Skip to main content

Oregon State Flag An official website of the State of Oregon »

Oregon.gov Homepage

Heritage Engagement Tools

Oregon Heritage, which includes the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), is committed to finding ways to support organizations doing heritage work across Oregon. We develop statewide plans to guide our work and partner with organizations and agencies on plan initiatiatives. We also are ocmmitted to providing tools, research, and studies for heritage organizations to use in planning, advocacy, grant writing, and more.

Oregon Heritage & SHPO Plans

The Preservation Plan and the Oregon Heritage Plan are intended to guide heritage efforts statewide and the work of Oregon Heritage.

ORS 358.595 indentifies the Oregon Heritage Commission’s duty to prepare and adopt a statewide Oregon Heritage Plan. The Oregon Heritage Plan is a call to action for heritage efforts to unite around common goals. The resulting goals of the final plan can help do the following:

  • Help align the Heritage Commission’s initiatives and technical assistance with helping heritage organizations working towards the identified goals.
  • Provide a framework for statewide partners and service organizations to align their programs to help heritage organizations work towards these goals.
  • Provide a framework and support for local heritage organizations in prioritizing and planning projects and processes and getting support from partners, stakeholders, grant makers, and decision makers.
Are you part of Oregon’s heritage preservation community?
We are seeking input from the following (but not limited to):
  • Museums
  • Historical Societies
  • Historic preservationistsHistorians
  • Archaeologists
  • Cultural Resource Specialists
  • Historic Cemetery caretakers
  • Libraries
  • Archives
  • Local historic landmarks Boards/Commissions
  • Main Street organizations
  • Heritage tourism organizations
  • Cultural tradition practitioners
  • Owners/managers of historic properties/sites
  • And anyone documenting, preserving, and sharing Oregon’s heritage
How can you provide input?
  • In-person discussions: Heritage Commission staff will be reaching out to regional/local coalitions to arrange in-person discussion groups from Aug.-Nov. If you have a local/regional heritage related group that meets regularly and you would like the opportunity for an in-person discussion group, please contact Heritage Commission Coordinator Katie Henry at katie.henry@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-877-8834.
  • Virtual discussion groups:
    • Sept. 4, 10:00am-12pm, Statewide/Regional Partners and Service Organizations. To register for this,  email Katie.Henry@oprd.oregon.gov.
    • Oct. 23, 10am-12pm, Museums/Historical Societies Input Session. Register here.
    • Oct. 30, 12pm-1pm, general online input session open to anyone with heritage preservation interests. Register here.
    • Nov. 6, 10am-12pm, general online input session open to anyone with heritage preservation interests. Register here.
    • Nov. 7, 12pm-1pm, Higher Education partners. Register here.
  • Can't make an input session but still want to provide feedback?
    • Contact Katie Henry at katie.henry@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-877-8834 if you'd like to provide feedback by phone or email or fill out this form.

Are you an Oregon resident?

We are seeking input from Oregon residents on what historic resources they have experienced or interacted with lately, any barriers that exist to accessing historic resources, and how you like to receive information about historic resources. 

**The online survey closed Oct. 27. The results will be used in shaping the 2026 plan. Thank you for your participation!

​Prepared by the Heritage Commission, the 2020-2025 Oregon Heritage Plan identifies opportunities to strengthen heritage in the state and lays the foundation for the Commission’s priorities. The plan identifies four goals with corresponding outcomes and measures.

The 2020 Heritage Plan is a call to action for heritage efforts to unite around common goals. The Oregon Heritage Commission invites individuals and organizations to discuss these goals, consider how they align with institutional and regional opportunities, and join the Commission in this work. Together, individual steps will add up to important outcomes for the state resulting in more stories told, more people served, and more sustainable heritage organizations. The Heritage Commission provides grants, incentives, technical assistance, and recognition programs to support this work.

This plan can also be used as a tool for recovery. Use this time of reopening and recovery to reflect on your mission and goals and see if this plan and accompanying Recovery Framework insert can inform, inspire, and integrate within your plans for the future. The Oregon Heritage Commission designed this plan as a tool to guide the work of heritage organizations throughout the state. It is intended as a framework to anchor heritage organizations as critical assets serving their entire community. We hope that it will lead to a strong network of heritage organizations contributing to the fabric of the state.

