Cowlitz County Historical Museum

05/26/2026

Join us on June 4th at 7pm for an America 250 program. Crystal Hicks of the Washington State Library traces the waves of migration that built our communities — from territorial settlement through the timber boom and beyond — and introduces the free library resources, historic newspapers, and government publications that can help you uncover your family's journey.

Crystal Hicks brings a rich background in reference and genealogy services to her current role. Before relocating to Washington from Texas in 2024, she served as Assistant Director of a public library, where she supported patrons with local and family history research and oversaw public-facing reference services.

She is now Head of Collections at the Washington State Library's Central Library in Tumwater, where she manages a broad and varied portfolio: special collections including manuscripts and rare books, newspapers, journals, the Northwest book collection, maps, government publications, and genealogy materials. Her work centers on building, preserving, and expanding access to collections that serve historical research, public accountability, and community memory.

05/01/2026

Do you live in an old house and want to learn more about it, or are interested in the architecture and history of historic homes in Cowlitz County? Come to our First Thursday program as the Cowlitz County Historical Museum celebrates Historic Preservation Month with a special program by Museum Curator Bill Watson and Planner Manager Adam Trimble.

We get numerous requests from the public about information and images regarding their historic homes. Discover how you can learn about your home and some of the histories of historic homes and properties located here in our county. Adam and Bill serve on the Cowlitz County Historic Preservation Board and will share with us some of the work they are doing with historic structure inventory and images of buildings you may know (and the stories you don’t know that go with them!). Guests are invited to talk about their own homes at the end of the program and learn how to research their residence further!

04/03/2026

Come say hi to us at the Celebration of Children Cowlitz County!

04/03/2026

Visit us to see our new exhibit!
Moments That Made Us combines stories developed for “America 250” in a partnership with western state historical museums along with local stories of becoming American in Cowlitz County.

02/05/2026

Join us at the museum to celebrate the Lunar New Year! In 2026, it's Year of the Horse! Visit soon and you can go on our Lunar New Year scavenger hunt to find each of the animals hiding throughout the museum. Even though the cat is not included in the calendar, we did not leave him out of our game, so come find all thirteen!

We have coloring sheets to take with you, recipes to take home and try, and a fun postcard craft to follow the tradition of sending postcards to loved ones during the Lunar New Year.

01/27/2026

Our February First Thursday program on Thursday, February 5th, will feature Jon Drury, local historian and author, with a screening of his presentation on the story of Captain George Flavel and his importance to the development and history of Astoria.

The screening is from a presentation Jon did in partnership with the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park and Jon will be present to introduce the program, take questions afterward, and have his book “Captain George Flavel” available for purchase and signing. The book is available for just $8.00, cash only please.

Jon realized that there had been no book written about one of the most influential persons in Astoria’s history and remedies this void with an account of Flavel’s courage, character, and professional excellence.

This event is free to all and starts at 7pm. Doors open at 6:30.

01/22/2026

Notice: The museum will close early today (1/22) at 3:00 PM. We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

01/07/2026

Every year the Cowlitz County Historical Museum receives scores of donations from our community. Collection and preserving of artifacts are the backbone of our museum’s ability to visualize storytelling, bringing history to life. For nearly a century we have collected and preserved the history of our region, from our predecessor organization the Cowlitz County Pioneer Society founded in the 1920’s to the Cowlitz County Historical Society founded in 1949, we have diligently protected these sacred elements of our past. Many of these items are fragile and require special storage conditions, such as an American flag made by Mary Smith for an 1860’s July 4th celebration at Monticello. The story continues each year as new items are brought into the Museum’s care. The Museum and Historical Society Staff are pleased to present at the upcoming First Thursday program our popular “Staff Picks”, a collection of staff favorite artifacts that came into the museum during 2025.

We hope you will join us for our Staff Picks First Thursday program on January 8th at 7pm to learn more about the treasures we have in our collection, and the stories they tell about our shared past. The Museum is located at 405 Allen Street, Kelso, WA 98626. Doors open at 6:30pm.

01/01/2026

Happy New Year from all of us here at the museum! We will close an hour early today. Our hours today are 10am-3pm. Following this, we will be open by appointment only January 1-9. Thank you!

12/30/2025

We will be open by appointment only January 1-9. Stay tuned for an announcement for our January First Thursday which will take place on Thursday, January 8 at 7pm.

12/16/2025