About the Cannon Beach
History Center & Museum
The Cannon Beach History Center and Museum is located at the corner of S. Spruce Street and Sunset Blvd. in Cannon Beach, Oregon. We are open Wednesday through Saturday from 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., closed on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Admission is by donation; give what you can to support local history! If there are weather advisories at the coast, the museum may be closed during usual hours. Check our social media to find out if we are open.
Read more about our offerings here.
Our History
The Cannon Beach Historical Society was originally founded in 1969. After many years of periods of inactivity followed by renewal, a group of former society members and others mounted a first-class exhibit on the history of Cannon Beach in the Clatsop County Historical Society Heritage Museum in Astoria in 1988. Shortly after this, in 1990, the Cannon Beach Historical Society was once again revived. The collection and cataloging of historic artifacts and oral histories began in earnest, and the group commissioned the writing of the book “Cannon Beach: A Place by the Sea,” by Oregon historian Terence O’Donnell.
With a gift of land in 1995 and a successful capital campaign, the group started to construct the facility that now houses the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum in 1998. The building went through several phases of development through the years, culminating in the addition of a classroom, oral history studio, and artifact storage area in 2005. The Cannon Beach History Center and Museum now features a permanent exhibit, a Native-American longhouse, and temporary exhibits, including a rotating quilt show.
Several programs have been added to the museum’s repertoire in recent years: a field trip program, the Acoustic Folk! music series, a monthly lecture series, and other events both fun and educational. As our visitor base, activities, and collections grow, we strive to keep Cannon Beach’s unique history alive for present and future generations!
Read our annual 2023-2024 report here: CBHCM Annual Report 23-24
Our Mission
Our goal is to preserve the history of Cannon Beach by seeking, collecting, and protecting historical artifacts and memorabilia of all kinds, by recording oral histories, and by making these materials available to the public whenever possible.
What’s Happening at the Museum:
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Oregon Cultural Trust
Have you made a donation to the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum this year? If so, you can double your impact by making a matching donation to the Oregon Cultural Trust—and receive up to 100% back as a state tax credit!
To take advantage of this incredible benefit, be sure to make your matching gift by December 31st.
Your support helps preserve the rich history of Cannon Beach and ensures we remain a free resource for the community. Thank you for making a difference!
💻 Learn more and donate: https://www.culturaltrust.org/trustdonors/
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Our online archival public access portal is LIVE!
You can now access, search, and explore our digital archives from home – with historic artifacts being accessioned and uploaded daily. Click on ARCHIVES at the top right of this page, or just click here to start exploring! This project was made possible by the generous Community Grant funds awarded to the museum by the City of Cannon Beach. Museum staff, Liz and Andrea, have worked tirelessly to bring this project to life, while simultaneously putting together the Cottage Tour events and working to build new exhibits at the museum. They are still accessioning and uploading files to the portal, so not every single thing in our archives will be readily available to view just yet. If you’d like to help with this process, email info@cbhistory.org today!
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Cannon Beach A Place by the Sea by Terence O’Donnell book reprint!
We want to extend a giant THANK YOU to dear friends of the museum Mike and Tracey Clark and Candace and Jon Holzgrafe, for generously donating the funds to get the book Cannon Beach A Place by the Sea by Terence O’Donnell reprinted – over $8000+!! ?? We also have to mention another huge THANK YOU to Rainmar Bartl and Karen Leedom for taking on this huge project. We feel so lucky to have such amazing friends! This book is what our museum’s permanent exhibit is based on and is officially back on sale. Grab yours from our gift shop today!
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2025 Membership Drive
Have you renewed your Museum Membership for 2024? Want to become a new member of the Museum? You can do all of that, right here! Simply click this link, or head over to Gift Shop/Membership on the tool bar. When you become a member, not only are you helping a private non profit museum, but you’re also supporting the preservation of artifacts from Cannon Beach’s rich history, like the cannon that the town was named for! Your email will automatically be added to our Flashback Friday email newsletter, filled with stories straight from the museum team and pictures from our archives. Become a member and claim your premium gift!
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Self Guided Historic Walking Tour Map
The new and improved Historic Walking Tour map is being revamped and we are hoping to have it available soon! Click here for a sneak peak! With about twenty different locations in Cannon Beach, Tolovana and Arch Cape. Tour whenever you like! Check back here soon for a link to download the map and you’ll be on your way to walking the steps of the people who literally established and built Cannon Beach.
The Cannons
The Cannon Beach History Center and Museum is home to the original Cannon Beach cannon. This artifact, along with the capstan housed with it, was shipped to Texas A&M University in order to be conserved. The cannon and capstan are back on display at the Museum waiting to be preserved in a temperature and humidity controlled environment. To learn more about the cannon and capstan, click the link below.