Clark County Historical Museum reports record attendance, invites commission to 2026 programs

The Clark County Historical Museum briefed the Clark County Historic Preservation Commission on Dec. 3, 2025, saying 2025 saw high program attendance, that an 80th-anniversary Vancouver NAACP exhibit recently opened, and that a Fort Vancouver bicentennial exhibit will open in early 2026. The museum also said it will assume operations of the historic Covington House in 2026 and invited the commission to help staff events and outreach.

Museum executive Brad Richardson described multiple successful initiatives: a popular speaker series (sometimes turning people away at the door), sold-out walking tours, and a museum-hosted indigenous market that drew "anywhere from 500 to about 600 people" on market days. "So it's been just an amazing year," Richardson said.

Richardson invited commissioners to table at events, speak briefly at the speaker series, volunteer on walking tours, and help promote museum programs across the county. He said the museum will pilot inviting the public to witness preservation process when nominations are presented to the commission to increase transparency and engagement.

The museum also noted renovations: the lobby will be remodeled and the museum will close for January to complete the visitor-center work and reopen in February with refreshed galleries and visitor services. Richardson said the museum will share event dates and volunteer opportunities by email, and staff asked the commission to circulate sign-up information to ensure participation.

The commission thanked the museum and asked staff to circulate dates and sign-up instructions; the museum agreed to send the calendar and logistics to commission contacts.