June 17, 2013
Partnership Program Explores National Park's Military History through 25 Museum Objects
In partnership with Portland State University (PSU), the Oregon Encyclopedia, the Oregon Historical Society, and McMenamins, the National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site will be presenting a special program and iBook launch on Tuesday, June 25, 2013 titled Revealing Our Past: A History of Nineteenth Century Vancouver Barracks through 25 Objects.
June 10, 2013
The National Park Service Presents “Valery Chkalov: From Moscow to Pearson,” a Free Bilingual Lecture in English and Russian Celebrating Russian-American Aviation Accomplishments at Pearson Air Museum
Join the National Park Service for a special talk celebrating the 76th anniversary of Valery Chkalov’s landmark transpolar flight from Moscow, Russia to Pearson Air Field and its significance to our local community. Lecture presented in Russian and English by Russian-American National Park Ranger Luda Leksunkin, Saturday, June 22, 11:00 a.m., Pearson Air Museum, free.
May 29, 2013
Fort Vancouver NHS Announces 2013 Speaker Series: “Planes, Mills, Factories, and Forts: Exploring Technological Heritage in the 21st Century”
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site's 2013 Speaker Series, part of the annual Public Archaeology Field School, will bring together experts in the field of archaeology to address topics of technological heritage. Lectures in the series will discuss the preservation of aviation crash sites in National Parks, the Kaiser Shipyards, the Brimstone Hill Fortress on St. Kitts in the Caribbean, the underwater archaeology of the World War II Midway battlefield, and more.
May 21, 2013
Significant Projects to Highlight Vancouver Barracks' Second Year as a National Park Unit
Superintendent Tracy Fortmann and Project Manager Ray Cozby today announced several upcoming projects for the East and South Vancouver Barracks unit of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, set to highlight the second anniversary of the transfer of the historic grounds from the U.S. Department of Defense to the National Park Service.
May 20, 2013
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Celebrates Youth by Hosting Community's 11th Annual Children's Cultural Parade
This year, the National Park Service and Evergreen and Vancouver Public Schools continue to bring the community’s annual Children’s Cultural Parade to Fort Vancouver National Historic Site to celebrate the diversity of Vancouver. The parade is the culminating event of classroom instruction in which local third grade students study cultures from around the world. It is an opportunity for each student to explore his or her own unique cultural heritage and to celebrate the heritage of classmates.
May 16, 2013
The Great Outdoors Then and Now: Free National Get Outdoors Day Event Showcases Annual Brigade Encampment June 8, 2013 at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
National Get Outdoors Day brings community partners together to celebrate healthy, active, outdoor fun at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site on June 8, 2013. The National Park Service’s annual Brigade Encampment, a component of National Get Outdoors Day, re-enacts the jovial return of the fur brigades to Fort Vancouver – illuminating how day-to-day survival skills of trappers in the 1840s have become recreational pursuits today, and how our relationships to the natural world have changed over time.
May 15, 2013
Partnership Project Honored with Annual Award from State of Washington
The Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) awarded the State Historic Preservation Officer's Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Media & Historic Preservation to Dr. Brett Oppegaard, Washington State University Vancouver, and Greg Shine, Chief Ranger & Historian, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, for the partnership Fort Vancouver Mobile App Project.
May 14, 2013
New Exhibit and Publication Share History of World War I and Vancouver's Spruce Mill
On May 22, 2013, a new exhibit on the history of Vancouver's World War I-era Spruce Mill will open at Pearson Air Museum, titled Straight-Grained Soldiers. In addition to the exhibit, a new publication on the Spruce Production Division is now available from the National Park Service.
May 06, 2013
Major Accomplishments Mark First Anniversary of Barracks Transfer
Superintendent Tracy Fortmann and Project Manager Ray Cozby today announced the achievement of key milestone projects by the National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site that highlight the one-year anniversary of the transfer of the East and South Vancouver Barracks from the Department of Defense to the National Park Service.
April 30, 2013
National Park Service Presents "Captain Midnight Flies Again!"
Visit Pearson Air Museum in your local national park on May 11th at 2:00 p.m. to experience radio theatre as it was in 1939, for free, with "Captain Midnight Flies Again!"
April 23, 2013
Preservation in Process: Painting at Fort Vancouver NHS
The National Park Service is currently preserving multiple buildings at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, your urban national park. This week, the park staff is overseeing the repainting of two signature buildings within the reconstructed stockade.
April 11, 2013
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Junior Ranger Day
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site celebrates Junior Ranger Day on Saturday April 27, 2013.
March 25, 2013
Partnership Program will Teach Historic Preservation on Iconic East Barracks Building
The National Park Service is proud to announce a unique partnership project with Clatsop Community College Historic Preservation and Restoration Program.
