The Corvallis Museum presents an inspired dialogue of art, history, and civic architecture for the visitors experience. Explore new galleries and see displays curated from the collection of over 120,000 artifacts including photographs, historical documents, textiles, clothing, domestic arts, farm implements, scientific instruments and personal possessions in the historic heart of the Willamette Valley. As the only comprehensive repository for heritage materials in the county, the Corvallis Museum mixes artifacts and art around curatorial concepts and contemporary topics infusing new life into the objects. It’s an entirely new type of historical society, where the art, natural and cultural history of the region are presented and interpreted in a brilliant way.

The Museum is operated by the Benton County Historical Society (BCHS) with an innovative curatorial approach to collections that allows visitors to appreciate and learn from the historical heritage and culture of Benton County through encounters with historical objects. Seeing the items from the collections provides a unique and rare opportunity for guests to understand history in a new way—beyond textbooks—through direct experience with artifacts. The BCHS staff and docents provide valuable context and interpretation of the objects seen in the Museum, deepening the level of understanding for each Museum visitor. BCHS exhibitions and programming expand the public’s appreciation for our history and culture and enliven downtown Corvallis’ cultural environment.

From story-times to exhibition opening parties, the Museum creates an accessible cultural and educational resource for audiences of all ages throughout the region and beyond. The new Corvallis Museum furthers the Society’s mission of serving the community through exhibitions and educational programs to share its collections with the public. The Society’s thoughtfully curated galleries offer a new cultural landmark for Corvallis and the region. 

Holding two distinct collections of diverse objects—the BCHS Collection and the Horner Collection—Museum guests can expect a new experience with each visit. Both collections contain artifacts, primarily from the historic period, art, costumes and textiles, images in various formats, documents, manuscripts, archival collections, and published works. Both collections hold around 60,000 artifacts, but with slightly differing areas of concentrations. The collections are unified in providing insight into the chronicle of human life in Benton County, Oregon; the Horner Collection focuses on local objects while including a natural history component, and the BCHS Collection concentrates on worldwide materials collected by university professors in their travels. As a result, the collections at the Corvallis Museum transcend that of a local historical society both in geographic scope and value to humanities scholarship. 

After a thorough conservation and restoration former star attraction Bruce the Moose returns to enjoy a place of honor on the first floor greeting Museum visitors. The Corvallis Museum will open in late fall of this year (2019) plan your visit now and say ‘hi’ to Bruce on your way to exploring the many wonders that await you once inside.