The Cottage Grove Museum
The Place to Experience Cottage Grove's Past
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Welcome to the Cottage Grove Museum!
Visit us at 147 N. H St., in Cottage Grove's historic Northwest Neighborhood
Please note: our mailing address is PO Box 142, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. We do not receive mail at our street address.
We're open Saturday & Sunday 1:00-4:00 PM
or by special arrangement. Contact us for details.
We would LOVE to see you!
The Cottage Grove Museum was built 1897 as Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church. This unique octagonal building was modeled after a small church in Germany. The stained glass windows, designed by the Povey Brothers Stained Glass Studios, are original to the building. The parish moved in 1961 when the building was purchased and deeded to the city of Cottage Grove for use as a museum. The Cottage Grove Museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Museum Annex, located next to the main museum building, houses exhibits that depict everyday life in early Cottage Grove, including a blacksmith shop, general store, a kitchen and a parlor, as well as our featured exhibit, She Survived the Titanic.
The Veley House, located across the street from the museum, houses the administrative offices, photos, and storage.
Our Featured Exhibit:
From Yeovil England to Cottage Grove Oregon
She Survived the Titanic
The story of Marion Wright Woolcott, Titanic survivor
The coat worn by Cottage Grove resident Marion Wright Woolcott when she was rescued from theTitanic has returned to the Cottage Grove Museum after a two year absence where it was exhibited at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and the National Geographic Museum.
The Cottage Grove Museum's new, expanded exhibit, She Survived the Titanic, tells Marion's remarkable story. She Survived the Titanic is on permanent, year-round exhibit in the Museum Annex.
NEW! Read Marion's extraordinary story in Marion Wright Woolcott: a Titanic Survival Story told through her personal letters, published by the Cottage Grove Museum.
This booklet contains transcriptions of letters Marion wrote from Yoevil, England as she prepared for her trip, letters she wrote on board the Titanic and from the rescue ship Carpathia. Also included are letters Marion wrote on board the train that took her and her husband Arthur as newlyweds from New York to their farm on Hazelton Rd. in Cottage Grove as well as letters she wrote about her arrival in Cottage Grove and life on the farm.
To get your copy, send us a message us on our contact page, or give us a call at 541-649-1382. Cost is $13.00 including postage.
ON EXHIBIT NOW:
WHITE DRESSES
Favorites from our Collection
Museum volunteers have selected some of their favorite white dresses worn by women and children from the 1890s through the 1950s. Some have been recently donated while others have been a part of our collection for years. We are delighted to share these treasures with our visitors. On exhibit in the main museum building now through Spring, 2025.
A New Discovery!
Thanks to in-depth research by Gerald Santana we've discovered 7 of the museum's 8 stained glass windows were made by none other than the "Tiffany of the Northwest," the Povey Brothers. Read all about the Povey Brothers and their many stained glass windows created in Portland and installed in churches, private homes and public buildings throughout Oregon here, here and here, then stop by the museum and have a look for yourself! Thank you Gerald for solving this mystery!
Order a complete set of postcards of our beautiful Povey Brothers stained glass windows! You'll get two copies of each postcard (pictured above) for a total of 4 postcards. Send us an email at museumcottagegrove@gmail.com, message us on our contact page or call 541-649-1382. $5.00 per set includes postage.
A "Timely" Exhibit
CALENDARS FROM COTTAGE GROVE'S PAST
Calendars doubled as advertising and often featured reproductions of artwork in addition to the usual calendar marking months, weeks and days. Come take a look and see if you or someone you know remembers any of these calendars hanging in their home or business.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR ONLINE PHOTO COLLECTION
FIND YOUR HOUSE!
See over 100 photos of historic homes of Cottage Grove taken in the 1920s! Museum volunteers were able to identify the location of half of these photos. Can you help with the rest? Take a look and see if you know where the they are, then contact us and let us know! To view our collection of photographs of historic homes in Cottage Grove click here.
THE BLUE GOOSE!
Take a ride on the Blue Goose, Cottage Grove's famous excursion train! Remember – or learn – what it was like to ride the Blue Goose through images captured in over 100 color slides recently uploaded to the museum's online historic photo collection. Click here and enjoy!
Visit the Museum to see more about the Blue Goose, including a video that takes you for a ride along the route. We can also show you how to support the Blue Goose mural planned for Bohemia Park. For more information check out the Blue Goose Facebook page.
Enjoy even more highlights from our online photo collection!
Click on each link below
Main Street from the 1920s and 1930s
Bonus: See what the filming locations look like today. Follow the Oregon Film Trail.
Funding for the digital newspaper project is provided by the Cottage Grove Partners in History, The Woodard Family Foundation, The Stewart Foundation and the Oregon State Library Oregon Digital Newspaper Project.
HISTORIC COTTAGE GROVE NEWSPAPERS ARE ONLINE!
Take a look at Cottage Grove's past by searching through old newspapers online. Read first hand accounts of life in the Grove from its very earliest days. Click here and have fun! The old ads are our favorites!
For a beautiful day in our neighborhood:
Take our Walking Tour!
The Cottage Grove Museum is located in Cottage Grove's Historic Northwest Neighborhood. We invite you to enjoy our neighborhood, which is full of historic homes, by taking a walking tour.
Click here to download your copy!
SUPPORT THE COTTAGE GROVE MUSEUM!
The Cottage Grove Museum is a volunteer organization that depends enitirely on donations. We make it easy to show your support! Just click on the donate button to the right.
Or mail donations to:
Cottage Grove Museum
PO Box 142
Cottage Grove, OR 97424
THANK YOU!
T-Shirts!
Cottage Grove Museum t-shirts are now available through our website in white or grey, sizes S,M,L,XL,2XL. $20 includes postage. Order by sending us an email at museumcottagegrove@gmail.com, messaging us on our contact page or calling 541-649-1382.
The Cottage Grove Museum is on Facebook!
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