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About Gresham Historical Society

Our History

 ​In 2010, Multnomah County voters passed a 5-year property tax levy to support local history. GHS receives a portion of these funds, which provides for a full-time paid director and improves our ability to achieve our mission and commitment to the local community. In the past 12 years, this has resulted in expanded hours, greater depth and frequency of exhibits, increased access to the collection for researchers, and further elamong many other improvements. Volunteers still carry out certain key functions such as visitor services and collections work.


​In 2010, Multnomah County voters passed a 5-year property tax levy to support local history. GHS receives a portion of these funds, which provides for a full-time paid director and improves our ability to achieve our mission and commitment to the local community. In the past 12 years, this has resulted in expanded hours, greater depth and frequency of exhibits, increased access to the collection for researchers, and further exploration of Gresham's cultural diversity, among many other improvements. Volunteers still carry out certain key functions such as visitor services and collections work.

Visit the Museum

Our Mission

 The Gresham Historical Society preserves and shares our community’s past to enrich its present and future. 

Our Vision

 

The Gresham Historical Society will be a center for the community where all  may gather to learn and find inspiration in the history and culture of  the Gresham area.

2024-2029

Strategic Plan

Crafted around the values of Curiosity, Collaboration, and Stewardship, his document is a roadmap of our priorities for the next five years.

Read the Strategic Plan

Board of Directors

President

Vice President

Vice President

 Sue Piazza was born and raised in East County and graduated from Sam Barlow High  School. She owns Bucket List Travel Tours and Piazza Patrick Coaching,  and she is a member of the Gresham Area Chamber of Commerce, Gresham  Rotary, and Easthill Church. Sue joined the board in 2021.  

Vice President

Vice President

Vice President

 Lon Shiiki is a lifelong Gresham resident who grew up on a 250-acre family berry,  vegetable, and greenhouse culinary herb farm. In 1990 Lon’s family sold  the farm, and he continued to work on the same land to build the housing  development and golf course known as Persimmon Country Club. In 1998 he  moved on to Yorke & Curtis as a proj

 Lon Shiiki is a lifelong Gresham resident who grew up on a 250-acre family berry,  vegetable, and greenhouse culinary herb farm. In 1990 Lon’s family sold  the farm, and he continued to work on the same land to build the housing  development and golf course known as Persimmon Country Club. In 1998 he  moved on to Yorke & Curtis as a project manager in commercial  construction and worked there for 17 years before retiring to pursue his  hobbies of fishing, golfing, and gardening. Lon joined the Gresham  Historical Society board in 2020 and became vice president in 2023. 

Secretary

Vice President

Secretary

A native of Gresham, Cassie Rafalski is dedicated to uniting people to celebrate the vibrant history of her hometown. Fueled by a passion for community  engagement, she strives to make history and culture more accessible to every community member. With a background in event coordination, marketing, and design, Cassie brings a unique skill

A native of Gresham, Cassie Rafalski is dedicated to uniting people to celebrate the vibrant history of her hometown. Fueled by a passion for community  engagement, she strives to make history and culture more accessible to every community member. With a background in event coordination, marketing, and design, Cassie brings a unique skill set to Gresham Historical Society’s mission.  Particularly devoted to engaging youth and students, she seeks to inspire the next generation by instilling a sense of pride in their local heritage.  

Treasurer

Vice President

Secretary

 Leslie Radke has spent 10 years on GHS board, working as treasurer for the last four  years. Before that, she had a 36-year banking career in Gresham. Her  other local volunteer work includes: 1989 charter member of the Gresham  Lions Supper Club, Eastco Diversified Services board member since 1996,  Art Walk/Gresham Outdoor Public Art t

 Leslie Radke has spent 10 years on GHS board, working as treasurer for the last four  years. Before that, she had a 36-year banking career in Gresham. Her  other local volunteer work includes: 1989 charter member of the Gresham  Lions Supper Club, Eastco Diversified Services board member since 1996,  Art Walk/Gresham Outdoor Public Art treasurer for 17 years, and  treasurer for the Historic Downtown Business Association for 16 years.  She enjoys giving back to the community that supported her career and  allowed her to prosper. 

