The museum is currently closed to the public due to a statewide mandate affecting museums in counties deemed to be in extreme risk.
Find more resources about careers in mental healthcare here. Or click on a video below!
Latest Research and Artifact News
09September 15, 2018
If Walls Could Talk: Asylum Architecture in Oregon
If Walls Could Talk: Asylum Architecture in Oregon On exhibit 2018-2019 This exhibit looks at the changing architecture of the Oregon State Hospital and how treatment methods have impacted architectural design. The exhibit [...]
01January 30, 2017
We Need Your Help!
After four years of being open only three afternoons a week, beginning in March we will be open five days a week. This will help us accommodate more visitors and meet the demand for service [...]
01January 20, 2017
New Exhibit at the Willamette Heritage Center
One of the ways we are able to educate the community about the history of mental health care in Oregon is through outreach to other cultural institutions. For the past several years, we have participated [...]
What Visitors Say
I enjoyed your museum as it was unlike any museum I have experienced before. My favorite part was the stories about the actual patients and the telephones that allowed me to listen to the recordings. The history of procedures also interested me.
I really appreciate finally seeing this forgotten part of Oregon history brought back to life.
I appreciate all the work that has gone into this. I actually visited this facility as a student in 1959. I’m so glad to see the wonderful new hospital and was able to come to that open house. I’ll be coming back for a longer visit when I have more time. Great job!
I enjoyed walking through the museum and seeing all the different medical equipment and other things that were used in the asylum. I especially enjoyed listening to the phones and hearing patients talk about their experience in the hospital. Overall, it was a great experience for me.