What We Do

Since 1926, we have preserved Sandy history.

 

Our history

The Sandy Historical Society was founded on 27 June 1925, at the 70th birthday party of John Henry Revenue, son of Francis and Lydia Revenue, the first pioneer child born in the area that would become known as Sandy. At the party the proposal for the preservation society of our pioneer history was enthusiastically endorsed by all celebrants and John Revenue was elected president of the new society.

On 25 July 1926 a picnic/meeting was held at Jonsrud Park with about 140 people in attendance where the constitution and by-laws were adopted and the official name chosen as "Pioneers and Early Settlers of Sandy and Vicinity''.

Some rather stringent rules of eligibility were later modified so that any person interested in Sandy area history was able to join. ln about 1929, the name was changed to "Sandy Pioneer Association".

Because many people thought that they had to be pioneers or their descendants to join, the name was revised to "Sandy Pioneer and Historical Association".

ln the early 1990s the final name change to "Sandy Historical Society, lncorporated" was made. Also in the 1990s, the dream of a showplace for the donated artifacts, family histories and local family belongings started to take shape and plans for the museum were started.

After a couple of years of fundraising and many generous donations, groundbreaking for and construction on the museum building started in June 2004 on land that the Barlow Road had crossed from 1846 until 1919. The museum was completed and opened in 2007 and had a reopening with the gift shop in 2009. The information center was added in 2015.

Thanks to the many volunteers, donors, contributors and patrons, the Sandy Area Historical Museum is a repository for the artifacts and history of the Sandy area, which encompasses the entire Oregon Trail School District, including Sandy, Boring, The Mount Hood villages and surrounding communities.

Our mission

Our mission is to provide our region a center to secure both our historical heritage and community’s culture, which includes:

  • Establish and maintain a historical museum

  • Publish, collect and distribute written materials

  • Maintain and preserve the region’s archives

  • Establish and maintain a web site

  • Provide educational and cultural programs

  • Preserve the culture (arts & humanities)

  • Recognize pioneer families

  • Establish this with the highest integrity and fiscal responsibility