 Fred Gilbert is new to the Gresham area, having moved to the area with his wife Teresa only three years ago. Fred holds a Masters Degree in History, and  is retired after twenty years working in higher education. His hobbies  are music, woodworking and exploring the beautiful state of Oregon. He  joined the board in 2021. 

  Karen Johnston was born and raised in Rockwood, Gresham, and Damascus and raised her family in the city she loves, Gresham, Oregon.

Karen is an entrepreneur and has owned and founded three successful Gresham businesses since 1989. Karen and her husband Steve operate All About Automotive, Inc., an independent automotive repair facility th

  Karen Johnston was born and raised in Rockwood, Gresham, and Damascus and raised her family in the city she loves, Gresham, Oregon.

Karen is an entrepreneur and has owned and founded three successful Gresham businesses since 1989. Karen and her husband Steve operate All About Automotive, Inc., an independent automotive repair facility that opened in 2000. 

Karen enjoys giving back to the community by volunteering to organize and operate fundraising events. She assists with the activities that her 10 grandchildren are involved in.

 Anne Endicott is a retired journalist and former editor for the Pamplin Media Group.  She worked with staff and other board members of the Gresham Historical Society off and on over the years she spent as a journalist. She is honored to serve on the board of directors to help preserve the history  of her community and share it with others.

 Carson Loveridge is a lifelong Gresham resident who attended Sam Barlow High School and Mt. Hood Community College. Carson has had a passion for Gresham’s “offbeat” history ever  since researching the MHCC Trike Jumps for a documentary project in college. He hopes his work at GHS will enable the community to learn more about its past to better inform its future.  

Vicki Moen has lived in Gresham for over 45 years and has watched the city grow and change. She married into a Gresham family with deep roots in the area. Her father-in-law regales her with stories on what used to be in every building in downtown Gresham.

Vicki values the intentionality of preserving the past while embracing the future; th

Vicki Moen has lived in Gresham for over 45 years and has watched the city grow and change. She married into a Gresham family with deep roots in the area. Her father-in-law regales her with stories on what used to be in every building in downtown Gresham.

Vicki values the intentionality of preserving the past while embracing the future; the remodel of Gresham High School is a great example. 

Vicki believes that preserving the history of our hometown strengthens our ties to our community and allows us to celebrate our shared experience. 

Debby Brown joined the Board of Directors in 2024. She is honored to serve our community and preserve Gresham’s history. Debby has proudly called Gresham her hometown since 1967. She (as well as her two grown  daughters) graduated from Gresham High School, attended Mount Hood Community College, and earned a bachelor's degree from Portland

Debby Brown joined the Board of Directors in 2024. She is honored to serve our community and preserve Gresham’s history. Debby has proudly called Gresham her hometown since 1967. She (as well as her two grown  daughters) graduated from Gresham High School, attended Mount Hood Community College, and earned a bachelor's degree from Portland State University. Now that Debby is retired from a 34-year federal career, she enjoys traveling with her husband, spending time with family and friends, making paper crafts, and building family trees on Ancestry.

Other Board Members

Jon Sandstrom

Bess Wills

Emeritus Board Members

Carla Piluso

Keith White

Staff

Museum Director

Public Historian

Public Historian

 A lifelong Gresham-area resident, Silvie Andrews has been involved with GHS since 2015 and has served as museum director since 2021. She previously worked as a museum cataloger at the Oregon Historical Society and collections manager at Pittock Mansion. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from New York University and a Master of Arts in history from Portland State University. 

Public Historian

Public Historian

Public Historian

 Stephanie Vallance works as Public Historian, managing the Gresham Oral History Project and Voices of Gresham podcast.  She received a Bachelor’s in History from the University of San Francisco and a Master’s in Public History from Portland State University. As a fifth-generation Oregonian, her research and interest centers on amplifying underrepresented voices in the region. 

