Tenino Depot Museum

02/17/2026

We will be closed Friday February 20th. But OPEN on the 21st. Sorry for the inconvenience.

02/16/2026

Meeting of the South Thurston County Historical Society tonight at the Museum 7pm.

02/14/2026

Taking some inspiration from 4th of July 1914 style for this year's Celebration.

02/13/2026

Short Tenino Film 1960

Short film from c. 1960 of some classic cars on parade and a Carnival with elephants.

02/08/2026

Check out the Wichman films and learn about the man behind the camera.

A treasure trove of 8mm films were re-discovered at the Tenino Depot Museum during the pandemic. They were home movies made by Dr. Frederick W. Wichman. The reels were cleaned and digitized. Some w…

02/06/2026

Yup....we have all kinds of history. If you know, you know....

02/02/2026

Our new YouTube channel!

Tenino History

02/01/2026

In 2025 we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Tenino Depot Museum Move. You can learn more about it here

The history of the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot that became a museum in Tenino City Park.

01/30/2026

We are ready for Valentines Day! Some of these antique valentines are very elaborate and fun.

11/11/2025

Spot on....

I’m constantly amazed at the dedication and hard work of small, local museums.
You know the ones.

They’re run by volunteers, curated by layman historians, and often kept alive by grants, donations, or local government.

Those volunteering their time are often experts in the area, knowing the town founders by name and every business which occupied their downtown for at least a century. They donate their limited time after work, or volunteer during their retirement years when they could just be taking it easy.

They plan events, hoping to generate enough interest through newspaper ads or Facebook posts.
They analyze last year’s events, and work hard to improve this year’s.
And they do it on a shoestring budget.

They’re proud of their collections.
They want their community to be proud, too.
They single-handedly prop up local history by
preserving local memory and becoming a resource open to anyone.

So please—go. Visit.
Bring your kids and grandkids.
Invest in them with your time.
Donate to their cause.

Because without them, local history disappears.
Collective memory goes dark.
The founders and the people who made the town what it is are lost.
And you won’t know what you don’t know because the knowledge-keepers are gone.

Please go.