The Historic Trust

Summer Concert Series: Bottleneck Blues Band
2026-07-24 17:30 - 20:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | O.O. Howard House, 750 Anderson St., Vancouver, WA, 98661, United States
Described as fresh, red-hot, and funky…
You’ll be moving and grooving to the hot summer beats! The Historic Trust is excited to host Bottleneck Blues Band this summer. They were “founded 14 years ago by Noah Bell and David Cushman, and over it’s lifetime has performed at 1000+ shows. In 2015, Bottleneck Blues Band was named Best New Blues Band by the Cascade Blues Association and nominated for Best CD of the Year Award and Best Traditional Blues Band for 2024, 2025, and 2026.” (Website Bio)
Delicious Eats & Treats
Food options will include tasty tacos from Razo’s Tacos and a couple dessert options to keep you cool: shaved ice from Kona Ice and ice cream from Ice Cream Cart Co. For those 21+, stop by our beer garden for a cold beer, wine, or hard cider.
What to Bring
You are welcome to pack a picnic or bring food in, but please no outside alcohol or drinks outside of the beer garden.
Picnic blanket or low-backed chair for lawn seating
Valid ID for 21+ beverages
Friends and family for an unforgettable night of music and fun

Thank you to our sponsors!
City of Vancouver
Port of Vancouver USA
Waste Connections of Washington, Inc. – Waste collection, transfer & recycling services.
Pacific Office Automation | Managed Print, IT & Cybersecurity
The Columbian
The Oregonian – OREGONLIVE

Family and Cultural Connections Series: Pet Portraits
2026-07-25 09:00 - 13:00 | O.O. Howard House, 750 Anderson St., Vancouver, WA, 98661, United States
Have you ever wanted a professional portrait of your pet?

Reservations are now closed. Walk-ins are welcome, but priority will be given to pets with reservations. We will try to accommodate walk-ins as time allows.
Now’s your chance! The Historic Trust is once again hosting this fan-favorite event.
Cuddly companions of all kinds are invited to put their best paws forward for a FREE photo session. Skilled photographer Robert Holcomb will capture pets’ poses with a professional portrait backdrop and provide free downloads from the Pass Gallery landing page after the event.
Whether you take a portrait or not, you are welcome to stop by and say hello to the Humane Society of Southwest Washington, watch the VPD K-9 Unit demo, or swing by and spin the prize wheel while your furry friend enjoys a tasty pup (or kitty!) cup, courtesy of Civilized Wolf!
10:00am-12:00pm
VPD K9 Sergeant Special Operations, Ryan Starbuck, will be on site with his K9 Tex

Thank you to our sponsors!
City of Vancouver
Port of Vancouver USA
Waste Connections of Washington, Inc. – Waste collection, transfer & recycling services.
Elmer’s Restaurants | Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
Civilized Wolf
The Columbian
The Oregonian – OREGONLIVE

Family and Cultural Connections Series: Family Fun Day
2026-08-08 11:00 - 14:00 | Grant House, 1101 Officers Row, Vancouver, 98661, United States
Family Fun Day
Everyone is invited to this free community event on the Grant House lawn. Enjoy live music and entertainment, crafts and face painting, playing lawn games, and meeting your neighbors. Take some time to play and enjoy a fun, summer day!
Performance Schedule:
11:00 am – Angel Ocasio
12:00 pm – Make Music w/ Matt
1:00 pm – John Stevens Magician
12:00-1:00 pm – Spencer Sprocket (roaming entertainment)

Historic Tours:
As part of America 250, August 8 is also Washington Museum Day! To honor this special day, Providence Academy AND Marshall House will both be open for tours from 11am – 3pm. These guided tours are free and run about 40-60 minutes. And tours can be tailored for younger age groups – don’t be afraid to ask for a child-friendly, shorter tour. History is for everyone! Come learn about Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart and how she traveled with a group of sisters around the continent to get here, and General George C. Marshall and his time here on Officers Row, plus the beauty and architecture of the Queen Anne-style home.

Food Vendors:
You are welcome and encouraged to bring snacks or a picnic lunch with you, but we’ll also have Kona Ice on site for cold treats!

