Calling all history cheerleaders!
We’re announcing a new donation drive from the Clackamas County Historical Society. The “Make The Summer Historic” campaign will last June through September. The purpose of this initiative is to drive excitement for our museums as we enter the summer months, bringing in visitors and locals alike. We’re launching two campaigns with the following donation goals.
Field Trip Fund
Since we launched the program in 2022, the Mertie’s Time Machine program has served over 4,000 students in our region. We’ve generously received grants to offer reduced admission for students of these field trips. However, we would like to expand field trip programs to the Museum of the Oregon Territory and need funds to cover costs for materials, program development, and student admissions to keep our cost at $5.00 per student.
$0 raised out of $ 10,000
Last updated: 06/03/2026 4:00 PM
The
Fund
Preserving more than 35,000 artifacts requires a stable, climate-controlled environment. Historic documents, photographs, textiles, furniture, and artifacts are vulnerable to damage from fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Your support helps maintain the systems that protect collections housed in our collections. A gift of $2,000 sponsors one month of collection preservation, helping safeguard Clackamas County’s history for future generations.
$0 raised out of $ 15,000
Last updated: 06/03/2026 4:00 PM
Everything is getting more expensive.
Like many small museums across the country, we are facing rising costs and fewer reliable funding opportunities. The truth is simple: it costs more than ever to preserve local history and keep it accessible to our community.
From keeping the museum open to archival supplies and educational materials, every expense has increased. These are the essential costs that allow us to preserve and share Clackamas County’s history while welcoming thousands of visitors and students each year.
Grant funding is becoming harder to secure.
Grants that once helped support our museums have become increasingly competitive and uncertain. Many funding organizations are receiving more applications than ever before while awarding fewer grants. Even successful grant applications often only fund specific projects and rarely cover the everyday costs that keep museums open and serving the public.
We’ve worked hard to make every dollar count. But today, we’re at a turning point.
