Othello Community Museum

Open Saturdays 1-4 pm and by appointment

Blog

  • Updates at the Othello Community Museum

    With the generous help of Friend of the Museum and local cattle rancher Mike Para, our historic cattle brand exhibit (circa 1900s–1940s) has been carefully relocated and reinstalled.

    The original display was curated by Bill Morris during his 30-year tenure as Museum President.

    We moved the branding display to make room for our new Time-Line exhibit created by Freya Liggett. By doing this we are continuing our mission to honor the pioneers of Othello and the region’s early farmers and ranchers.

    We now have space for six additional historic brands. If your family has a brand to contribute, we’d love to include it.

    We also welcome donations of branding irons to expand our growing collection.

    We are open every Saturday from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

    To schedule a private tour, please contact our Project Manager, Rebecca Mohs 509-431-5840

  • Othello Fair Recap

    The Othello Community Museum proudly joined fellow vendors and exhibitors at the Othello Fair from September 10–13, showcasing a rich tapestry of local heritage and community spirit.

    Our booth, staffed by dedicated volunteers Rebecca Mohs, Mary Bustos, Molly Popchock, and Bill Briggs, featured a curated selection of historical treasures:

    • 🏛️ Our Charter Member plaque from 1972

    • 🎨 A historic painting of the museum donated by Cora Nichols

    • 🧵 A centennial quilt honoring the Seniors of 1976, lovingly crafted by Ruby Leary

    • 📰 Vintage news articles and historic yearbooks

    A highlight of the booth was a mystery raffle organized by Eric Morgan, featuring an intriguing antique tool. Over 38 fairgoers joined in the fun, guessing its identity. The correct answer? An old wagon wheel wrench! Congratulations to our winners—Susan Huntzinger, Bart Whitaker, George Rattray, and Skip Briney—each receiving a $25 VISA gift card for their sharp eye and historical insight.

    The fair was more than just an exhibit—it was a chance to reconnect, reminisce, and celebrate the stories that shape our community. Thank you to everyone who stopped by, shared memories, and supported the museum. Your presence made history come alive!

  • Recent Event held at Othello Community Museum

    On August 26, Othello’s Beta Sigma Phi held their opening day meeting at
    the Othello Community Museum!

    Beta Sigma Phi is a non-academic women’s sorority with chapters around
    the world. It is primarily a social and cultural organization that incorporates
    service as part of its activities. There are three active chapters in Othello at
    this time: Xi Beta Xi which hosted this event,
    Beta Lambda, and Delta Upsilon.


    There were 23 members in attendance at this opening event. The evening
    started with a historical background of the Othello Community Museum
    given by President, Eric Morgan. Finger food and refreshments were
    provided by Xi Beta Xi. A scavenger hunt organized by Debbie Pegram
    was held with items on display at the museum. Fun was had by all.
    Winners received gift cards and floral arrangements created by Molly
    Jessen.


    The theme for Beta Sigma Phi for this year 2025-2026 is Angels of
    Friendship. A huge Thank You went out to the Othello Community Museum
    for hosting the event.


    Othello Community Museum open to host community meetings
    throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall. Call Rebecca Mohs
    (509)431-5840; or Molly Popchock (509)995-5861 to arrange.

  • Nostalgic Window Boxes

    Galena “Lena” Gilbert and Charles “Charlie” Morgan were married in 1907 on Christmas Day. They came directly to a homestead north of Othello on McManamon Road. They attended the Presbyterian Church (where the museum is now located) until 1913, when part of their congregation started the Christian Church. Most of their lives were spent in and around Othello and they were very much a part of the community and many knew them. They were my grandparents.

    For one of their anniversaries, their son Don made Lena a pair of window boxes, filled with seeds and other dried plants. He included their portraits, which he cut from their wedding photograph. At the time, he told her the boxes were to represent the foods she and Charlie had during their homestead days. Her reply, “I wish we’d had that much,” brought a smile to her face.

    The window boxes were very meaningful to her and can be seen at the Othello Community Museum, along with other items she donated.