2020-2025 Oregon Heritage Plan
Oregon Heritage Plan Recovery Framework Insert

2020 Oregon Heritage Plan Tools:

The statewide plan offers a comprehensive approach to preserving special traditions, collections, and places, and describes how to coordinate the efforts of the many people and organizations involved in this vital work including, but not limited to, federal, local, and tribal governments and local landmark commissions, museums, archives, libraries, historical societies, educational institutions, advocacy groups, and building, design, finance, and real estate professionals, and other people and organizations that understand the value of these resources in Oregon’s communities.

The plan highlights four key issues and includes goals and objectives to address each issue, and how people and organizations can use the plan to enhance their efforts.

2024-2033 Oregon Historic Preservation Plan
Public Survey Results

​El plan estatal ofrece un enfoque integral para preservar tradiciones, colecciones y lugares especiales, y describe cómo coordinar los esfuerzos de las numerosas personas y organizaciones involucradas en este trabajo esencial, incluyendo, entre otros, a los gobiernos federales, locales y tribales, comisiones locales de sitios históricos, museos, archivos, bibliotecas, sociedades históricas, instituciones educativas, grupos de defensa, y profesionales de la construcción, diseño, finanzas e inmobiliaria, además de otras personas y organizaciones que comprenden el valor de estos recursos en las comunidades de Oregón.

El plan destaca cuatro temas clave y propone metas y objetivos para abordar cada uno de ellos, además de cómo las personas y las organizaciones pueden utilizar el plan para mejorar sus esfuerzos.

Plan de Preservación Histórica de Oregón 2024-2033

Partners

We have several partners that we work with on ongoing or special initiatives. They also have resources that may be useful to heritage organizations such as grants, research resources, and other heritage preservation tools.

Sharing the Value of Heritage Toolkit

This toolkit is an ongoing effort of Oregon Heritage to compile data, resources, and guidance to help heritage groups recognize and communicate the value of their work. The more we articulate heritage values and impacts, the more we strengthen public perception of heritage efforts, expand funding opportunities, and encourage long-term support for Oregon's heritage.
 
We encourage you to use these resources to create compelling impact statements about your work when you communicate with the public, donors, and community leaders.
 
Tools will be added on an on-going basis to provide:
  • state and national data
  • resources to collect local and organizational data
  • guidance on how to use these tools
The goal of the Toolkit is to provide current, relevant, and easy-to-use resources your heritage group can adapt to fit your needs. To keep this a dynamic resource, tools, guidance on using each tool, and examples will be added semiannually. Check back often to access useful national resources and original state-level data compiled by Oregon Heritage.

​Value of Heritage Message Platform

Making the connection between your heritage work and its impact on the community is essential for building support and understanding. This guide will help you communicate both what you organization does and why it matters.

  2. Adapt It: Select messages that resonate with your work, and/or use these examples to create your own messages.
  3. Action: Use value messages the next time you need to prepare a testimony, an email, op-ed, press release, speech, or even a social media post.
 
Cultural Value of Heritage Flyer

Stories are powerful ways to illustrate the cultural impact of your heritage preservation and outreach efforts. The Cultural Value of Heritage flyer is an example of how your organization can pair a message, story, and image to demonstrate cultural value.
  2. Adapt It: Read through the Cultural Value of Heritage Message Platform impact messages (page 3) and think of a story in your work that exemplifies impact. Pair your story with a message and an image to create a flyer. Successful stories may include: 1) an individual's personal story, 2) a connection to your organization's project, 3) a quotation that summarizes the concept in the narrator's own words, 4) an ending that connects to a larger goal.
  3. Action: Distribute your flyer to potential board members, with your annual appeal letter, after a testimony to your city council, or share this flyer with local leaders to spark a conversation about the value and impact of heritage efforts in your community.

Cultural Value of Heritage through Volunteers Messaging

A recent report from the Oregon Heritage Commission highlights the value of heritage organizations from the volunteer perspective. The study showed that volunteers contribute time because of the historic mission of the organizations. It also demostrated that people feel more connected to their comnunities through their volunteer experience. Use this study to promote your organization's value.
  1. Access Tool: Value of Heritage through Volunteers Messaging Platform
  2. Adapt it: Review the report and summary, then review the model messaging platform. Think about how your organization reflects this value point.
  3. Action: Insert your oranization's information and value, then spread the word.

