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Experience Our Current
EXHIBITS

Our exhibits are designed to entertain the history buff, natural scientist, artist, and lover of all things Cannon Beach. We have two rotating exhibits (one art/history and one local history), and several permanent features of the museum.

 

 Temporary Classroom Exhibit:

Picturing the Past: Postcards from Cannon Beach to Astoria

Step back in time with the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum’s newest temporary exhibit, Picturing the Past: Postcards from Cannon Beach to Astoria, on display in the John Williams Classroom through April 2025.
This captivating exhibit highlights the work of Frank Woodfield, a prolific early 20th-century photographer whose images preserved the beauty and history of Oregon’s North Coast. Woodfield operated a photography shop in Astoria until the devastating Great Fire of 1922 destroyed his business. Despite this loss, his legacy lives on through the postcards and photographs he created, which continue to offer a glimpse into the past.
The exhibit features an extensive selection of vintage postcards from Woodfield’s collection, generously donated by filmographer Tom Olsen Jr. of Anchor Productions. Alongside these postcards, visitors can view a rare selection of original black-and-white photographs, carefully hand-colorized and framed by Woodfield’s wife, Irta, bringing a new dimension to these historical images.
“We’re thrilled to share this visual journey through time,” said Liz Scott, Executive Director at the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum. “Postcards were an essential part of early tourism and communication, and Frank Woodfield’s work beautifully captures the changing landscapes and landmarks of our region.”
Picturing the Past offers a unique opportunity to experience the artistry and storytelling of vintage postcards, providing a window into the everyday life and scenic wonders of the Pacific Northwest a century ago. Admission to the museum is always free, though donations are greatly appreciated to help support exhibits and programming.
The Cannon Beach History Center & Museum would like to extend a special thank you to Tom Olsen Jr. of Anchor Productions for his generous donation of the postcards and for loaning the framed photographs that make this exhibit possible.

 

 

Current Temporary Exhibit:

Friends of Haystack Rock – Celebrating 20 Years of Conservation!

 

The Cannon Beach History Center & Museum is excited to present a temporary exhibit celebrating 20 years of the Friends of Haystack Rock (FOHR). This special exhibit highlights FOHR’s dedication to the preservation, education, and advocacy of marine life at Haystack Rock, with a focus on the iconic tufted puffins and the rich intertidal ecosystem.

Visitors will explore two decades of FOHR’s impactful work through displays showcasing educational initiatives, ongoing research, and advocacy efforts that have made a lasting difference for Cannon Beach’s marine environment. This exhibit honors FOHR’s mission to protect and celebrate the unique biodiversity of Haystack Rock, inspiring both residents and visitors to continue advocating for this incredible natural treasure.

Come join us at the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum to celebrate FOHR’s remarkable journey!

 

Native American Longhouse

The Native American Longhouse is a hands-on exhibit for visitors of all ages. Children are invited to touch the cedar-bark cape, bowls, and skins furnishing the exhibit, and to use the space to pretend with our toys. The exhibit was designed in cooperation with the Clatsop-Nehalem Confederated Tribes, and the longhouse is furnished with replica artifacts crafted by Native American artisans around the Northwest.

Native American villages of the Northwest Coast consisted of several of these longhouses, which were built in clearings between forest and tidewater. Each longhouse served as a home, workshop, and ceremonial space and housed an entire extended family, with 20 or more people sometimes living in a single home.

The Cannon Beach History Center & Museum’s longhouse exhibit shows a small-scale longhouse’s interior, typical of a small home or a seasonal fishing hut. Today, Natives living on the Oregon Coast live in European style homes, but often still use longhouses for festivals and celebrations of their traditional ways.

Permanent Interpretive Exhibit

The permanent exhibit, Cannon Beach: A Place by the Sea was based on the book of the same name authored by Terence O’Donnell. The exhibit is rich in visual material, telling the story about what attracted people to Cannon Beach throughout time. Drawing from the archives of CBHCM, photos reveal the town’s past and the arduous journey it was to get here.

The story of the Tillamook Natives, Lewis and Clark, Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, historic hotels and buildings, recreation, the Great Depression, World War II, and Cannon Beach today are all told through this interactive exhibit, which is also translated in Spanish.

The interactive children’s exhibit features tide pool life, and children will love learning more about sea stars, coastal forests, and bird life on the Coast!

All in all, the view from Tillamook Head, the rising sentinels of Haystack Rock and the Needles, and the seven miles of “singing sands” and sparkling surf are like magnets drawing people back year after year to Cannon Beach, a special “place by the sea.”

Spanish Audio Translation of Permanent Exhibit
Visitors to the museum can hear the text of the permanent exhibit read in Spanish, on hear-sets located at each major display panel around the museum. Financial support for the Cannon Beach History Center’s Audio Spanish Translation Project was provided by the Bloomfield Family Foundation, Oregon Council for the Humanities, and the City of Cannon Beach. Several Cannon Beach volunteers also contributed translation, recording, and installation services.

The Cannon
The Cannon Beach History Center and Museum is home to the original Cannon Beach cannon. This artifact has always been a subject of interest. Also learn more about recent findings of two more cannons on an Arch Cape beach.