There is a great article in the Gazette-Times today on the Benton County Historical Society. It’s worth reading the entire thing, but I couldn’t resist posting this quote, which paints such a delightful picture…

“The Benton County Historical Society’s storage building is crammed to the rafters – literally – with a bewildering assortment of artifacts. They’re lined up in rows, stacked in boxes and arrayed on shelves like the accumulated clutter of God’s own attic.“

So if you ventured 5 miles west of Corvallis to Philomath, what will you find there? The collection numbers somewhere around 120,000 items, so you’ll find a lot!

“Tin lizzies and horse-drawn carriages. Hand-carved bedsteads and hand-woven baskets. Wedding dresses and military uniforms. A deep-sea diver’s helmet and a telephone operator’s switchboard. A congregation of pulpits and a veritable armada of rocking chairs.”

What does Mary Gallagher, the historical society’s collections manager, think? “I think we have too many chairs, personally.” Joking aside, Gallagher and the BCHS staff take their collection and mission of preserving the history of our county very seriously! Read more and you’ll see…