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    • Visit
    • Research and Collections
    • School and Group Tours
    • Contact
    • Blog
  • At the Museum
    • Exhibits
    • Events
    • Voices of Gresham
    • Lectures & Documentaries
    • Newsletter
    • Indigenous Arts Festival
  • Support GHS
    • Membership
    • Volunteer
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    • Save the Polar King Signs
    • Donate to the Collection
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Research and Collections

Check out our online archive

Through a collaboration with the Oregon State Library and with support from the Schwemm Family Foundation, a portion of our historic collections is now online as part of the Northwest Digital Heritage platform.  Our online collections include photos, documents, objects, and audio recordings - and we're adding more all 

Browse the Catalog

Program for the Gresham Rodeo

    What's your history mystery?

    Search for the answer in our archives!  Resources include over 70 years of the Gresham Outlook (our local newspaper) as well as thousands of historic documents and photos covering over 150 years of our community's heritage. 

    Contact us to book a research room appointment.

    Contact Us

    Museum Collection

    Containing over 3,000 objects, the Museum Collection spans Gresham's history and contains innumerable stories that our curators share via rotating exhibits.

    See What's On View

    Searchable Archives

    Find documents compiled and scanned primarily for research purposes. These include newspaper clippings, obituaries, records on historic properties, and various memoirs and research papers, both published and unpublished. 

    Browse the Archive

    Researching Historic Homes & Buildings

    Online Resources to Guide Your Search

    Whether you own a historic property or just want to learn more about our built environment, you're in luck!  There are multiple ways you can search for a house or property online.  The documents below include a guide to finding and using these resources.


    If you can't find the information you're looking for in the documents below, we suggest contacting the Multnomah County Tax Assessor's office for a property card.  Property owners may also hire a title company to research a property's chain of ownership back to the first land claim.

    Witter Residence on South Roberts, constructed in 1906

    Guide to Researching Homes in Gresham (pdf)

    Download

    City of Gresham Updated Inventory of Historic and Cultural Landmarks part 1 (2016) (pdf)

    Download

    City of Gresham Updated Inventory of Historic and Cultural Landmarks part 2 (2016) (pdf)

    Download

    Historic Resources Inventory Report - Introduction (1987) (pdf)

    Download

    Historic Resources Inventory Report - Index, Maps, Evaluation Criteria (1987) (pdf)

    Download

    Historic Resources Inventory Report - Ambleside through Cleveland (ordered by street name) (pdf)

    Download

    Historic Resources Inventory Report - Division through Kelly (ordered by street name) 1987 (pdf)

    Download

    Historic Resources Inventory Report - Liberty through Main (ordered by street name) 1987 (pdf)

    Download

    Historic Resources Inventory Report - Mignonette through Palmquist (ordered by street name) 1987 (pdf)

    Download

    Other Free Research Resources

    Historic Oregon Newspapers

    Historic Oregon Newspapers

    Historic Oregon Newspapers

    A project of University of Oregon libraries, this searchable database contains almost 2,400,000 pages from Oregon newspapers dated 1846 - 2023 - including Gresham newspapers the Outlook and Beaver State Herald.

    View Historic Oregon Newspapers

    Multnomah County Library

    Historic Oregon Newspapers

    Historic Oregon Newspapers

    Access the full span of the Oregonian and Oregon Journal with your library card, including articles, obituaries, and the funny pages.

    View Library Resources

    Northwest Digital Heritage

    Historic Oregon Newspapers

    General Land Office Records

    This free online resource compiles the digital collections of many archives, libraries, and museums in our region including the Oregon Historical Society and the Oregon State Library. Our online collections are also housed here!

    View Northwest Digital Heritage

    General Land Office Records

    General Land Office Records

    General Land Office Records

    The records of the General Land Office within the Bureau of Land Management include land patents (including Donation Land Act records), survey plats, land status records, tract books, and a land catalog, all digitally available for free.

    View GLO Records

    Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

    General Land Office Records

    Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

    A searchable database of historic, color-coded fire insurance maps published by the Sanborn Map Company housed in the Library of Congress. Fire insurance maps are distinctive because of the sophisticated set of symbols that allows complex information to be conveyed clearly.

    View Sanborn Maps

    Bring History to Your Business

    Did you know that many of the photos in our collection can be purchased as digital files? Browse the online catalog to find what you need, then contact us to start your order. 

    The documents below outline our usage fees and permissions. These fees apply to people using our images for publications and public display. If you are interested in purchasing a photo for personal use, please contact us.

    GHS Photo Usage Fees Institutional (pdf)Download
    GHS Photo Rights and Permissions (pdf)Download

    Donate to the Collection

    Do you have belongings, papers, or family photos you're interested in donating to the Gresham Historical Society? We'd like to hear about them!

    Donation offers must pass through a committee review before we are able to accept items. Thank you for your understanding and patience.

    How to Donate

    Explore

    Exhibits

    Save the Polar King Signs

    Save the Polar King Signs

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

    See What's On

    Save the Polar King Signs

    Save the Polar King Signs

    Save the Polar King Signs

    Donate to the restoration fund for the two iconic polar bear signs from the Polar King Restaurant. Help us reach $10,000 by December 31! 

    Donate to the Restoration Fund

    Lectures & Documentaries

    Save the Polar King Signs

    Lectures & Documentaries

    GHS volunteers and staff are working hard to find great local history stories and share them with you. Check out their research on our YouTube channel and learn about upcoming lectures at the museum. 

    Learn More

    Blog

    Save the Polar King Signs

    Lectures & Documentaries

    Learn what's going on behind the scenes at the museum on the GHS blog. Volunteers and staff compile their research and stories from the archives with historic photos.

    Read the Blog
    • Contact
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    Gresham Historical Society

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

    (503) 661-0347

    Copyright © 2025 Gresham Historical Society - All Rights Reserved.

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