RAINIER, Ore. — A new stand-alone home for the Rainier Oregon Historical Museum could be coming soon after the project received $500,000 from the Oregon Legislature this month.
The museum will be built on A Street at the end of Rainier City Park. Rainier Museum president Kay Heflin said the goal is to break ground in May and be ready to open in the spring of 2025.
The Rainier museum was one of 13 projects statewide the Legislature earmarked with the Community Resource Economic Fund for arts and cultural projects. The Columbia County Museum Association in St. Helens also received $400,000 through the fund.
Heflin was one of the museum’s co-founders in 2015 when a local group began working to preserve the history of Rainier and neighboring communities. The small town dates back to 1851, eight years before Oregon’s statehood.
The museum’s collection is limited a single room in Rainier’s City Hall and was closed earlier this year due to emergency repairs.
The fire truck and other vehicles will be placed in a covered outdoor space to be safely displayed, according to Heflin. The plans for the new museum building include a display area for local artists, a library with books about the history of Rainier and Columbia County, and meeting rooms for community events and teaching visiting students.
“The most important thing we want to do is involve different classes of all ages in our museum and educate them on the history of Rainier,” Heflin said.
The remaining construction costs will be covered by a $1 million in-kind donation and $400,000 from previous fundraisers. Heflin said the museum group has already spent $50,000 on the design and permitting process.
