Five Oaks Museum — Attraction in Beaverton

About thirty years ago I visited the museum to glean resources about my ancestors, John Philip and Julia Olsen who owned a farm in Orenco from about 1894 to 1920s and other family in Sherwood. Their seven children were born and raised on the farm. This past year, 2019, I finally returned to the museum with my old list, four pages long, to finally make copies of the printed materials. They are now held in one large notebook, 170 pages of precious material. The research staff were very prepared when we arrived and provided great assistance. I left with them information about my ancestors from those areas. Later I returned to the museum with the Oregon chapter members of the Association of Genealogists for an amazing tour of the facility. As a professional genealogist I have researched families in every state and many countries. In research for others I have enjoyed getting to know families of many races and religious beliefs. Being close to the land of my ancestors is always the most significant...

This is not a museum, it’s an extremely PC art exhibit. The “curators” try to avoid mentioning colonialism as much as humanly possible. Unfortunately for them, the colonists were where majority of recorded history in this area comes from. Not only that, but there’s a far more interesting history of the colonists over the natives because the colonists actually embraced and harnessed science and industry far more than the natives, no matter what the “curators” of this “museum” pretend to think. I was also referred to as a “guest” of this land, and as a life long Oregonian,...

This museum has changed from a dark and quiet museum of pioneer artifacts to a vibrant and engaging space for critical dialogue around the past 200 years of Oregon's history. Exhibitions now pair past artifacts with contemporary artists and curators. Engagement is key and (prior to Covid) events held there crackled with energy. The 180º turn this museum has taken is honestly quite astonishing. No small feat. Definitely worth...