Springfield History Museum

From September 15 through October 15, recognizes the histories, cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans, and there is plenty to discover right here in Springfield and Lane County.

The Springfield History Museum's current 'Farm Labor in the Valley' exhibit shares experiences of local Hispanic farmworkers. You can also revisit our 2021 ILLUMINATION exhibit, which highlighted people and voices from Springfield's diverse communities. 🔗 wheremindsgrow.org/history_museum

Dig deeper into the history of Hispanic communities across the state through the Oregon Encyclopedia. 🔗 oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/hispanics_in_oregon

Also explore 'Latino Roots', a community-based project featuring photographs, oral histories, and bilingual resources documenting Latino experiences in our region. 🔗 latinoroots.uoregon.edu

👉Find more resources at https://hispanicheritagemonth.gov/

Image by Ofelia Guzman, 2021 ILLUMINATION Exhibit

Where will you be during the Springfield's The Block Party ? Stop by the Museum before 8pm to:
🎉check out our exhibits and craft corner
🎉grab a souvenir from our gift shop, including some special event-only swag!
🎉use our restroom and take a sensory break in our calm space!

For Labor Day, we're looking back at some of the industries and workers that helped shape Springfield! Shown here are hop pickers on Seavey farm in 1913, a transit crew paving Main Street around 1911, workers at Nalley's Potato Chip Factory in 1953 and the Springfield Public Library librarian around the 1960s.

Learn more about labor in Springfield with the Museum's current exhibit "Farm Labor in the Valley": https://wheremindsgrow.org/history_museum/farmlabor

Find more images in the Museum's online catalog: https://wheremindsgrow.org/history_catalog

📸Native American workers in a hop field, 1913 (1979.006.010)
📸Elmer E Kepner and transit crew paving Main Street, c.1911 (1992.037.029)
📸Nalley's Potato Chip Factory, 1953 (2017.003.573)
📸SPL Librarian Vera Morgan, c. 1960 (1989.001.703)

The Museum will be closed Saturday 9/5 for Labor Day Weekend. We will be open again on Thursday 9/10 at 10am.
Thank you! ..
El Museo permanecerá cerrado el sábado 9/5 por el fin de semana del Día del Trabajo. Abriremos de nuevo el jueves 9/10 a las 10:00am. ¡Gracias!

School starts next week here in Springfield! We hope that all of our students and families are getting prepared, taking care of themselves (and remembering what bedtime is!), and getting excited for a new school year! Here's some photos from Springfield Public Schools - OR in years past-share your school stories in the comments! 🍎
✏️: Lincoln School with students, 1915 (this school was built around 1910 near Springfield High, and was torn down sometime in the 1960s)
✏️: Springfield Union High School baseball team, sometime in the 1940s
✏️: Springfield High School band, 1938
✏️: Third grade mclassroom at Mt Vernon Elementary School, 1965-66
✏️: Centennial Elementary School classroom, sometime in the 1990s
✏️: Springfield High student with rock collection, date unknown

Check out hundreds of other school photos in the Museum's Online Catalog 👉https://wheremindsgrow.org/history_catalog

We are excited to announce that our own Madeline McGraw has been named one of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce 20Under40 Rising Stars.

These 20 professionals are helping shape the future of Eugene-Springfield through leadership, innovation, service, and meaningful contributions to their workplaces and communities.

Madeline has worked at the City of Springfield, Oregon Government as Curator of the Springfield History Museum since 2017. During that time, she has spearheaded many significant initiatives, including two renovations, expanded access to collections through digitization and online resources, and increased program offerings.

Congratulations, Madeline, on this well-deserved recognition! 🏆

Love to see local history in action, Plank Town Brewing Company!

Do you remember the Springfield Filbert Festival?

The filbert (aka the hazelnut) was named as Oregon's state nut in 1989. Nearly all of the filberts grown in the United States are harvested in Oregon, and the first commercial filbert orchard was planted at Dorris Ranch. That same year, the Filbert Festival was started in Springfield to celebrate with live music, filbert cooking contests, and more. Sadly, the festival ended after 2006 due to budget issues. Maybe we'll see a future revival? Only time will tell!

Check out other photos of this and other festivals in the Museum's Online Catalog 👉https://wheremindsgrow.org/history_catalog

Summertime is all about making memories, and this week we're sharing Cornelia Fogle's scrapbook of camping with her Girl Scout troop at Cleawox Lake in July 1948.

Camp Cleawox was started in 1930, and the Civilian Conservation Corps built many of its shelters and trails in the late 1930s. Before the mid 1950s, girls had to take a barge across Lake Cleawox with all of their camping gear!

Things have changed in the past 90 years, but Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington still head to Camp Cleawox every summer to enjoy the outdoors and make memories in many of the same ways that Cornelia and her friends did in 1948. See more photos of her adventures, and many more, in the Museum's online catalog 👉 https://wheremindsgrow.org/history_catalog