Clark County Historical Museum
Encyclopedia
The Clark County Historical Museum, Vancouver, Washington
, is located in a 1909 Carnegie library
and is operated by the Clark County
Historical Society, established in 1917.
The museum was responsible for the establishment of the Carnegie Library Consortium of Washington and in 2009 launched "Mr. Carnegie's Grand Tour of Washington," a free, annual automobile-based travel program exploring Washington’s historic Carnegie libraries and nearby heritage sites.
The Clark County Historical Society is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and interpretation of the cultural history of Clark County and the Pacific Northwest
, and to sponsoring educational programs and exhibits for the enrichment of all members of the public.
Since 2004, the museum has hosted "Harvest Fun Day," an annual community event featuring scarecrow
making, pumpkin
painting, pie-eating, and corn-shucking contests, as well as antique farm equipment demonstrations and live music. The event is typically held on the last Saturday of September.
Holiday Open House is a free-admission, annual holiday event when local artisans showcase their wares on the first Saturday of December.
First Thursday Museum After Hours The museum is open free from 5 to 9 p.m. every first Thursday of the month from February through November. Rotating guest lecturers speak at 7 p.m. on a variety of pertinent topics.
The museum also features rotating exhibits throughout the year and partners with local schools on educational projects.
The Clark County Historical Museum is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization
. The Clark County Historical Society operates the Museum in partnership with Clark County and the City of Vancouver. Additional funding helps sustain the operation of the museum and comes in many forms including: Clark County Historical Society membership dues, private and foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, in-kind gifts, and donations.
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
, is located in a 1909 Carnegie library
Carnegie library
A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1883 and 1929, including some belonging to public and university library systems...
and is operated by the Clark County
Clark County, Washington
Clark County is a county located in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Washington, across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon.Clark County was the first county of Washington, named after William Clark of the Lewis and Clark Expedition...
Historical Society, established in 1917.
The museum was responsible for the establishment of the Carnegie Library Consortium of Washington and in 2009 launched "Mr. Carnegie's Grand Tour of Washington," a free, annual automobile-based travel program exploring Washington’s historic Carnegie libraries and nearby heritage sites.
The Clark County Historical Society is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and interpretation of the cultural history of Clark County and the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
, and to sponsoring educational programs and exhibits for the enrichment of all members of the public.
Since 2004, the museum has hosted "Harvest Fun Day," an annual community event featuring scarecrow
Scarecrow
A scarecrow is, essentially, a decoy, though traditionally, a human figure dressed in old clothes and placed in fields by farmers to discourage birds such as crows or sparrows from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.-History:In Kojiki, the oldest surviving book in Japan...
making, pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
painting, pie-eating, and corn-shucking contests, as well as antique farm equipment demonstrations and live music. The event is typically held on the last Saturday of September.
Holiday Open House is a free-admission, annual holiday event when local artisans showcase their wares on the first Saturday of December.
First Thursday Museum After Hours The museum is open free from 5 to 9 p.m. every first Thursday of the month from February through November. Rotating guest lecturers speak at 7 p.m. on a variety of pertinent topics.
The museum also features rotating exhibits throughout the year and partners with local schools on educational projects.
The Clark County Historical Museum is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
. The Clark County Historical Society operates the Museum in partnership with Clark County and the City of Vancouver. Additional funding helps sustain the operation of the museum and comes in many forms including: Clark County Historical Society membership dues, private and foundation grants, corporate sponsorships, in-kind gifts, and donations.