March 22, 2013
New Exhibit Highlights History of Vancouver Barracks and Pearson Field
On Friday, March 29, 2013, a new exhibit highlighting the history of Vancouver Barracks and the birth of Pearson Field will open at the Pearson Air Museum.
March 15, 2013
McLoughlin House Open House March 23 to Highlight Civil War Era Quilt Exhibit.
The McLoughlin House Site will host an Open House on March 23 with special guest quilt expert Eileen Trestain. Eileen will be on hand to discuss the Civil War Era quilts currently on display in the house.
March 13, 2013
Park Staff and Partners Receive National Award for Fort Vancouver Mobile Application
The Fort Vancouver Mobile Project has been chosen as one of two projects nationwide to receive this year's John Wesley Powell Prize for outstanding achievement in the field of historical displays, awarded by the Society for History in the Federal Government.
February 27, 2013
Pearson Air Museum Reopens Today
Pearson Air Museum is reopening today, February 26, 2013, at 10:00 AM, with two temporary exhibits, Float, Drive, and Fly and the Spruce Mill Encampment.
February 21, 2013
Museum Collection Open House Tours Take Visitors Behind-the-Scenes
In 2013, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site's popular Museum Collection Open House program will return on the second Saturday of the month, March through October. The Museum Collection Open House program takes visitors on special, behind-the-scenes tours through the park's curation facility, which is home to two million archaeological and historic artifacts.
February 18, 2013
National Park Service Accepting Loans of Pearson Air Museum Aircraft and Artifacts
Any individuals who own items formerly on display in Pearson Air Museum are invited to loan them directly to the National Park Service, so they may be returned to the hangar building for the reopening of Pearson as a free public museum.
February 17, 2013
Pearson Air Museum Open for Special Events
The National Park Service has a simple goal for Pearson Air Museum: to reopen its doors to the public as soon as possible. In the meantime, Pearson Air Museum is available for special events.
February 07, 2013
Two New Business Specialists Join the Team at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Recently, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site welcomed two new employees who bring a wealth of experience and business acumen to the park's staff.
January 22, 2013
National Park Service Invites You to Connect to the Written Word, at Fur Trade Letters and Army Postcards on February 3rd
On February 3rd from 12:00-300 p.m. visitors are invited to the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site Visitor Center for an entirely free afternoon of hands-on activities centered on the power of connection through the written word.
January 08, 2013
Two new exhibits share the story of New Deal programs in Washington State and at Vancouver Barracks
On Saturday, January 19, 2013, the National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site will launch two new exhibits on the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) at the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center. The two complementary exhibits, on display until late March, explore how the WPA and CCC put the people of Washington State and Vancouver back to work during the Great Depression of the 1930s.
January 03, 2013
Finding of No Significant Impact for East and South Vancouver Barracks signed by National Park Service Regional Director
The National Park Service is pleased to announce that the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) document for the East and South Vancouver Barracks Draft Master Plan and Environmental Assessment was signed by the Pacific West Regional Director on December 20, 2012.
November 15, 2012
Author Cindy Ott Joins the National Park Service and Grant House Restaurant to Provide Pumpkin Food, Pumpkin History, and a Discussion and Book Signing of her New Book, Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon
The National Park Service and the Grant House restaurant partner to bring you an autumn evening all about pumpkins! Dine on pumpkin dishes while Dr. Cindy Ott discusses her new book, Pumpkin: The Curious History of an American Icon, in the cozy atmosphere of the Grant House restaurant, Tuesday, November 27, 6:00-7:00pm. Reservations required (360) 906-1101). Dr. Ott will be signing hardcover copies of the book throughout the evening, available for $30 cash, check, or credit.
November 14, 2012
Sing, dance, play, and experience a fur trade holiday at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Experience the sights and sounds of the 1840s holiday season at Christmas at Fort Vancouver, on Saturday December 8 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.
November 05, 2012
Superintendent Fortmann Appointed to Regional Leadership Council
Tracy Fortmann, Superintendent at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, has been appointed to the Regional Leadership Council for the Pacific West Region of the National Park Service.
October 11, 2012
Free Urban Campfire Program Warms Up Fall at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site October 13 & 27
The National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is pleased to announce Tales of the Engagé, Saturdays, October 13 and 27 from 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Both programs are free of charge and take place by the fire in the cozy atmosphere of the fort’s lantern-lit, 1840s kitchen.
October 10, 2012
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site: This week’s National Park Getaway
The Village at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is a place of connections – a historical grand emporium where the history of people, things, events, and ideas have flourished. It hasn’t always been so.
September 13, 2012
National Park Service Hosts Annual Citizenship Ceremony
For the third consecutive year, the U. S. National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site will host a U. S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) naturalization ceremony at the national park as part of a national Constitution Day & Citizenship Day observance on Friday, September 14, 2012.
