Discover History Together: Oregon City's Historic Homes Are Perfect For Families

By Guest Authors: Jenn and Brian Warren

Oregon City is the birthplace of modern Oregon, so it’s chock-full of history, heritage and culture. If you’re hoping for an indoor activity that will capture the interest of kids and adults, we’d recommend visiting one of these historic homes and museums.

The Museum of the Oregon Territory is the perfect place to start exploring Oregon City’s past and present. The Museum overlooks Willamette Falls and all of its surrounding industrial buildings. The views alone are well worth a visit!

The Museum of the Oregon Trail is exceptionally family friendly. Kids can get up close to a Native American petroglyph, a buckboard wagon, early electrical appliances (including the first electric washing machine) and more. Our kids had a blast sending each other Morse Code messages using the telegraph equipment while our teens pored over the details of the historic pharmacy display.

The Portland General Electric displays helped us to understand how Willamette Falls was critical in the development of hydroelectricity. See if you can solve the puzzle of bringing electricity from Oregon City to Portland — it’s harder than it looks!

After exploring the Museum of the Oregon Territory, you can use your admission tickets to enter the Stevens-Crawford Heritage House (within 30 days of purchase).

The Museum of the Oregon Territory offers many interactive displays for kids to learn about the history of the area.

The Stevens-Crawford Heritage House offers a glimpse of life in Oregon City in the early 20th century. The house features Craftsman-style architecture and has been furnished with period pieces, so you feel like you’re truly stepping back in time.

We were intrigued by the ingenious designs throughout the house. Nearly all of the house is open to the public and many areas are open for hands-on exploration. You can open kitchen drawers, look through a stereoscope, explore hidden cabinets and play parlor games.

The Stevens-Crawford House is filled with items guests can touch and feel, including a typewriter.

The Ermatinger House is one of the oldest houses in Oregon, and takes you back to the days when Oregon City was just beginning. It was built for a former Hudson’s Bay Company employee, and many of the displays discuss the connection between Oregon City and the Hudson’s Bay Company.

Our kids loved seeing the children’s bedroom and playing with nineteenth-century toys. We also appreciated the historic fashion displays showing how clothing and accessories evolved over the years between the 1800s and 1900s.

The Ermatinger House offers a glimpse into the past and early life in Oregon City.

The McLoughlin House is a unit of Fort Vancouver National Historic Park and was the home of Dr. John McLoughlin, former Chief Factor of Fort Vancouver. Your kids can earn a Junior Ranger Badge here as they explore and complete various activities — pick up a booklet at the Barclay House next door.

Volunteers give living history tours dressed in historic costumes, and our boys were delighted to meet Dr. John McLoughlin on his birthday celebration! Hearing the stories about life in early Oregon while exploring the house and grounds brings history to life.

As a National Park Service site the McLoughlin House offers Jr. Ranger Books for visitors to complete and earn a badge.

Our family learned so much from visiting these historic properties! Be sure to check out their websites and Facebook pages for family-friendly special events as well.