Vinny White
Staff Writer
The Sandy Historical Society may not be the most popular destination in Sandy. Most just think of it as just the small local museum. In reality though, it’s so much more than that.
Founded in 1926, The Sandy Historical Society has lasted through the decades preserving, presenting, and spreading local history. The society is based heavily on volunteer work, with 20 volunteers. The society itself only has one paid employee, Ken Funk.
“I have been with the historical society about 11 years,” Funk said. Most of those years were completely unpaid, it took a lot of time and effort to start making money off this venture. He and many other volunteers are fiercely dedicated to the cause.
Many of the volunteers are older, giving them lots of knowledge over the area and its people. That’s not to say young people aren’t involved, as they have two interns on hand, including one from Sandy High School, senior Zander Ortega.
“It’s nice, a lot of history,” Aspen White, a teen intern, said. “Youth being involved is very important,” job trainee Carol Collman said. It’s important for the future of the historical society that they receive more volunteers as that is something that it sorely needs due to many of the volunteers not coming back after the panemic.
But even with all these trials and tribulations, the Sandy Historical Society has managed to stay afloat and prosper. “We’re self-sufficient,” Funk said. They take in donations through physical objects and money, added with the profits from the gift shop, and hold themselves up on their own. They receive some grants, which is how the interns were hired.
Involvement is something that is pivotal to the society’s success. They call for involvement from the community, asking for items of possible historical significance. If an item they receive is a repeat or does not have a place in the museum, they contact other places that maintain history, like Philip Foster Farm or the Mount Hood Cultural Center.
Since Sandy really isn’t that old, roughly 108 years, many members of the town may have connections to parts of the museum or staff working there.
For example, job trainee Carol Collman worked for Sandy High School’s newspaper, which at that time was called the Mountain Echoes. If you need proof, just go to the upstairs of the museum and you will find a room filled with documents, including archives of Sandy High School’s newspaper. Also, on the same floor, there are binders just chalked full of information about the school’s history as well as every SHS yearbook ever printed
The Sandy Historical Society continues to be the center of the preservation and maintaining of Sandy’s history, it’s involvement with the local people is pivotal to its success so why not spare some time and stop by, you might learn something.
The Pioneer Press 