About Us

Our Mission

We collect, display, preserve, and safeguard various artifacts, ephemera, photographs and research materials about all aspects of the history of Columbia County. We use our resources to share historic information about Columbia County with members and the public.

Our History

The Columbia County Museum Association (CCMA) organized in 2007 to manage the Historic Courthouse Museum in St. Helens, which originally opened in 1970.

The Columbia County Historical Society was formed in 1930, paused during WW II, and reactivated in 1949. It has been in continuous operation since. Many of the artifacts collected during those early years finally found a home when museums opened in Vernonia and St. Helens. Today both facilities house the collections now owned by Columbia County.

Who We Are




Contact Us