The Paul See Digital Scanning Initiative to expand the Scanning Center for CCHS

Preserving History Through Digitization

In 2018, the devastating Aberdeen, WA Armory fire destroyed an irreplaceable local historical museum, highlighting the urgency of preserving historical documents and photographs. Inspired by this 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, CCHS established a state-of-the-art digital scanning center, featuring professional high-speed scanners and access to the Internet Archive (IA)—the world’s largest online library with over 43 million books and documents.

Over the past five years, more than $206,000 in donations has enabled the center to hire a digital archivist and upload over 36 major collections. As of November 2024, the initiative has digitized 3,858 documents—totaling 75,566 pages—and amassed over 332,000 views from history enthusiasts worldwide.

These donations have allowed CCHS to digitize its own substantial collection and help local organizations preserve their archives at no cost. Beneficiaries include the Seaside Museum, Warrenton Heritage Museum, the Astoria Golf and Country Club, Clatsop Plains Historical Records (including Gearhart and Surf Pines), Peace First Lutheran Church, the Westport, OR Collection, LCPS, and many more.

A Unique Opportunity to Double Your Impact

Now, we have an exciting opportunity to expand this work! A generous donor will match all contributions to the scanning center dollar for dollar—up to $20,000. We need your support to meet this goal by the end of 2025!

Your Support Preserves History

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, all contributions to CCHS are tax-deductible. Your donation—no matter the size—will help ensure Clatsop County’s history remains accessible for future generations.

How You Can Help

• Mail: CCHS, PO Box 88, Astoria, OR 97103
• Phone: 503-325-2203
• Online: Donate with a credit or debit card at astoriamuseums.org/support-us/donate
  (Be sure to specify that your gift is for the Scanning Center to count toward the match!)

Together, we can preserve the stories of our past. Don’t miss this chance to double your impact—help us unlock the full $20,000 match by contributing today!

Explore our growing collection on the Internet Archive and join us in safeguarding our region’s unique heritage.Every dollar makes a difference!

Click this link to the entire Clatsop County Historical Society’s digital archive.

Includes 34 individual collections from CCHS. Includes the Peace First Lutheran Church, The Surf Pine collections with maps over last 70 years of the Clatsop Plains, Astoria Golf and Country Club, Warrenton Heritage Museum Collection, Clatsop Community College Digital Archive, the Josiah West/Paul See collection (the first complete pioneer family collection), most of the high school annuals for most of Clatsop County and 27 other extensive collections. We now have over 62,823 pages in this collection with 3,265 documents and has been viewed 218,965 times in the last 2 years.

Click this link to the City Directories for most of Clatsop County.

City directories and similar listings provide a regular (usually, annual or biannual) glimpse into the everyday lives of your ancestors, from employment to residences to what they did with their leisure time. Clatsop county city directories It provides 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 this link to the Warrenton Heritage Museum Collection (WHMC).

Materials related to the history of Warrenton, Oregon, including the surrounding communities of Hammond, Flavel, and Tansy Point. 

 Exciting News for History Enthusiasts!  Hello, fellow history buffs! We have some thrilling updates about the Warrenton Heritage Museum Collection (WHMC) that you won't want to miss.

 A Treasure Trove of Warrenton's Past: Over the years, Diane Collier, while working at the Primark Information Center, compiled an extensive collection of Warrenton’s historical gems. From photos to articles, her collection became a window into our town's rich history.

 From Home to Museum to Digital World: After the Information Center closed, Diane's collection found a temporary home in a small museum, thanks to the support of Carol Snell, the Fenton family, and other long-time residents. Although the museum had to close post-Covid, the journey didn’t end there!

 Digitization and Accessibility: In collaboration with the CCHS Scanning Center, this vast collection is now being digitized. That means easier access for everyone! Imagine exploring Warrenton’s history, including high school annuals dating back to 1925, right from your screen.

By the Numbers: The WHMC now boasts 95 documents, encompassing 1,955 files, and has received over 4,640 views in just the last six months. This is history alive and kicking!

Click this link to the Astoria Golf and Country Club (AGCC) Centennial Celebration Collection of Photos and Documents. 

In 1923, JR Halderman and several local business people created and built what is now the AGCC. This was just a few short months after most of downtown Astoria went up in flames. With the advent of 2023 we wanted to pass on the legacy of all past members, many of whom were well known in our area. So our Clatsop County Historical Society scanning center partnered with AGCC.

As a result we have a total AGCC collection of 168 documents, comprising 3,454 files and in the last 6 months we have had over 4,640 views. This collection, stored in a sub collection of the Internet Archive master collection for CCHS. The collection has numerous scrap/photo albums along with a plethora of documents and books including the 1993 history of AGCC and the book on the Oregon Invitational centennial that occurred in 2010.

In addition we did several video interviews with several members who have been a part of AGCC over the last several years. These include:

Todd Burns and Russ Taggard https://archive.org/details/agcc-through-the-years-todd-burns-russ-taggart-1_202311

John Mattingly https://archive.org/details/agcc-through-the-years-john-mattingly-1_202311

Dan Van Dusen  https://archive.org/details/agcc-through-the-years-dan-van-dusen-1_202311

Peter Roscoe https://archive.org/details/agcc-through-the-years-peter-rosco-1_202311

Click this link to view the Paul See/Josiah West Collection.

This is the first Pioneer Family Compilation through the Clatsop County Historical Society's Digital Scanning Center. The collection contains research and other materials on local and family history compiled by longtime Clatsop County educator and writer Paul See. It also includes related items collected by other individuals, with an emphasis on See’s grandfather Josiah West III, an early settler to Clatsop Plains.

Click this link  to 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.