Pearson Air Museum Reopens Today

Date: February 27, 2013
Contact: Bob Cromwell, [phone]
Contact: Eva Dodd, [phone]

Pearson Air Museum is reopening today, February 26, 2013, at 10:00 AM, with two temporary exhibits. Museum hours will be Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

The history of transportation is one of the primary themes of the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. Our new exhibit, Float, Drive, and Fly, is a wonderful opportunity for young children to explore this theme. Our focus is on the evolution of transportation through time, and across various surfaces. Generous partners and members of the community loaned antique and replica vehicles, which will be rotating, to the National Park Service to support this endeavor. 

During World War I, the world's largest spruce mill operated on this site. The soldiers, spruce, and mill were critical in supplying lumber for the manufacturing of U.S. and Allied aircraft. The Spruce Mill Encampment reflects what you could have seen in 1918 - soldiers and lumbermen in logging camps across the Pacific Northwest, and soldiers operating the cut-up plant here in Vancouver.

In late March, another exhibit will debut on the birth of Pearson Field in the context of Vancouver Barracks. The long-term vision for Pearson Air Museum includes incorporating more aircraft and other aviation artifacts. Aviation history will continue to be featured here. The National Park Service is also offering free interpretive programs and a free guided walking tour of the landscape surrounding Pearson Air Museum titled "Air, Army, and Archaeology," offered at 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM on Saturday. These free tours begin in the lobby of Pearson Air Museum.