Value of Heritage in Disaster Resilience Messaging Guide

Cultural heritage plays a powerful role in a community's identity through landmarks, historic collections, and intangible heritage. By communicating this value to planners and emergency management professionals, we can ensure historic places and cultural resources are included in local emergency plans, they are protected from disaster, and their role in community disaster recovery is understood.
  1. Access Tools:
  2. Adapt it: Review the report commissioned by the Oregon Heritage Commission. Select an opening, impact, and approach message from the examples provided to effectively tailor communications to your intended audience.
  3. Action: Use these tips to develop presentations, brochures, and social media posts that engage and influence decision makers in your community to include heritage resources in disaster planning.

​NEW! Economic Impacts and Value of Oregon’s Heritage Organizations and Events (2022)

Local and statewide organizations engaged in protecting, preserving, and sharing Oregon's heritage contribute to Oregon's economy in important ways. The first part of this report quantifies some of the economic value Oregon's heritage activities and resources support, through the employment, income, and tourism spending of heritage organizations and traditions across the state. These estimates capture just a part of the broader economic importance of Oregon's heritage: the second part of this report provides illustrations of the many different ways heritage enhances the economic well-being of Oregonians.

  1. Access Tool: Economic Impacts and Value of Oregon's Heritage Organizations and Events Report
  2. Adapt It: Check out this communications tool for ideas on how to use the results of the report to communication your organization's value to the state and local economy. You can also find ways to figure out your own data for more specific information on your organization's impact OR band together regionally with other heritage organizations to commnicate regional impact.
  3. Action: Use this report and the communications tool to craft your messages for local decision makers, your membership, your partners, and more. This would be a perfect compliment to any end of year campaigns or to the annual report you circulate reiterating your value to the local community.


Museums as Economic Engines Report (2017)

Museums play an essential role in cultural and social life across the US. Beyond this cultural impact, the museum sector is also essential to the national economy of the United States. In 2017, the American Alliance of Museums partnered with Oxford Economics to study the museum sector's significant contribution to the US economy. The study examined contribution to the GDP, jobs, and the amount of tax revenue that is generated for all level of government.

  2. Adapt It: Compare the Oregon report and the National Museums as Economic Engines Report to any data you may have about local impact. If local information is not readily available, use the AAM Economic Impact Template to quantify your organization's impact in the community.
  3. Action: Use this report and your community statistics when you speak with decision makers and the public. Consider compiling statistics in a letter you send to the Chamber of Commerce and City Council each year.

​2024 Oregon Heritage Vitality Study Report (2024)
The Oregon Heritage Commission released the 2024 Oregon Heritage Vitality Study Report identifying the top issues impacting the operational vitality of Oregon’s heritage organizations and proposing six primary recommendations to comprehensively support the health of the heritage sector. Supplemental material includes organization profiles based on the data collected.

Addressing Harmful Content in Collections (2024)
A report prepared by Rose Paquet, PhD. for the Oregon Heritage Commission to understand the scope of harm, trauma, and triggering that can occur to visitors, staff, and volunteers when engaging with institutional records and collections and how organizations are addressing harmful content in their collections.

Economic Impacts and Value of Oregon's Heritage Organizations and Events Report & Communication Tool (2022)
A report and messaging guide commissioned by the Oregon Heritage Commission to help organizations communicate the value of heritage organizations and Heritage Tradition Events on Oregon's economy.

What's Up Downtown? A Playbook for Activating Oregon's Upper Stories (2022)
A study exploring barriers and solutions to activate underused upper floors and tools to support activation locally.

Impact of Oregon's Main Streets Report (2022)
This report shares the story of how the Oregon Main Street Network strengthens community networks, bolsters the economy, generates state and local tax revenue, and fosters social connections across the state. The report includes the economic, fiscal, and community impacts of the key programmatic efforts of Oregon’s Main Streets.

Value of Heritage in Disaster Resilience Report and Messaging Guide (2021)
A report and messaging guide commissioned by the Oregon Heritage Commission to help heritage professionals and historic property stewards communicate the necessity of heritage-based disaster planning before disaster strikes, as well as the important role heritage can play in community disaster recovery.

The Value of Oregon Heritage Organizaitons' Volunteers: An Oregon Heritage Commission Volunteer Study (2020)
The Value of Oregon Heritage Organizations' Volunteer Study Summary (2020)
This study explores the value of heritage organizations through the volunteer experience. Volunteers support these organizations with hundreds of thousands of hours of time, in turn the experience great community connection.

Digital Heritage Collections Survey Summary of Key Findings (2018)
This survey summary outlines how many of the respondents are digitizing collections, how they are made if available digitally, and any interest in collaboration on a local, regional, statewide level in digitization efforts.

