Members of the Santiam Historical Society have been looking for a “forever home” since 2014, when their former headquarters – a museum located on Second Avenue – became the Stayton Municipal Court.
“The Historical Society got started in 1984 when there was a group of ladies who came together to gather artifacts,” President, Judy Skinner recalled. “We had a museum, and we paid the city $1 a month, or something like that.”
But, even with a centrally located brick and mortar location and low overhead costs, the organization struggled to afford the maintenance the building required.
“At some point the city had some small grants, but typically the grants were for projects and not operations,” Skinner explained. “And as time went on the building went downhill. It needed a new roof, and the concrete stairs were falling off.”
In other words, while the loss of the building was difficult for the members of the Historical Society, its transformation into a Municipal Courthouse was necessary for the building’s preservation.
“It needed to happen,” Skinner said..
But that has meant that for the past ten years the Santiam Historical Society has been without a permanent place to either meet or display the artifacts they have gathered over the years.
“We had a kitchen and a bedroom and some doctors’ stuff,” Skinner said, listing a bed that traversed the Oregon Trail, an antique cream separator and a host of photos and quilts as items that are currently in storage. “We also have an incubator from the hospital and lots of books.”
What they need now is a place to call home.
“The history of Stayton needs to be preserved,” board secretary Terri Adams – whose family settled in the area in 1947 – said. “It needs to be protected.”
“People should know the history of where they live,” Skinner added. And what better way is there to show them than through a museum?
For more information, visit the Stayton Historical Society’s Facebook page or call Terri Adams at 971-239-9259.