Parking:
Parking will be available at all public lots along E. Evergreen Blvd. and Fort Vancouver Way, as well as the Clark Public Utilities building at the corner of Fort Vancouver Way and Mill Plain.

Thank you to our sponsors!
City of Vancouver
Port of Vancouver USA
Waste Connections of Washington, Inc. – Waste collection, transfer & recycling services.
Elmer’s Restaurants | Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner
The Columbian
The Oregonian – OREGONLIVE

Museum Day
2026-08-08 11:00 - 15:00 | The Marshall House, 1301 Officers Row, Vancouver, WA, 98661, United States
Join us as we celebrate Washington State Museum Day
Free tours at Providence Academy and Marshall House
To honor and celebrate America 250, Washington State is encouraging all Washingtonians to engage with their local history, arts, and culture as part of Washington State Museum Day.
The Historic Trust will open Providence Academy and Marshall House from 11am-3pm for free, docent-led tours. Come learn about these two unique destinations and the role they play in local and regional history in the Pacific Northwest. Whether you are interested in history, architecture, WWII, Mother Joseph and the Sisters of Providence, the Hidden family, or you’re just curious about that building you drive by on your way to work, there’s something for everyone!
Participants are welcome to stop by during open hours or make a reservation in advance.
Marshall House 1301 Officers Row, Vancouver, WA 98661
Make a Reservation – Marshall House
Providence Academy 400 E. Evergreen Blvd. Vancouver, WA 98660
Make a Reservation – Providence Academy
Important Note: Some of the public areas in our buildings may not be fully accessible to visitors with limited mobility.
Please call in advance for more specific information: 360-992-1800.
To find a list of participating museums in Clark County, or across the state, visit: Washington State Historical Society | America250 WA Events or Washington Museum Association

Summer Concert Series: Huckle Buck Highway
2026-08-21 17:30 - 20:30 | O.O. Howard House, 750 Anderson St., Vancouver, WA, 98661, United States
Huckle Buck Highway
You may remember this rockin’ group from last summer! Huckle Buck Highway is returning to the Howard House for another energetic outdoor concert. This “high-energy country and classic rock band” reaches across time and genre to bring you some of your favorites from artists like Merle Haggard, Brooks & Dunn, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Eagles, and more! Check out their promotional video to get a taste of their sound. We are happy to host this great group to close out our 2026 Summer Concert Series.

Delicious Eats & Treats
We’ll have some great food options available including: Sabor Barrio, Pi Square, C&J BBQ, and Kona Ice!
(Please note: Vendors are subject to change.)
For those 21+, stop by our beer garden for a cold beer, wine, or hard cider.
What to Bring
Picnic blanket or low-backed chair for lawn seating
Valid ID for 21+ beverages
Friends and family for an unforgettable night of music and fun

Thank you to our sponsors!
City of Vancouver
Port of Vancouver USA
Waste Connections of Washington, Inc. – Waste collection, transfer & recycling services.
Pacific Office Automation | Managed Print, IT & Cybersecurity
The Columbian
The Oregonian – OREGONLIVE

America 250 Series presented by Xfinity: Constitution Day
2026-09-17 16:00 - 20:00 | Artillery Barracks, 600 E Hatheway, Vancouver, Washington, 98661
Let’s celebrate democracy!
One of the founding documents of the United States of America – The Constitution – is “the oldest and longest-standing written and codified national constitution in force in the world.”
The Historic Trust and League of Women Voters of Clark County are partnering on a free, multi-generational public civic engagement event highlighting the history of the Constitution and how it impacts everyday life in the United States.
Free pocket constitutions available to the first 100 people courtesy of Riverview Bank.

