on the Rock Creek campus of Portland Community College (PCC). It was built in 1982 using funds collected from individuals, businesses, and foundations from around the county, along with funds from the county, which had a 50-year ground lease with PCC. 

In 1987 an agreement was signed granting occupancy of the building and custody of the collections to WCHS for as long as it operates as a museum. An annex to the building was begun to house items in the collection that were not currently on display. Fundraising for the new space stalled, and some of the collection was briefly moved to an exhibit space in downtown Hillsboro. In the 2010s, funds were raised and loans were taken out to finish the annex and the PCC building was once again the site of WCHS operations. Exhibitions on topics from agricultural and industrial history to the Atfálati native people attracted visitors, while the research library was useful to families and historians. 

In 2020, the museum was rebranded as 5 Oaks Museum. The co-directors began moving in a new direction, away from a focus on history and toward what they described as their five values: Body, Land, Truth, Justice, and Community. COVID meant that everything they did at first was online. One exhibit called “Gender Euphoria: Contemporary Art Beyond the Binary” served to alienate many who expected a focus on more traditional historical subjects. 

Operating funds for the museum had been coming from a variety of sources: foundation grants, personal donations, and an annual donation from Washington County, which owns the collections. Several donors and foundations did not renew their funding last year, and 5 Oaks had a six-figure loan liability. By December the board and the management had to close the building and furlough the staff. 

5 Oaks board members gave us this statement, “Our staff and board are heartbroken that Washington County does not see the value, both historically and financially, that Five Oaks Museum provides our incredible community. This museum has dedicated the past five years to local storytelling and collection care, providing impact in classrooms and community centers alike.”

The Washington County Board of Commissioners (BCC) received a proposal from 5 Oaks in early February with “several funding proposals/requests.” The BCC discussed the future of the Museum at their Work Session on February 18. Ann Ober, Assistant County Administrator, and members of her staff recommended against the county taking on a new responsibility that had been financially unfeasible for the non-profit. Discussion among the Commissioners focused only on how to shut down the operation and distribute the collection. The first step in that process is to assess the value of the records and items in the collection. 

A group of local history buffs has been meeting as the History Roundtable for many years, both in person at the museum and virtually through COVID and beyond. We met in January and have been working since then to understand the fiscal situation of the museum and what the options are to bring it back to life. We drafted a resolution asking the county to provide emergency supplemental funding to ensure the safety of the collections. We created a Facebook Group to facilitate further discussion and provide updates to a wider audience.

We invite community members to express to the Commissioners their support for the continuance of an institution to share and celebrate all aspects of Washington County’s history. Information on how to contact them is here.