About The Society
Mission Statement
The Clayton & Deer Park Historical Society is an association of individuals dedicated to the preservation of the history of our community. To the preservation of our region's oral history, literary history, social history, graphic and pictorial history, and our history as represented by the region's artifacts and structures. To the preservation of this history for future generations. To the art of making this common heritage accessible to the public. And to the act of collaborating with other individuals and organizations sharing similar goals.
Society Meetings
The Society holds meetings on the second Saturday of each month at nine o’clock in the morning. We gather at the Clayton Drive In, located just off Highway 395 at Clayton.
Our meetings are informal, and last approximately one hour — depending on the agenda, if any.
If you’d like to attend a meeting, the usual formality is to walk in the door, pull up a chair, and introduce yourself.
Contacting The Society
The Webmaster for this site can be reached at:
mailto:webmaster@claytondeerparkhistoricalsociety.com.
The Society's President can be reached at:
The mailing address for the Society is:
The Clayton/Deer Park Historical Society
Box 293
Clayton, Washington 99110
Please check the society's newsletter, the 'MORTARBOARD' - a PDF file - for updates on society news, events, and projects. See the menu to the left.
Future Projects
The Clayton/Deer Park Historical Society … registered in Washington State as a non-profit organization … is a relatively new group. Originally formed by individuals interested in saving and preserving the old Clayton school building, the Society has now refocused its efforts toward historical preservation within the larger community.
The Society is a small organization with a small budget. Our only physical presence in the community is our post office box in Clayton. Therefore, we have limited ourselves to projects that can be accomplished within these strictures.
First is the publication of the Society’s journal … “Reports to the Clayton/Deer Park Historical Society”. Three volumes of this journal have been published so far, and all are available for a small donation to the Society. Second is this web page … intended as an outreach and education tool. Third is the creation of an electronic archive of photos and other documents gleaned from materials submitted by residents, and former residents, of the local community. We’re in the early learning stage of this project.
At some point, the Society would like to have a physical presence in the community … in the form of a museum of some type. When and how that might be accomplished is unclear. The economic challenges are formidable. One possible route to the creation of such a center might be through an association with some preexisting organization within the community … a mutually beneficial symbiosis of some sort. Time will tell.
Speculation aside, the time to preserve our history is now, before it fades away.
A Wish List
We would like to hear from anyone with a family history they’d like to share. We’d like copies of letters and family journals … with the understanding that portions of those artifacts may end up being reproduced in the pages of the Society journal. We’d like first person accounts of growing up and living in this community.
Local history also includes geological and natural history. We’d like to hear from anyone having special knowledge in these areas.
We would especially like to hear from anyone having writing or artistic ability who would be willing to assist us in these various projects. We have so many projects worth doing, but few members to do them.
And that’s just the beginning of a very long wish list.
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