Free Admission for Veterans, Nov. 10

The Oregon Historical Society, currently featuring a remarkable exhibition on World War II, will offer free admission to all on Veterans Day, Wednesday November 11, 2015. This special free day at the museum is made possible by a generous sponsorship from Columbia Sportswear. The Society’s museum and research library (located at 1200 SW Park Ave., Portland) will be open from 10am to 5pm on Veterans Day. “What could be a better way to celebrate the contributions of America’s veterans than by seeing an exhibit that pays tribute to the Greatest Generation?” said OHS Executive Director Kerry Tymchuk. “Throughout the run of the exhibit, Columbia Sportswear’s sponsorship has allowed all current and former military personnel and their families to have free admission, and now on Veterans Day, Tim and Gert Boyle want to extend that free admission to all visitors.” This original exhibition, World War II: A World at War, A State Transformed, presents the worldwide conflict through artifacts and manuscripts on loan from the Portland-based Mark Family Collection, including a very rare Nazi Enigma machine, the military uniforms of Gen. George Patton and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and the only copy of the Atlantic Charter personally signed by Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt. Letters and manuscripts provide a lens onto the many events of World War II, from prominent battles to critical political decisions. Notable documents include handwritten letters from General Eisenhower to his wife Mamie and letters from Senator Mark Hatfield, a Naval Lieutenant during the war, to his parents. The exhibit also focuses on Oregon, a state transformed during the mid twentieth century. Items drawn from the Oregon Historical Society’s archives and from collections across the state tell of events that dramatically changed Oregon, including the social impact of the Kaiser shipyards, the internment of Japanese Americans, and the only World War II casualties to occur in the continental U.S.–the result of a Japanese balloon bomb. Throughout the museum, visitors will find small exhibits that reflect the era, from a collection of WWI & WWII propaganda posters, “Kilroy’s Canteen” which features Harry Truman’s poker table and the shields used in the popular Marvel Captain America film, and a poignant display about OBON 2015, a local initiative to reunite Japanese flags, which were taken by allied soldiers as souvenirs of war, with their families. Plus, visitors can take a “selfie” with Winston Churchill’s wax doppelganger, on loan from Madame Tussaud’s in London. The exhibition is on display through December 7, 2015. The Oregon Historical Society’s museum is open seven days a week, Monday – Saturday from 10am – 5pm and Sunday from 12pm – 5pm. Admission is $11, and discounts are available for students, seniors, and youth. OHS members and Multnomah County residents receive free admission every day. For more information, visit www.ohs.org.