With no building to call our own for nearly 20 years, we did our work through monthly meetings at the Juanita Pohl (Senior) Center, occasional publications and special events. Artifacts and documents were stashed in members’ closets and under beds.

In 2002, we launched a digital conservation project to preserve our collection of 2000 historic photos. Some of these historic photographs are now displayed in public buildings and commercial firms. Selected historical artifacts are arranged in exhibit cases at Tualatin Library and Tualatin High School. A walking/driving guide to learn about historic buildings is available, both in print and electronically. The City actively supports local heritage through interpretive signage along the Tualatin River Greenway Trail. In the planning stage is a trail commemorating how the Ice Age Floods impacted Tualatin.

In mid-2003, Tualatin’s oldest church built in 1926 was suddenly given to the Society, but it needed to be moved in the face of commercial development. Thanks to hundreds of volunteers and the City of Tualatin, we raised over $400,000 in cash and in-kind donations. The building was relocated in 2005 and grand opening was held February 11, 2006.

Tualatin Heritage Center is now an active community center owned by the City of Tualatin but operated by Tualatin Historical Society. It sits not far from the original town site and the 1858 Sweek House, our city’s oldest building. On the campus are large glacial erratics, several historic plants with ties to Tualatin early residents and a patio garden featuring Oregon natives. Interpretive signs feature local tribal history and the Heritage Center itself.

Tualatin Historical Society information

Recent Board Meeting Minutes

Quarterly Newsletters