The Benton County Historical Society will open its Johnson Collections Center to the public for a series of guided “behind-the-scenes” tours on Saturday, Nov. 7, with sessions at 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.
The collections center, which sits on the hill next to the Philomath Museum, holds more than 140,000 items. They include photographs, historical documents, textiles, quilts, clothing, domestic arts, farm implements, natural history pieces, scientific instruments and personal possessions, all preserved for future generations.
About 60,000 of those items come from the Horner Collection, which was previously housed at Oregon State University.
Patti Larkin, the historical society’s curator of collections, will lead the tours.
Participants will learn how the collections are cared for and what it takes to safely manage and operate a collections center. The tours will also cover the work of conservators and the research and cataloging that goes into the collections. Visitors will get a look inside the facility’s vault.
According to the historical society, the goal of the tours is to give visitors an understanding of how collections are handled, the reasons behind those practices and how the items connect to local history.
Each tour lasts 1 hour, 15 minutes and is limited to 10 participants. Tickets cost $20 with discounts for historical society members. Preregistration is required at bentoncountymuseums.org/tours. As of Friday, five spots remained for the 12:30 p.m. tour and eight for the 2:30 p.m. tour. Tours are open to ages 14 and older, and participants should be prepared for some walking.
The Benton County Historical Society operates the Philomath Museum and focuses on exhibitions, collections, educational programs and public engagement related to the history of Benton County and the surrounding region.