Cost of Collections Care (2017)
A guide that documents the cost of collections care for museums and other cultural institutions to help organizations plan for collection care costs or use for support in applying for grants or fundraising efforts.

National Survey of Heritage Funding and Incentive Programs for Oregon (2017)
A research report intended to identify state, county, and local incentive and funding programs for the broad heritage community in Oregon.  A research report intended to identify state, county, and local incentive and funding programs for the broad heritage community in Oregon.

Cultural Heritage Travelers in Oregon Report (2012)
A study conducted by Mandala Research LLC with support from the Oregon Heritage Commission, Oregon Cultural Trust, and Travel Oregon to identify the level of awareness of cultural heritage activities in Oregon, perceptions of the cultural heritage assets to the State, willingness to visit, and the economic impact.

Heritage Vitality Study (2011)
A report commissioned by the Oregon Heritage Commission to identify individual and collective challenges facing Oregon heritage. Proposes comprehensive solutions to these challenges.


American Association for State and Local History Reframing History Project - "Funded by the Mellon Foundation and carried out in partnership with the FrameWorks Institute, National Council on Public History, and Organization of American Historians, Reframing History is the result of a two-year, deep-dive research effort to understand how Americans think about history and how our field can more effectively explain history’s value. The recommendations from this project are designed to help historians, educators, museum professionals, and history advocates to be able to more cohesively and convincingly communicate about history to build a wider understanding of what inclusive history looks like and why it is important for all of us." View the report, toolkit, and podcast here. ​


Outreach Initiatives

Explore our initiatives and projects to see what we are working on and how you can get involved.

​Historic Cemetery Cleanup Days with SOLVE

Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries (OCHC) is teaming up with SOLVE to support caretakers hosting clean-up days during April and May in historic cemeteries throughout Oregon.

Check out 2025 cleanup results here!

2026 - TBD

Cemeteries register with SOLVE to receive promotional and organizational support including event day liablity coverage, flyer templates and volunteer sign up. Contact Estrella Valdez at estrella@solveoregon.org or 971-346-2708. Register by early March for the best promotion!

Benefits of Working with SOLVE

Other Resources

How to Organize a Cemetery Cleanup Day Heritage Bulletin
How to Clean Cemetery Markers Heritage Bulletin
How to Spread the News Heritage Bulletin

Contact: Kuri Gill at kuri.gill@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-383-6787 for workshop or Oregon Historic Cemeteries program questions.

​May is Historic Preservation Month! Oregon Heritage wants to help you celebrate preservation in your community. The following tools are available to you:

  • Send your preservation related events to heritage.info@oregon.gov and we will highlight them online and in the weekly Oregon Heritage News listserv.

People doing heritage work in Oregon are targeting dentity focused topics. These include documenting, designating and sharing diverse histories and ensuring all people can access them. Here are resources to support this work.


Share places you find with the State Historic Preservation Office. Sumbit information at www.makeoregonhistory.org. The information will be added to the Oregon Historic Sites Database and may be used to designate properties to the National Register of Historic Places in the future.


This is a work in progress. Please share suggestions with Kuri Gill.


Resources

Northwest Digital Heritage - online access to many archives
Oregon Digital Newspaper Project
Oregon Encyclopedia
Oregon Multicultural Archives
Portland State University Special Collections & Libraries
NPS - Underrepresented Communities Grant

Addressing Racism in Heritage Organizations

Heritage Bulletin 34: Researching Historically Marginalized Communities


Oregon Advocacy Commissions

Four Oregon commissions that advocate for specific communities. Also offers equity-related research and resources.


Black History

Commemorations: 
January, Martin Luther King, Jr Birthday

February, Black History Month
June, Juneteenth
Oregon Commission on Black Affairs

Oregon Black Pioneers

Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center
African American Civil Rights Grant
African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund


Chinese American History

Commemorations:
May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
Oregon Commission on Asian & Pacific Isander Affairs

Portland Chinatown Museum

Kam Wah Chung Site

Oregon Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association


Japanese American History

Commemorations:

May, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
February, Day of Rememberance
Oregon Commission on Asian & Pacific Isander Affairs
Japanese American History Museum of Oregon

Four Rivers Cultural Center

History Museum of Hood River County


LGBTQIA+

Commemorations:
June, Pride Month
Gay and Lesbian Archives of the Pacific Northwest
Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project
OSU Queer Archives


