Blog

World-renowned jazz guitarist John Stowell will ring in the New Year at the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum on Friday, January 2nd at 7:00 p.m. Stowell began his career in the early 1970’s with guitarist Linc Chamberland and pianist John Mehegan. He is an internationally renowned performer who has been welcomed to Australia and […]

The leaves are changing, the sun is setting earlier and the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum is turning red. Red with quilts! The Museum’s fall exhibit will feature the show “Simply Red” by Portland, Oregon fiber group High Fiber Diet. High Fiber Diet is a group of fiber artists committed to advancing their art […]

The Cannon Beach History Center & Museum is honored welcome adventurer, scientist, writer, and archaeologist Dr. Cameron M. Smith on Thursday May 9th, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.  Dr. Smith has a PhD in Archaeology from Canada’s Simon Fraser University and is a respected scholar, who has published scientific works in the American Journal of Physical […]

On April 15th at 7:00 p.m. the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum will welcome author, forager, and dandelion hunter Rebecca Lerner.  For some the state of the economy, the change in the weather, and the possibility of ensuing catastrophes has them preparing for the worst-case scenario by increasing their foraging skills.  For others, foraging […]

Your Land, My Land: Using and Preserving Oregon’s Natural Resources  Friday February 8th at 7:00 p.m. Oregonians are known for a fierce sense of independence and a rugged individuality, qualities long associated with natural resource vocations such as logging, fishing, farming, and ranching. The state is also known for its progressive environmental policies. Our sense […]

It was eight o’clock, January 3, 1881.  The New Year had come and gone, but construction of the Tillamook Rock lighthouse carried on.  The construction crew had been at it for 525 days, living in canvas A-tents fastened through ringbolts imbedded right into the basalt of Tillamook Rock.  This was necessary to keep their makeshift […]

World-renowned jazz guitarist John Stowell will make his third appearance in Cannon Beach at the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum on January 4th. John Stowell has traveled the world performing for many years, in fact, Stowell is just finishing another world tour.   Stowell was the first American Jazz performer to appear in Russia […]

Come one, come all, to the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum’s annual Appreciation Party on Friday, December 7th at 6:00 p.m. The festivities will begin with food, wine, and friends both old and new. At 6:30 p.m. the History Center will induct the 2012 History Heroes. This year three dedicated volunteers were chosen by […]

Those of us who have grown up on the coast have heard the story of Lewis, Clark, and the Corps of Discovery. Lewis and Clark set out in 1804 with a score of companions, commissioned as the Corps of Discovery, to explore the vast wilderness of the recently acquired Louisiana Purchase. It took them just […]

This article is about a local heroine, who had the same gumption I equate with another historical figure of significance, Gertrude Bell. Mary Gerritse, to me, was Oregon’s very own Gertrude Bell. For those who have not heard of Gertrude Bell she was a traveler, explorer, and mapmaker, and at times an accidental policy maker. […]

The initial surge of homesteaders in Cannon Beach, which can first dated back to 1848, found the pristine locale deceptively difficult to tame.  From razing the land of stalwart spruce to battling wind-charged rainfall, the modest act of building a structure was multiplied in complexity for even the most determined would-be residents.  And yet they […]

The Cannon Beach History Center & Museum is proud to welcome Michael Turner from GeerCrest Farm & Historical Society. Turner will be presenting his first full-length biography, The Life of Vesper Geer. This award winning biography tells the story of a woman’s enduring love for her small farm. The biography is made up of archival […]

  The early 20th century was an uncomplicated time for Cannon Beach. It was an era of families, friends, and the simple life. Families who, at this time, traveled by stagecoach, wagon, or by foot. Long-time resident and author of Comin’ in Over the Rock, Peter Lindsey compares the journey from Seaside to Cannon Beach […]

The Cannon Beach History Center & Museum is looking forward to its upcoming annual fundraiser, the 9th Annual Cottage Tour.  The tour, to be held Saturday and Sunday the 8th & 9th of September, will be returning to the Presidential streets of Cannon Beach. Tour goers will delight in getaway beach homes, historic cottages, and […]

Nearly everyday a visitor to the museum will comment about how much our small town has changed over the years. Hotels are razed, restaurants replaced, family homes moved or torn down. It is rare to find a home in Cannon Beach that remains unchanged for 100 years. In the early 1900’s the streets of Cannon […]

While conducting research recently I came across on article about how much the average American knows about the history of their country. The article shared the results of a survey that Newsweek conducted last year. This survey showed that less than 30% of Americans knew what the constitution was, and even less, a shocking 6% […]

As Sandcastle Day nears its 50th Anniversary one can’t help, but reflect on the original spirit of this amazing event.  The first Sandcastle was held just a few months after  one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded in U.S. history.  This Megathrust quake sometimes referred to as the Good Friday Earthquake shook Anchorage, Alaska […]