Came here for the heritage holiday event, which includes free entry to both the McLoughlin House…read moreand the neighboring Barclay House. We enjoyed it. People were dressed up in period costumes and showed us around the McLoughlin House - it was neat to learn the history, though it could have been made more engaging, particularly for younger people. The house is very dark and it's hard to see - it will be nice to return after the renovation to see it in a better state. The Barclay House is half office, with the other rooms set up as a gift shop and multi-purpose room. Also, the McLoughlin's are buried on the grounds, so that was interesting.

So glad this important piece of history was saved for posterity! John McLoughlin is the Father of…read moreOregon - even through he was a British subject, Factor of the Hudson's Bay Company at Ft Vancouver, Oregon Country. Oregon City is well worth a day to explore - and this museum should be part of your day. 5 excellent historic preservation stars!

When I moved to Portland these mills were still very much in use and many people worked there…read more Then they closed and they were sold to the city for a park. T The cities plan was to raze it and build a river front park for the Pearl area. People got upset, called the pace historic and eventually the city agreed. There was a competition to redevelop the site and a company from California won the bid. That plan collapsed with the economy and now a new company headed by Jordan Schnitzer seems to be taking the lead. All this is played out in the news. I really hope they can agree on how to save what can still be saved The buildings make a nice contrast to the new stuff. Besides I want more riverfront to walk on and I here that is part of the plan! The buildings and their towers are cool they have history. I hope they can get it together to save as many as they can. In an area where the old is torn down to make room for modern condos etc it is nice to see old buildings. Some will be lost soon as buildings and wharves are torn down that is a given as the place has deteriorated. Given the current condition it is probably better to get it over with, It attracts sightseers, When I was there last two young men emerged from below the flour mill. Given the state of the buildings that can't be safe.

I'd love a recent photo of the control room, spooky isn't the right word. The allure of the…read morewhispering floors and speckled construction lights reflection in the windows gives this portal a gleem like no other. It's always a beautiful night on the water at centennial mills.

Stop by on a Saturday morning after Gresham Farmers market. A very lovely lady greeted me at the…read moredoor. A lot of historical maps of Gresham in the early 1990s. There was an old historical cash register and a piano. A lot of historical information regarding Gresham. Lots of old costumes dating back. It was a nice adventure. Makes you proud to look at old artifacts from Gresham.

I felt uncomfortable there on June 29th during the Voices of Gresham podcast The lady who works…read morethere and in charge of displaying things was very unfriendly and stand offish. She wrote the wrong information without checking facts about Taliban coming into power in Afghanistan in "1984". I told her Taliban didn't exist then. They came more than a decade later. She looked at me in a very irate manner "Well I just wrote what she said (the woman who gave her info about Afghanistan). I told her well it's wrong, explaining about when Taliban came into power. The museum lady said "I'll research it" and walked away talking to others. I've never been felt unwelcomed and felt horrible vibes from somebody who supposedly cares about the museum or cares about facts. I'm Afghan, and I told her I was. She didn't care. She wasn't rude. She was just very stand offish and annoyed that I was even talking to her.

The shininess of Joanie on the Pony always brightens my day. The main thing I have to say is that…read moreshe's located in the middle of the only traffic circle I know of that has stop signs, even for the right turn only lanes. So, don't let the sun glinting off the horse distract you from PBOT's practical joke.

The statue is truly stunning! It's a delight to see Joan of Arc's statue standing proudly in the…read moreheart of this historic district. We strolled around, soaking in the shade from the ancient trees and admiring the charming vintage residences. Finding parking on the street was a breeze. A visit to this place is highly recommended.

I've been coming here in early Spring and in the Fall for a great many years. This historic house…read moreand grounds are a photographer's dream. I've shot rolls of film, dozens of models and have more recently killed a lot of electrons taking and posting digital images out on Sauvie Island. There's also free fruit for the taking come the harvest season. The grounds are great for play, picnics and just generally spending a [usually] quiet time in the great outdoors only a couple of miles from downtown Portland. Love that the money was spent to move and refurbish this grand old house to a new and public accessible location. The property is on a working farm that's posted but I don't bother or intrude on them and they don't bother me. I don't know if there are any posted rules but it is always my practice as a photographer to respect property owner's rights. Never had a problem walking around freely here though.

The crisp, white house with symmetrical windows situated on lush green lawns and surrounded by…read moreorchards is a historical gem! Refurbished to its original glory and standing as beautiful today as when it was built in the mid 19th century, I love walking the grounds and having a picnic here when I'm on Sauvie Island. The two story house is a rare example of the Classical Revival style from the mid-19th Century. Built for James Bybee, who was one of Multnomah County's first Commissioners, it was later sold to Dr. Benjamin Howell and his wife in 1858 and remained in their family until 1961. Now part of the Howell Recreation Park managed by Portland Metro, you can visit any day between sunrise to sunset. While they are no longer offer tours inside, you can walk the gorgeous property, including the fruit orchards with heirloom varieties of quince, pears, and apples. And the best part, when it's harvest time in late August and the fall, you can pick the fruit! Yes! Located just a mile down Sauvie Island Road after you cross the bridge, take the long and picturesque driveway up to the house. Rarely do I visit Sauvie Island without making this my first stop. It's fun to see the grounds in all stages of the seasons. Weddings and other gatherings often take place in the picnic area. Visit their website if you are interested in renting this gorgeous space.