Hispanic/Latinx History

Commemorations:
September, Hispanic Heritage Month
Oregon Heritage Traditions: Fiesta Mexicana (Woodburn)
Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs
UO Latino Roots

Five Oaks Museum
PCUN History

Diverisity of Heritage: Exploring Oregon's Heritage Resources in Latinx Communities


Nordic History

This group includes countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
Commemorations:
June 17, Icelandic American Day
October 9, Norwegian-American Day
November 16, Dutch-American Day
Oregon Heritage Traditions - Portland Midsummer
Festival, Scandinavian Festival (Junction City), Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival

Nordic Northwest
Astoria Scandinavian Heritage Association
Swedish Society Linnea (Portland)
Oregon Encyclopedia - Swedish Americans in Oregon
Swedish American Historical Society
Norwegian American Historical Association
Dutch American Historical Commission
Icelandic National League of North America

Oregon's Tribes

Commemorations:
October, Indigenous People's Day
November, Native American Heritage Month
Oregon Heritage Traditions: UO Mother's Day PowWow

The Oregon's federally recognized tribes are sovereign nations and have deep history in Oregon. Each tribal nation is organized differently and it is important to coordinate with them on various levels including tribal government and staff.
Legislative Commission on Indian Services - Find current tribal government and cultural resources contacts here.
Contact tribes directly to work with them regarding collections, interpretation, language, cultural practices, etc. Some have museums, online history, and collections.
Burns Paiute Tribe
Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians
Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation
Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Indian Reservation of Oregon
Coquille Indian Tribe
Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians
Klamath Tribes

Tribes outside of Oregon also have historic ties to lands within the state. If you are near state boundaries, research the appropriate tribes to engage.

Women's History

Commemorations: March, Women's History Month; Suffrage anniversaries
Oregon Commission for Women
Oregon Women's History Consortium
Women's Vote Centennial Initiative

​Oregon Heritage now offers a collection of tools to expand the use of Multiple Property Documentation (MPD) forms in preservation efforts across the state. These practical, accessible, and impactful materials are intended to help Oregon’s preservation community make fuller use of MPDs—a type of document that can streamline the National Register designation of related historic properties and support broader preservation goals. This effort directly supports the goals of the 2024–2033 Oregon Historic Preservation Plan, which calls for improving access to information and tools that help identify, evaluate, designate, and protect Oregon’s cultural resources.

The following resources are based on a comprehensive report produced in partnership with Northwest Vernacular, Inc. and Sarah J. Martin Cultural Resource Services LLC exploring best practices, highlighting particularly effective Oregon MPDs, and offering guidance on when and how new MPDs should be developed.

Resources

​The Oregon Heritage Commission, State Library of Oregon, and Washington State Library have partnered to launch Northwest Digital Heritage (NWDH), an online platform for Oregon and Washington based libraries, museums, and cultural heritage organizations to digitize and make accessible cultural heritage materials. Northwest Digital Heritage also operates as a service hub of the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA), which helps bring these unique and local Northwest collections to a wider audience.

NWDH provides cultural institutions the following services:

  • Metadata “Harvesting.” Records are copied from their home systems, standardized, and then transferred to DPLA.
  • Digital Collection Hosting offers smaller institutions an online platform to host their digitized items including historical documents, photographs, oral-history recordings, and more.
  • Training and Support. Service hub staff, composed of teams at both state libraries and the Oregon Heritage Commission, train cultural heritage organizations to digitize collections, edit and preserve digital files, and catalog material to archival standards.

Visit Northwest Digital Heritage to learn about how to get your heritage archives online.

The purpose of the Oregon Women’s History Project is to recognize the significant history of women in Oregon through a Multiple Property Submission (MPS), which includes two documents, a Multiple Property Document (MPD) and an individual property nomination, to be listed in the National Register of Historic Places of the National Park Service (NPS).

The first phase of the project is complete, resulting in a context focusing on labor history related to women in Oregon. The document provides details on the approach to selecting the focus, some of the history and property types to explore in future steps.

Oregon Women's Labor History: A Historic Context Statement: 1903-1999

Phase 3 of the project, survey of historic places associated with women's labor history, is in progress. Consulting firm, Stantec is gathering information to determine locations to document for this project. A Reconnaissance Level Survey of several properties through out the state will be completed. Intensive Level Survey with more detailed documentation will be completed on a few properties.

For questions or to submit information contact Kuri Gill at kuri.gill@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-986-0685.