About Us — Seaside Museum & Historical Society

The Seaside Museum & Historical Society of Oregon is a non-profit educational institution incorporated by the State of Oregon to collect, preserve and interpret materials illustrative of the history and culture of Seaside, Oregon, and the surrounding area.

The Seaside Museum and Historical Society depends on the board of directors and volunteers, each of whom takes an active part in the operation and future direction of the museum.

Without them, there would be no museum. Many volunteers function as docents, offering friendly guidance through the museum and cottage.

The Board of Directors and volunteers spend many hours at various functions throughout the year, as well as helping with the upkeep of the museum.

The Seaside Museum and Historical Society was founded in 1974 by a group of local residents who wanted to celebrate and share the rich history of the community.

The museum began in a small storefront in downtown Seaside, but as the collection grew, the membership decided a permanent location was needed. A city lot was leased and a building erected and the museum opened in November 1983 at its current location.

The museum moved the historic Butterfield Cottage to the museum grounds in 1984 and began a comprehensive restoration of the building. The museum officially opened its new exhibit, the oldest beach cottage museum on the Oregon coast, in 1991.

Today, the Seaside Museum and Historical Society is home to a wide variety of exhibits and artifacts that showcase the history of Seaside and the surrounding area. The museum's collection includes photographs, documents, artifacts, and other materials that tell the story of the town's development from a remote beach village to a thriving tourist destination. Visitors to the museum can explore exhibits on a wide range of topics, including the area's Native American history, the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and the growth of Seaside as a resort town. The museum also offers educational programs, tours, and special events throughout the year.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Steve has been involved with the museum since 2012, the year he, and his wife Patty, purchased their vacation home in town. After retiring as CFO of a Portland grain exporter, Steve and Patty moved here full-time in 2014. Steve joined the board of directors soon afterward and was appointed President the next year. “I think mostly because I was the youngest!” If there is any question of Steve’s dedication to the preservation of history – in any area – he proudly holds a membership to 25 museums, which is probably some sort of a record.
Steve has been on the Seaside City Council since 2017 and as of January 1st, 2023, the Mayor of Seaside.

Leah’s family has been in Seaside for more than 100 years. Her grandfather was Harry Kemmerer, who served as Seaside police chief for many years and finished his career with the city as public works director. Her father, Frank Griffith, was a city councilor and volunteer firefighter. Her family has also owned businesses in the area since the 1950’s.
Leah spent her career as a librarian, first starting here at the Seaside Public Library under the direction of Mrs. Hawley who did much of the work establishing Seaside Museum’s library collection. She was the library director in Newberg for 27 years and became a founding member of the Newberg Historical Society. After retirement, she returned to her hometown of Seaside where she now spends her time as a member of the Rotary Club of Seaside and the Seaside Library Foundation, in addition to her museum board duties. We are grateful to have such a go-getter on our team!

Joanne and her husband arrived in Seaside as second home owners in January of 2001, and became full-time residents in April of 2012.
Joanne’s first job was as a receptionist for the Portland Chamber of Commerce Visitors Information Bureau, telling guests where to go and what to see while visiting Portland. Two years following, she was employed by Standard Oil Co. of California as a secretary to the credit manager and later promoted to supervisor. Later in life Joanne went on to be employed by Boise Cascade Corp. as executive assistant to the Sr. Vice President and General Manager of the Paper Group. During the last 10 years of employment she was office manager at Boise Cascade, overseeing 100+ employees.
Joanne has been a member of the Seaside Rotary Club since 2013. She is also a member of the Seaside American Association of University Women, and has served as secretary to their homeowners association for the past 22 years.

Ken spent 25 years working in the Music and Radio Industry. He changed careers and is now with the City of Seaside Visitor’s Bureau. Ken has lived here in Seaside since 2010 and lucky for us, he loves learning about the amazing history in our area. Ken was a board member some years ago and is very happy to be involved again. Ken lives in Seaside with his wife, Sandy, two dogs, and a cat. He is a lover of good beer and awesome burgers. (Seaside is the place for that!)

Sandy moved to Seaside in 1995 and although Seaside had not been her original destination on the Oregon Coast, she has never regretted a day of living in this beautiful city. Sandy is a self-employed tax consultant and full charge bookkeeper. She loves to travel and has an affinity for the history of the North Oregon Coast. Sandy has worked for the Seaside Chamber of Commerce, on and off, for the last 25 years and is now a volunteer docent at the museum. She enjoys being a member of the board and learning more about our town.

David is a life-long Oregonian: Born and raised in North Central Oregon. David taught 4th Grade for two years before changing careers to work in the wood products industry. While living and working in The Dalles he served as a volunteer for many different organizations including: The Dalles PUD, School District budget committee, Wasco County Museum, Gorge Discovery Center, and more. David moved to Newport in 2006 and worked as Executive Director of Lincoln County Community Development Corp., serving low-income working families.
He is a well-seasoned traveler and has visited five of the seven continents.
After retiring, David moved to the north coast and began volunteering at the Seaside Museum where he serves as a Board member and docent. He enjoys being able to continue learning the history of this fascinating area.