The Central Oregon Heritage Center

Since 2005, the Society’s Board of Directors has been working hard to create a new facility, the Central Oregon Heritage Center. To be sited on County property (the old Little League ballpark, just west of the County Fairgrounds in south Madras, the Heritage Center will provide a badly needed replacement for the current Museum, with more exhibit, work, and storage space, improved heating and cooling, larger grounds for outdoor activities and exhibits, and full visitor access. But according to the “Master Plan” drawn up in 2007-08 ( in collaboration with KMD Architects of Portland, and funded by a gift from Dr. Robert Pamplin), the Heritage Center will offer much more than just an expanded collection of artifacts and exhibits. The plan is to create a facility that will serve in the capacity of a community cultural center in the spirit of our shared historical heritage, with a multi-purpose auditorium and meeting rooms for community use. We are designing a facility that will be interactive, with changing, visitor-friendly exhibits and displays, both indoors and outside, each telling a part of the story of Jefferson County from its geological past up through the Major League exploits of Jacoby Ellsbury.

As Madras and other Jefferson County communities grow, with residential developments like Yarrow being established, the local need for such a community cultural center is plain to see; and as the trend for “cultural tourism” in Oregon expands, the economic potential of the Heritage Center to draw spending visitors here seems obvious. A major part of our operational plan is to actively partner with city and county governments, schools, service groups, other museums in the region, and local businesses.

If you’re interested in joining us in the work to make the Central Oregon Heritage Center a reality, please visit the Volunteer page!