August 31, 2012
Preservation in Progress in Your National Park!
The National Park Service is currently preserving multiple buildings at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, your urban national park. Just in time for Campfires and Candlelight on September 8, the park’s free annual signature event, park service staff are busy repainting the entire exterior of the Chief Factor’s House and re-chinking the Carpenter Shop.
August 25, 2012
Free Signature Event Campfires and Candlelight Features More Military Camps, Music, and Demonstrations on September 8 to Honor the National Park Service’s Acquisition of the East and South Vancouver Barracks
On September 8, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site’s free annual Campfires and Candlelight event continues signature re-enactments inside the fort while expanding military camps in the Timeline of History (along the Spruce Mill Trail) with new camps, more music, and more black powder demonstrations!
August 07, 2012
We're Turning 96!
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site will celebrate the 96th birthday of the National Park Service by holding an array of fun, immersive, and educational programs on Saturday, August 25. Highlights include archaeology digs and a chance for families to travel back in time and spend the night inside the reconstructed fort.
August 02, 2012
National Park Service Initiates Caretaking at Vancouver Barracks Unit of Fort Vancouver NHS
The National Park Service at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Reserve and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is initiating important caretaking procedures this summer to preserve and protect the historic buildings and landscape of East and South Vancouver Barracks.
June 23, 2012
National Park Service Opens South Barracks in the Village to the Public for First Time Since 1849
The National Park Service, Portland State University, and Washington State University Vancouver invite the public behind the chain link fences of South Barracks to visit the 11th Public Archaeology Field School at Fort Vancouver.
May 25, 2012
Mobile App to Launch at GO Day Event
Want to learn about history at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in a new way? There’s an app for that, as the Fort Vancouver Mobile app will make its public debut on June 9, in conjunction with a Brigade Encampment as well as National Get Outdoors Day.
May 24, 2012
Free Lecture Explores Early 20th Century Native and White American Identities Through "Ishi: His Time, Place, Tools, and Interactions"
On August 28th, 1911, Ishi, the only surviving member of the Yahi tribe, walked to the outskirts of Oroville, California, alone, hungry and with his hair burned short in morning for the deaths of the last members of his family. Resigning himself to be captured by the Americans, and fully expecting to meet the same fate as that of his family and ancestors, Ishi instead found himself propelled to celebrity status in a world he couldn't have imagined.
May 17, 2012
Post to Park Celebration
An exciting new chapter in Vancouver Barracks history will begin on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2012, as the East and South Vancouver Barracks closes as a U.S. Army Reserve post and becomes a national park. This free, day-long “Post to Park” ceremony begin at 1:00 p.m., with an official post closure ceremony at the Artillery Barracks building located at 600 East Hatheway Road in West Vancouver Barracks, followed at 2:00 p.m. by National Park Service tours and Fort Vancouver National Historic Site’s annual Soldiers Bivouac living history encampment on the park’s historic Parade Ground.
April 05, 2012
Day of Kids' Activities Debuts New Junior Ranger Program and Kicks Off Week of Free Park Admission; Nez Perce Chief Redheart Memorial Ceremony Shares Stories of Park's Past, Present, and Future
A whole day of kids' activities celebrates Fort Vancouver's brand new Junior Ranger Program and a week of free park admission, while the Nez Perce Chief Redheart Memorial Ceremony marks stories still important to the site today.
January 30, 2012
National Park Service Seeks Public Comment on the Plan for Managing the East and South Barracks at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
In early 2012, the U.S. Army Reserve will formally relinquish all lands and structures within the East and South Vancouver Barracks to the National Park Service (NPS). This change will effectively end the longstanding military presence at the Vancouver Barracks, which was the first major U.S. Army post in the Pacific Northwest. To prepare for this important event, the National Park Service carefully developed a master plan for the preservation and reuse of the East and South Vancouver Barracks as part of the nationally significant Fort Vancouver National Historic Site (NHS).
January 17, 2012
New Program Explores Fur Trade Letters and Army Postcards - Connections Through the Written Word
For the first time ever, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site features an entire afternoon of activities centered on the power of connection through the written word.
November 28, 2011
Talk to Explore the Pacific Northwest in the Civil War Era
In this year that the National Park Service is commemorating the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War, Chief Ranger Greg Shine will describe the interesting role the Northwest played -- not only because its states and territories were part of the ongoing battle over freedom and slavery -- but also because of the army's particular relationship with the region's Native American groups. Shine will also detail the significance of Fort Vancouver leading up to and and during the war and the people and events of this region that influenced its outcome.
September 13, 2011
Fort Vancouver to Host Annual Naturalization Ceremony
On Friday, September 16, the National Park Service (NPS) at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, in partnership with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), will host the second annual Constitution Day and Citizenship Day Naturalization Ceremony.