Podcast Intern

Public Historian

Podcast Intern

 Melissa Bevency received her BS in history in 2024 and will be starting her MSLIS soon. Besides being a co-writer for the Voices of Gresham podcast, she is also a GHS volunteer and library assistant. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, traveling, and researching family histories.

Our Building: The 1913 Gresham Library

Origins

In 1903, the back room of the Gresham Post Office served as Gresham’s first public reading room. 


By 1908, the library collection reached approximately 400 volumes, and the Gresham community began fundraising for the construction of a dedicated library building. The Gresham Library Association purchased property at the corner of North Main Avenue and Fourth Street in Gresham for $1900.


With financial support from the Library Association of Portland, the Gresham community raised approximately half of the necessary funds to construct the building, making the project eligible for support from Andrew Carnegie. One of the wealthiest people in the United States at the time, Carnegie dedicated a large part of his fortune to the construction of libraries across the country.  The Gresham Library was one of thirty-one Carnegie libraries built in Oregon.


Construction

Due to this monetary contribution, the Gresham Library Association was able to select young architect Folger Johnson to design the building.  A newcomer to Portland and a recent graduate of Columbia University, Johnson went on to an illustrious forty-year career, during which he designed numerous buildings that are now on the National Register of Historic Places.  The Gresham Library, which Johnson designed in the English Tudor Revival style, is unique among Carnegie libraries in the Portland area, most of which were colonnaded Neoclassical structures.


Construction began in 1912, and the building was dedicated and opened in 1913.  Enthusiasm for the new library began strong and continued to grow; in 1914, the Oregonian pronounced the Gresham Library the “educational, civic and social center of Gresham.”  The library hosted club meetings, story hours, and lectures, growing along with the city it served, until rapid urban growth in the 1970s and 1980s finally outpaced the capacity of the small community library.


Saving the Library

In 1988, Multnomah County Library purchased land at 3rd and Miller, a block from the old library, and a new, larger structure was built there the following year. On December 30, 1989, up to 500 volunteers formed a human chain between the old and new libraries to finish moving the books in time for the new library’s dedication on January 7, 1990. Today’s Gresham Library features elements that honor its predecessor, such as a series of small leaded-glass windows with designs based on publishers’ imprints of the 1400s through the early 1900s.


The Gresham Historical Society began fundraising to purchase the old library almost as soon as plans began to vacate it.  With staggering community support, the historical society was able to purchase the building and subsequently embarked on extensive renovations to turn it into a museum. Generous bequests from longtime Executive Director Pat Stone and board member Jack Malcolm funded another significant round of renovations in 2012. Today the building appears much as it did when it opened in 1913. The Gresham Carnegie Library is now on the National Register of Historic Places and will be protected for generations to come.

Early reading room on the second floor of the Gresham Drugstore, which housed Gresham's library  prior to 1913.

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Gresham Carnegie Library

The Gresham Carnegie Library building is one of the finest examples of the Tudor Revival style of architecture in the region. Built between 1912 and 1913 with  funds provided by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, the library served the  community for fifty years as both an important educational resource...

Oregon Encyclopedia

Explore

Collections & Research

Collections & Research

Collections & Research

What's your history mystery? Find the answer in our archives or explore our online collections via Northwest Digital Heritage. We preserve and share all things Gresham!

Learn More

Become a Volunteer

Collections & Research

Collections & Research

 Like many small museums, GHS relies on volunteers for most of our daily operations. Are you interested in joining the team? We're always looking for docents, event helpers, collections volunteers, and everything in between.

Volunteer

Our Building

Collections & Research

Our Building

Our museum is located in the 1913 former Gresham Library, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This building dates to the days when Gresham was a small farming village with a population of about 500.

Our Building

Exhibits

Collections & Research

Our Building

 GHS offers an array of rotating exhibits on themes in local  history, changing every year to explore different subjects. Explore this  year's exhibits with a kid-friendly museum scavenger hunt! 

On View

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Gresham Historical Society

410 N Main Ave - PO Box 65 - Gresham, OR 97030

(503) 661-0347

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