A Surprise Behind Each Door

Each of our outbuildings are set up to see, when you walk through each door you will be transported back in time.

Come take a walk with us...

Mayville Church

St. Catherine's

Built in 1900

In 1900, Charles James Quinn donated a portion of his homestead land to have this church built. The Quinn ranch was located just outside of Mayville. The Mayville Catholic Church, St. Catherine's, was a Catholic "Mission" church which means the priest had to travel to it in order to conduct the Sunday services.

In 1931 the building was moved diagonally across the 640 acres to the site where Charles Quinn had built his new house. After it was moved, it was then used for farm storage until it was donated to the museum in 2009, by the Charles W. and Martha Quinn estate.

After the building was moved to the museum it underwent some major repairs and was repainted. When it was being used as a shop in Mayville it had been painted barn red, so we repainted it the original white color, the floors were also cleaned but you can still see and smell the oil ingrained in the wood floors.

The church was formally opened for the public to view in September of 2012. In honor of all the historical churches in our county, during the dedication ceremony it was dedicated by community religious leaders as a "non-denominational" church.

The church is available for wedding services.

City Hall & Jail

Built in 1899

This building was built near the railroad tracks and train depot. It was then moved to Summit St. just behind Jamieson & Marshall's plumbing and heating shop where it was used as the City of Condon's first city hall, jail and fire station. The building housed the hose cart used by the fire department that was also formed in 1899.

Jamieson & Marshall's used it as a storage shed until they donated it to the museum in 2003 and then it was moved again.

Brown
School

Built in 1905

There have been 47 country schools in Gilliam County's past, and this one was the #20 school which was built in 1905 and used to about 1938. It was located two miles north of town on the Browns' land.

The Brown school interior is a wonderful representation of the average country school house. Many of the items were actual items from the various country schools around Gilliam County.

The building was relocated to the museum in 1987.

Most of these early school buildings were built to be portable, not permanently fixed. The rocks the school is sitting on all came from the different schools around the county.

Union Pacific Caboose

Built in 1966

This caboose was not part of the original Condon rail line. This one was built in 1966 and ran between The Dalles and Arlington.

It was donated to the museum in 1994 by Union Pacific who also delivered and set it up for us. Because it was set up on railroad tracks here at the museum, you can almost get a feel for what it was like when it was in motion on the tracks.

Rail service was abandoned in Condon in the 1980's.

Tonsorial Parlor for Men

Built in the 1890's

Originally located in downtown Condon facing into an alley that ran behind Main St., it was used as a one room brothel. It was later purchased and moved to a better location and used as a law office by Mr. Parman It has also been a barber shop, a residence and other small businesses.

It was donated and moved to our museum in 1990, and its dedication was on July 4th with a barber shop quartet.

Pete Peterson, a local Condon barber from about the 1950's to the mid 1980's was very involved with the furnishings of the interior. He donated the barber chair which is not original to the building but is approximate to the time when the building was used as a barber shop. There is even a child booster seat that goes with it.

Tonsorial means "of or pertaining to a barber or the work of the barber". Tonsure refers to the bald spot on a monk or priests head.

A. S. Rice Cabin

Built in 1884

Built in 1884 by Silas Adelbert Rice and his wife Mary Jane. They came to Condon from Utah via Idaho. The cabin's original location was on a 160 acres homestead 2.5 miles north of Condon. The logs were hauled by team and wagon from Lost Valley (which was SE of Condon) and hand hewn with an axe. Silas died in 1886 and Mary Jane stayed on until she had proved up the homestead. Mary Jane then moved in to the little town of Condon in 1902, and turned over the land and cabin to her recently married eldest son Adelbert Silas. At one time at least three generations lived in this cabin together.

Mary Jane died in 1924.

Adelbert Silas Rice had a son named Daniel (Doc) Rice who was born in the cabin and farmed the land until 1957. He gifted it to the Historical Society in 1986 (he was in his 90's) at which time volunteers numbered each log, dismantled it and then reconstructed the cabin at this site.

Inside the cabin on the wall is the homestead certificate which was signed by Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 and an Oregon Regiment certificate dated 1891.

It is on the National Register of Historical Places.

The outhouse that is located behind the Rice cabin was built in 1905 on a ranch in Mikkalo and was gifted to the museum in 1995.

What's so special about this outhouse...it's a three seater, that means that there is space for papa bear, mama bear and baby bear. It also has a glass window that opens.

Blacksmith Shop

The Johnson Shop was donated to the museum in 2017. It developed a snag in it's reconstruction but in the Summer 2021 we saw forward movement again.

We are hopeful that this building will be completed in 2022 and then we will set it up as a blacksmith shop with a possible opening for 2023.

Johnson Shop

This uniquely designed tool shop was built as an exact replica of the barn built in 1907 on Hale Ridge Road.

Donated by the family of Claus and Emma Johnson.

Agricultural Buildings

Built 1998 & 2021

These buildings were built from the generous donations of the Museum's supporters as well as grant money.

Both buildings are filled with all sorts of machinery such as: wheat thrashers and separators, a massive water pump, covered wagon, open wagons, horse drawn carriage, saddle collection, a 1915 dump truck, and some tractors just to name a few things.

If it had to do with farming or daily life back then it can be found in these two buildings.