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Collections

The Clark County Historical Society is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and interpretation of the cultural history of Clark County and the Pacific Northwest, and to sponsoring educational programs and exhibits for the enrichment of all members of the public.

The Clark County Historical Museum’s (CCHM) Research Library collection includes approximately 2,000 books; 5,000 documents, manuscripts, maps, aerial photo maps and pieces of ephemera (everyday printed material such as pamphlets, newspaper cuttings, advertising brochures); 5,200 historical photographs; 700 copy negatives; oral history transcripts. Some specific resources in the Research Library collection are the Polk County Directories for the City of Vancouver, Clark County History Annuals, Washington Historical Quarterly, Pacific Northwest Quarterly, Oregon Historical Quarterly, cemetery records, historic home survey, and various materials relating to Clark County communities, businesses, persons, and events.

The Research Library is located within the main museum facility at 1511 Main Street, Vancouver, WA 98660. Access to the Research Library is free to Clark County Historical Society/Museum members or is included with the admission fee to the museum.

In 2007 the Clark County Historical Museum and the Washington State University Vancouver Library collaborated in a project to digitize a selection of materials from a collection donated to the museum by the Vancouver Branch of the NAACP. The digital collection is presently featured in the Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive (CRBEHA), a public accessible database created by Washington State University Vancouver and its partnerships with local and regional historical societies to document ethnic history in the Pacific Northwest. The Vancouver Branch of the NAACP selections featured in CRBEHA contain over 120 items including manuscripts, photographs, publications newspaper clippings, and ephemera, which documents the history of the organization and its presence in Vancouver, Washington over the past 50 years. The collection highlights the organizations participation in racial equality, its tradition of community service in education, employment, health and housing and its ongoing relationship with city and civil leaders in efforts to address the needs of the African American community in Vancouver and across the nation. The collection features a number of programs and ephemera from community campaign, meetings, conferences and cultural events.

The National Association for Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) began in 1909 in Baltimore, Maryland as a racially integrated organization dedicated to social, educational, economic, and legal equality for African Americans. The NAACP has since evolved into an association committed to securing equal opportunity for all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups in the United States and abroad. Vancouver, Washington’s branch of the NAACP, Branch 1139, was created in 1945 with the founding goals in mind.

The digitization of the NAACP collection is the Clark County Historical Museum's first effort at making the museum's collection accessible to the public via the World Wide Web. The CCHM plans to digitize other portions of the museum's collection pending funding.

Collection -- http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/crbeha/browse.htm
Vancouver Branch of the NAACP -- www.naacpvanc.org

Regarding genealogical research, it should be noted that CCHM’s resources are limited. More comprehensive resources may be found at the Clark County Genealogical Society at 360-750-5688 or http://www.ccgs-wa.org.