Liisa Penner Research Center & Archives
Whether exploring the history of your home, looking up an ancestor from Astoria, or researching for a term paper, this is an excellent resource for casual and professional scholars alike. Led by archivist Liisa Penner and located in the Heritage Museum, the Liisa Penner Research Center & Archives contains a wealth of primary materials relating to the history of Clatsop County. Highlights of the archive include personal diaries and journals dating to the 1840s, City Directories beginning in the 1890s, Sanborn and Metsker Maps, local high school yearbooks, materials related to the local Finnish population, our Native American family history project, and over 45,000 historic photos.
We have also compiled our secondary sources into easy to access formats. These include collecting past researchers’ work for future use, assembling copious vertical files of biographical information and local subject matter, and undertaking an extensive indexing project.
Access to the Liisa Penner Research Center & Archives is by appointment only. Schedule your visit by calling 503-338-4849 or email archivist@astoriamuseums.org.
Other Items of Interest:
- Cemetery and Death Records
- House Histories
- Metsker Maps
- Oregon Historical Quarterlies
- Police Ledgers
- Property Records
- Sanborn Insurance Maps
- Voter Rolls
- Angora Hiking Club
- Records and images from the 100-year-old Angora Hiking Club
- Astoria Regatta
- Ephemera and souvenirs from Astoria’s Annual Regatta celebration
- Astoriana
- Ephemera and souvenirs from Astoria’s rich past
- Audio Recordings
- Adventures In History Radio Shows
- Oral History Interviews
- City Directories
- Name and address guides to individuals and businesses throughout Clatsop County dating back to 1890
- CCC Digital Archive
- The digital archive of Clatsop Community College houses publications created at the College since its founding in 1958, including student newspapers and Rain Magazine
- CCC HPR Digital Archive
- The digital archive of Clatsop Community College’s Historic Preservation & Restoration program houses out of print books and publications including historic house plans, building details, and catalogs
- CUMTUX
- Cumtux is the quarterly publication of the Clatsop County Historical Society
- Peace First Lutheran Church Collection
- Records for Peace First Lutheran Church and its predecessor churches in Astoria
- Photographs
- Photo Albums
- A selection of photo albums from the Clatsop County Historical Society’s archival collection
- School Records
- Past information about Clatsop County schools, including lists of faculty and staff as well as specific data about individual districts
- School Yearbooks
- Annual publications from Clatsop County schools, including those of Astoria, Warrenton, Seaside, Knappa, and Jewell
- Scrapbooks
- A selection of scrapbooks from the Clatsop County Historical Society’s archival collection
- Surf Pines Homeowners Association Historical Records
- Records related to the planning and construction of the Surf Pines Planned Community
- Telephone Directories
- Name, address, and telephone number guides to individuals and businesses in Astoria and Seaside as well as surrounding communities
- Video Recordings
- Appelo Archives Center in Rosburg, WA
- Astoria Public Library
- Cannon Beach History Center and Museum
- Clatsop County Genealogical Society
- Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco, WA
- Columbia River Maritime Museum
- Internet Archive
- Oregon State Archives
- Pacific County Historical Society & Museum in South Bend, WA
- Seaside Historical Society
- Tillamook County Pioneer Museum & Historical Society
- University of Oregon Libraries Historic Oregon Newspapers