As part of Juneteenth activities offered by the Benton County Historical Society, the Philomath Museum will host a traveling exhibit from June 14 to July 5 about pioneer Letitia Carson, one of the first Black women to settle in Oregon.
Entitled “Letitia Carson: An Enduring Spirit of Hope and Freedom,” the exhibit comes to Philomath on loan from Oregon Black Pioneers, the state’s only historical society dedicated to preserving and presenting the experiences of African Americans.
An item on the BCHS website about the upcoming exhibit describes Carson:
“As a formerly enslaved, unmarried African American woman, her experience embodies the marginalization and exclusion of minorities in Oregon during the 19th century. Still, Letitia Carson persevered to win hard-fought battles for her home, her status and her rights. Carson’s story illuminates important facets of what life was like for early African American settlers in Oregon.”
Visit the Letitia Carson Digital History Collection to learn more about her story. Philomath Museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Admission is free but donations are welcome.