  • A Brief History of Mount St. Helens

    Mount St. Helens erupting on May 18, 1980. Photo Credit: USGS.gov Public Domain

    When Mount St. Helens erupted 45 years ago on May 18, 1980, the event devastated more than 150 square miles of forest and recreation area, killing 57 people and countless animals. The eruption lasted nine hours and spewed ash and debris more than 15 miles into the air. The ash spread across the United States in three days, with detectible amounts covering 22,000 square miles. About 7,000 deer, elk and bears perished, as well as all birds and most small mammals. Some burrowing animals managed to survive – they were below ground level or water surface.
    The velocity of the blast was 300 miles per hour, blowing down 4 billion board feet of timber. That’s enough to build 150,000 homes.
    Mount St. Helens is the youngest of the five volcanoes in Washington. A composite volcano, it tends to erupt explosively with considerable danger to nearby life and property. The most recent eruptive periods began about AD 1800.
    The first documented observation was in 1792 by British Royal navy officer Captain George Vancouver who was charting the inlets of Puget Sound. Several months later, he named the mountain in honor of his fellow countryman who held the title Baron St. Helens, the British ambassador to Spain. Vancouver also named Mounts Baker, Hood and Rainier for British naval officers. Other reported eruptions were in 1831, 1835 and 1842. Another eruption may have occurred in 1854.
    Local Native Americans and early settlers in the region witnessed occasional violent outbursts of Mount St. Helens. The Native Americans called the mountain Lawetlat’la or “smoker.”
    Studies have shown Mount St. Helens has experienced approximately ten main eruptive periods from 1800 to 1980. It must be remembered that the volcano shows continued activity and is not dormant. Future eruptions are possible.

  • Othello High School annuals

    In the 1938 junior class at OHS, there were only four students: Frank Schumacher, Donald Morgan, Evelyn Adams and Earl Reynolds. Their teacher was Miss Susie Alcott.

    Years later, in 1949, there were still only four in the junior class, so there wasn’t a lot of growth. And they had a different teacher.

    We usually host a class reunion’s visit or two each year and the annuals are one of the items they enjoy perusing. The earliest annual (yearbook) we have at the museum is 1949. Those early annuals are so fun to look at. They had a lot of interesting pages celebrating each of the classes.

    This year was the 50th reunion of the class of 1974. One of the student alumni – Steve Olson – stopped by to get information on a paper he is writing about the history of Othello for his class. The paper begins with the early settlement of the region and continues with the railroad and irrigation. When complete, we hope to be able to publish it on this website.

    We have quite a collection of Othello High School annuals, but we are missing some. They are 1964-66, 1968, 1979-82, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996-2000, 2005, 2007, and 2009. If you have any of those years and would like to donate them to the museum, we will add them to our collection.

  • Welcome!

    Welcome to the new Othello Community Museum website. We have been working to create a site people will enjoy.

    The Othello Community Museum began in 1973 with a mission to preserve the history of Othello and the surrounding area. Since that time, we have been working toward expanding our presence and this website is just one of those ways we are doing that.

    Each year, we focus on one aspect of our rich heritage. This year, it is the Columbia Basin Project, which brought water to the otherwise parched desert.

    The irrigation project was authorized by Congress in 1943 – 80 years ago – and construction began shortly after the end of World War II. The first water went to Pasco in 1948 and was delivered to 5,400 acres. Four years later, in 1952, the first water from Grand Coulee Dam was sent to about 66,000 acres. Today, the system irrigates 671,000 acres and more is planned as the project is expanded in the near future.

    The water from the project also provides flood control and both municipal and industrial water uses. It also provides many jobs and recreation along the vast waterways created by the system. Anyone living or visiting the state of Washington is impacted by the Columbia Basin Project.

    We are hoping to see you at the museum sometime this summer. We will open for the season at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 15, with a special presentation about the irrigation. After that, we will be open each Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. through September.

    For more information on the project, visit usbr.gov, cbdl.org, agr.wa.gov, nwcouncil.org, or ecbid.org.