Forge Ahead!

Stella Historical Society gives glimpses of the past

Story

by Joseph Govednik Cowlitz County Historical Museum Director

Exciting times are happening at the Stella Historical Society (SHS). Located just a few miles west of Longview along Ocean Beach Highway, the SHS is the definition of a labor of love through the talents of its volunteer staff.

The SHS operates several buildings easily accessible from the highway, with a new ADA-approved ramp improving access for wheelchair users, funded by the Price Foundation. The buildings include a historic house museum, an active forge building, and a blacksmith shop containing a broad sample of equipment used in Stella’s heyday as a logging export location. Recently, museum volunteers built and donated a new storage facility. Inside the shop building with tool displays is a reproduction of a vintage general store and an original forge believed to be the oldest in Washington State.

Fun and games

The Stella Historical Society will be opening its season on Saturday, July 8th with a special Kids Day event from 11am-4pm. There will be old-time games the children can play to win pennies, then buy “penny” candy at the vintage store. Games will include clothespin drop, hopscotch, jump rope, and corn hole toss. Other activities will be coloring and a scavenger hunt, plus touring the historical buildings. All ages are welcome, and there are many new things to see.

Admission is free although donations are always welcome. After the July 8th season-kickoff, the Stella Historical Society Museum will maintain open hours on Saturdays and Sundays, from 11am4pm until the weekend prior to Labor Day. Please call the museum at 360-423-3860- or visit https://www.facebook.com/stellahistoricalmuseum/ for more information. Forge ahead by looking at the past at the Stella Historical Museum this summer!

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The Stella Historical Society, its museum located west of Longview on SR-4, stirs nostalgia and interest with memorabilia from days gone by, and a working blacksmith shop..

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