Voices & Maps of Clatsop 2026 – Exploring the CCHS Digital Archive and the Future of Local Preservation
Discover how the Clatsop County Historical Society is preserving the stories, photographs, maps, newspapers, and voices that define our region in Voices & Maps of Clatsop 2026: A Digital Preservation Campaign. This PDF provides an overview of the CCHS digital archive, highlighting how a local effort launched in 2018 has grown into one of the Pacific Northwest’s most active community preservation programs. Today, thousands of items and tens of thousands of digital files are freely available online to researchers, students, and history lovers around the world.
Inside, you’ll find links to many featured collections—including city directories, yearbooks, pioneer interviews, church records, Clatsop Plains history, Astoria Golf & Country Club archives, and more—along with statistics showing the archive’s remarkable public reach. The PDF also outlines future plans to expand preservation capacity through new large-format scanning equipment and advanced video editing tools, ensuring that oversized maps, rare documents, and oral histories can continue to be saved for future generations.
An overview of our digital archive with links to selected collections.
In 2018, the devastating armory fire in Aberdeen destroyed an irreplaceable local historical museum, underscoring the urgency of preserving historical documents and photographs. Inspired by that loss, the Clatsop County Historical Society (CCHS) launched a digital scanning initiative to safeguard our shared heritage for future generations..
Thanks to a generous donation from the Huisking Foundation in 2018, CCHS established a state-of-the-art digital scanning center featuring professional high-speed scanners and access to the Internet Archive—the world’s largest online library, with more than 56 million books and texts and 15 million videos.
From late 2018 through December 2025, more than $289,000 in donations was raised to support the scanning center. In fall 2019, the center hired a digital archivist and, to date, has uploaded more than 42 major collections. As of March 2026, the initiative has digitized 4,357 items totaling 85,044 files and generated more than 562,579 online views from history enthusiasts worldwide
These donations have enabled CCHS to digitize its own substantial holdings while also helping local organizations preserve their archives at no cost. Beneficiaries include the Seaside Museum, Warrenton Heritage Museum, Astoria Golf and Country Club, Clatsop Plains Historical Records (including Gearhart and Surf Pines), Peace First Lutheran Church, the Westport Collection, LCPS, and many others.
Below are selected links that demonstrate the diversity of our digital archive:
The Clatsop County Historical Society maintains an Archive and Research Library in the Heritage Museum, offering researchers a unique resource documenting the evolution of Clatsop County history. Link to the entire Clatsop County Historical Society digital collection.
Clatsop County Video and Film
This collection features 21 publicly available videos produced by volunteers. These include numerous 8–10 minute pioneer interview vignettes, along with three presentations from CCHS Thursday Night Talks and Seaside History & Hops programs. Click here to view.
Clatsop County Video and Film Restricted.
This collection includes more than 46 full raw interviews with longtime pioneers. These videos are not publicly viewable because editing has not yet been completed. Each raw video was processed with captions, and the resulting text was embedded in metadata so researchers can search conversations by keyword and locate exact spoken timestamps. Researchers may request access through the CCHS curator. Click Here to View
Paul See/Josiah West Collection.
One goal of CCHS is to create anthology collections of pioneer families who settled in the region. This collection contains research and materials on local and family history compiled by longtime Clatsop County educator and writer Paul See, with emphasis on his grandfather Josiah West, an early settler of Clatsop Plains. Click here to view
Astoria Public Library Newspaper Index.
Newspaper index typed on cards through 1860s -1999. The newspapers include Astoria newspapers: Astoria Daily Budget, Morning Astorian, and Daily Astorian. Click here to view.
Clatsop Community College Historic Preservation & Restoration Digital Archive.
The digital archive of Clatsop Community College’s Historic Preservation & Restoration program houses out of print books and publications including historic house plans, building details, and catalogs. Click here to view.
Westport, Oregon Collection.
A collection of materials relating to Westport, Oregon: its heritage and importance and showing how our scanning center supports our rural neighbors. Click here to view
Peace First Lutheran Church.
Records for Peace First Lutheran Church and its predecessor churches in Astoria, Oregon. Click here to view.
City Directories.
Name and address guides to individuals and businesses throughout Clatsop County, including the communities of Astoria, Warrenton, Flavel, Hammond, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Knappa, Svenson, Jewell, and Westport. Click here to view.
Yearbooks.
Annual publications from Clatsop County schools, including those of Astoria, Warrenton, Seaside, Knappa, and Jewell. Click here to view.
Clatsop Plains Historical Records, Incl. Surf Pines and Gearhart.
The Clatsop Plains are a region of wetlands and sand dunes between the Northern Oregon Coast Range and the Pacific Ocean. Click here to view.
Astoria Golf and Country Club.
Founded in 1923, the Astoria Golf and Country Club has a long and distinguished history in Clatsop County, reflected in this collection. Click here to view.
