New Historical Society Exhibit Promotes Engaging with History

After four months of holding the Pursuit of Happiness exhibit, Sandy Historical Society Museum has returned the exhibit to its owner, Oregon Historical Society. The empty space it left behind brought opportunity for new ideas, starting with a new Lego exhibit. 

While the Pursuit of Happiness exhibit was removed, the Our Town, Sandy exhibit remains for viewing and includes artifacts from numerous local businesses such as Antfarm, Beaverbrook Dental, and Clackamas County Bank. Along with this exhibit was the idea of “what brings you happiness in Sandy?” The business artifacts exemplify their Sandy happiness. 

“It is more than about what brings people joy. It turns into what they bring into the community,” Sandy Historical Society Museum Director Nicole O’Neill said. 

Previously, the Historical Society’s Lego exhibit purpose was for kids to build historic Sandy buildings. However, in order to focus on the “Our Town, Sandy” exhibit, the Lego’s purpose has shifted for kids to build what they love about Sandy. Along with that, it allows kids to build easier projects. 

“We are looking to expand our lego collection and now we are doing ‘What makes you happy in Sandy?’ and not just historic buildings,” Sandy Historical Society Museum Visitor and Administrative Support Specialist Pamela Skellenger said. “We want to keep the interest in young and old alike just to keep it a fresh moving exhibit. The interactive part of it makes it get them involved in the museum and the history.” 

Before, kids built Sandy Grade School or a bridge historic to Sandy. Now, they are building a bus and Joe’s Donuts. Not only are these historic, they are bringing happiness into young Sandy citizens' lives. 

To support this positive piece in the museum’s collection, the Sandy Historical Society is looking for sponsors for this exhibit. Contact the museum to inquire about how to sponsor. 

Sandy Historical Society is rapidly changing and expanding in hopes of preserving their history while simultaneously offering the public engaging activities to learn about the history of Sandy. The changing of the Lego Exhibit is the first step to their forward movement of new offerings and learning opportunities about the history of Sandy.