Tentative Schedule of Events, 4:00pm – 8:00pm:
Fort Vancouver Artillery Barracks, 600 Hatheway Rd. Vancouver WA 98661
4:00 – 4:45 pm Speaker Bio Coming Soon!
4:45 pm – 6:00 pm
Activities including: Can you Pass the Citizenship Test? Kahoot Game
6:00 – 6:45 pm
Melissa Williams, The Fourteenth Amendment: A Constitution in and of Itself
Melissa Williams is a lifelong resident of Vancouver and a community historian who researches African American history in Clark County. She is a Clark College alumna who earned a bachelor’s degree in History from the University of Washington and a master’s degree in Public History from Washington State University. Over the past 20 years she has contributed to projects for organizations including the Vancouver NAACP, Portland State University, Oregon Historical Society, and Clark County Historical Museum. Williams’ career is in higher education, and she currently serves as Policy Associate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges.
6:45 – 7:30 pm Speaker Bio Coming Soon!
7:30 – 8:00 pm Roundtable discussions

We hope you’ll join us for a fun and engaging evening!

Funding is part of Grant No. 07 79 07797 awarded by United States Economic Development Administration and provided by the Industry Sector Development Program of the Washington State Department of Commerce. This grant program is administered by the Washington State Historical Society under contract with the Washington State Department of Commerce.

Thank you to our sponsors!
City of Vancouver
Port of Vancouver
Waste Connections
Xfinity
Riverview Bank
Thompson Metal Fab, Inc.
The Columbian
The Oregonian – OREGONLIVE

Hidden Layers: Women's Undergarments and How They've Shaped Ladies' Liberties
2026-09-24 18:00 - 20:00 | Red Cross Building, 605 Barnes Street, Vancouver, 98661, United States
Reservations are not yet open for this event. Please check back! Women’s underwear has long reflected society’s views on modesty, femininity, and beauty. From historic styles that restricted the female form to the more liberating fashions of today, women’s undergarments have been symbols of both oppression and empowerment.
In this talk, explore how comfort, freedom, and function in women’s undergarments mirrored broader social changes. We ask why there were so many people throughout history who had their panties in a bunch over the drawers in women’s drawers. And we pull back the layers of satin and silk to see how the evolution of women’s underwear parallels our ongoing struggle for gender equality. Diane Johnston is a theatrical costume designer who has spent the past 35 years creating costumes for a variety of productions throughout the region. She holds an MFA in costume design and is a member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
Diane lives in Stanwood. The Historic Trust fall speaker series is sponsored by University Village

Doomscrolling Detox: Finding Your Balance in the Digital Age
2026-10-15 18:00 - 20:00 | Red Cross Building, 605 Barnes Street, Vancouver, 98661, United States
Reservations are not yet open for this event. Please check back! From the advent of the internet to recent developments in artificial intelligence, the digital revolution continues to remake our world. While many of the changes have been positive, these innovations have also left many of us trapped in filter bubbles, overloaded with information, mistrustful, anxious, and polarized.
Lifelong journalist and media educator T. Andrew Wahl breaks down the key developments that have led to our current information landscape and, more importantly, offers concrete tips to help attendees develop a healthier relationship with their information diet. T. Andrew Wahl has worked in journalism and media communication across Washington state, earning awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, National Federation of Press Women, United Nations, and others. Wahl is tenured faculty at Everett Community College where he teaches journalism, media literacy, and comics studies.
Andrew lives in Stanwood. The Historic Trust fall speaker series is sponsored by University Village

Permanent Ink: Why We Still Love Print in the Digital Age
2026-11-12 18:00 - 20:00 | Red Cross Building, 605 Barnes Street, Vancouver, 98661, United States
Reservations are not yet open for this event. Please check back! We once depended on handwriting for recording information. Then the printing press changed everything. We could record, store, and access information in thousands of copies. Five hundred years later, the digital revolution is transforming things again. Today, we get information from millions of websites in milliseconds with search engines and AI.
Technology has always shaped the way we’ve stayed informed, expressed ourselves, and stayed connected as communities. What lessons do earlier technologies, like print, hold for us today in the age of AI and digital overload? And why, despite the speed and convenience of newer technologies, is print more popular than ever?
At the end of the talk, audiences will get the chance to try printing on a portable press. Geoffrey Turnovsky is professor of French at the University of Washington. His teaching and research focus on the cultural history of early modern France and Europe, and the history of print, books, authorship, and reading. He is the author of Reading Typographically: Immersed in Print in Early Modern France.
Geoffrey lives in Seattle. The Historic Trust fall speaker series is sponsored by University Village