Portlandia...I actually think I have heard of the TV show of the same name before hearing the…read moreexistence of this statue. But the statue definitely came prior to the show. The trident wielding woman is enormous and is awe inspiring and beautiful and perhaps to a certain kind of man perhaps intimidating but that isn't necessarily a problem there. This statue is on the Portland Building and if you simply wall by or near it's nearly impossible to miss. This is also an attraction where there is no fee to take a look at it as it can literally be seen quite easily from the public sidewalk. Yet another iconic downtown Portland landmark that is not to missed!

Nice statue. I believe this is the second largest copper statue in the United States after the…read moreStatue of Liberty. I'm impressed by the vexillology that is also used here, since there's a flag of Cascadia along with the flag of the city of Portland, OR.

Another fantastic museum in Oregon City!…read more This one was a comprehensive look at local history with an exceptionally interesting exhibit on the water as a power source and harnessing this power for electricity for local homes as innovators in the US at the time. There were also exhibits on schooling, clothing and pharmacy, which was fascinating as well.

This is a neat little museum nearby in Oregon city. It has several different displays with…read moreinformation about the Oregon territory. I enjoy learning about history, especially local since I'm a native Oregonian. The displays definitely had a lot going on. Sometimes you don't get as much material in the displays, so this was really nice. It's small, so it won't take a long time to go through, but it is really interesting. It would be fun to bring out of state guests to. A little Oregon history without being too overwhelming. It's kind of a nice view from so high up too. Plus they have free parking which is always nice.

On a recent visit to see my daughter in Portland, we ventured to this memorial site, in Washington…read morePark near the Japanese and Rose Gardens. (It took a while to find the nearest parking lot and, even then, we had a bit of a walk, including down a steep pathway. FYI for those who are mobility-challenged). The memorial itself is open to the public and free; parking in the nearby lots carries a nominal charge. It is difficult to convey how powerful this memorial is. One truly has to visit this site and experience it to feel the weight of the magnitude of the terror and atrocities and sadness and madness that the Holocaust created. As one approaches, it simply appears to be a stone curvilinear bench on a granite, brick-like ground, with a large, curvilinear granite memorial stone ahead, with engraved quotes and names on the granite. However, when one gets nearer, one sees objects, apparently random, everyday things, scattered about. Said objects are life-size and made of bronze. There's a child's doll on the bench. There's an abandoned pair of eyeglasses on the ground, and a nearby toddlers shoe. Just one shoe. A violin that appears to have seen better days. A valise on its side on the ground with a pronounced crack in its side. Perhaps most poignantly, a lone teddy bear. One can only imagine the nightmare of the people who these objects belonged to, and what fate befell them all. The front of the curved memorial contains quotes on smooth stone surrounded by rough brick-like granite. The reverse side of the monument is all smooth granite and it contains the names of all the Oregon families who've had relatives who've perished in the Holocaust. I had no idea there were so many Oregon families affected; you don't really see a lot of synagogues or Jewish delis or shops in OR (or the rest of the Pacific Northwest, really. I grew up on the east coast, where there is more of a Jewish footprint in the cities in the US and Canada out east). I was especially moved to see a pair of wreaths recently placed at the foot of the memorial with signs that read "Oregon and Humanity stands with Israel" and "Never Again is Now". In light of recent events and the global rise in antisemitism, these wreaths, in front of this memorial, really touched me, more than I can articulate here. (I encourage readers to check out the other reviews of this site, especially Tom V's review, as it is way more articulate than mine and gives the reader a better sense of the gravity of this memorial).

It takes your breath to see some of this memorial. The cast bronze of everyday items, scattered…read moreabout as if they were left behind in a hurry. Eyeglasses...a satchel...a child's doll...if you imagine hard enough, you can see these inanimate items attached to their owners as they fled capture or were led to camps. I'd say your breath is taken away, but it's not that; rather you find yourself holding your breath in. You just can't not feel the overwhelming gravity of the memorial. I've visited the traveling Auschwitz exhibit in Kansas City, and can say without equivocation that the power of its display could not match the terror that the Jewish people had to have felt. The Oregon Holocaust Memorial captures the magnitude of the stretch of years where armies of evil marched all over Europe, eradicating lives and forever altering history. There are samples of soil & ash from each of the six extermination facilities, such as Auschwitz & Treblinka, interred under a quiet memorial. Give that a look and attempt to understand the brutality of those moments decades later. Chances are very good that you will remember the time you spent here in reverence to those lives forever impacted. Quotes, simple anecdotes, and perspective are etched in granite for all to see in perpetuity and, hopefully, never to see repeated. It's a simple memorial, but unlike so many sites, the less said, the better. It stands for remembrance, a bitter reminder of chaotic, xenophobic times, and the solemn respect we should all have for those who perished and, more accurately, those who lived through nightmare only to have to recall it. May they find peace.