Taft/Nelscott/Delake Fire Station - Lincoln City, OR
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 44° 55.732 W 124° 00.964
10T E 419819 N 4975550
Since 1994 this former fire station and city hall has been home to the North Lincoln Country Historical Museum, located on scenic Pacific Coast Highway, U.S. 101.
Waymark Code: WMCXGJ
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 10/23/2011
Views: 4
Originally the Taft/Nelscott/Delake Fire Station, it was built in 1941 on land donated by Fred Robison with donated materials and volunteer labor. Later it became Lincoln City’s City Hall building. When City Hall was moved to larger quarters, the city donated the building to the museum.
NORTH LINCOLN COUNTY
HISTORICAL MUSEUM BUILDING
DEDICATED TO PRESERVING THE HISTORY OF
NORTH LINCOLN COUNTY AND FOSTERING AN
UNDERSTANDING OF ITS HISTORY AND CULTURE
ORIGINAL STRUCTURE BUILT 1941
(SERVED AS TAFT FIRE HOUSE AND LINCOLN CITY'S CITY HALL)
CURRENT EXPANDED BUILDING DEDICATED
JULY 31, 2004
This museum has great displays documenting both the native populations of this coastal area and the pioneer settlements up through the 20th century, when five communities here merged to form the new Lincoln City in 1965. There are two floors of displays arranged chronologically, a research library and a gift shop.
From the museum web site:
The downstairs exhibit gallery examines the history of North Lincoln County through township development in the mid 1920s. Beginning with information about the prehistory of the central Oregon coast including fossils and other early artifacts, this gallery includes Native American history with examples of baskets and beadwork; early settlement and homesteading displays that show early tools and household items; and dairy, fishing, and cannery displays with artifacts from those industries. Large photos of people and places included throughout the exhibit bring to life the fascinating history of north Lincoln County told with excerpts taken from oral history interviews.
The upstairs gallery focuses on tourism, celebrating the age of the automobile with information on the first cars and roads to the area. The gallery’s timeline begins with the completion of the Salmon River and Coast Highways in the late 1920s and extends through 1965 when many of the small towns incorporated as Lincoln City. The history of each town along what was known as the Twenty Miracle Miles is included in a panel display, along with roadside attractions, early tourism promotions like the notorious "Redhead Roundup", and one-of-a-kind businesses like the Pixie Kitchen and Pixieland. The Mildred and Maries Children’s Corner is all “hands-on”, with puppets, books and games to keep younger children entertained while their parents tour the museum.
Each gallery includes a changing display area; so that each time you visit there is something new to see.
The North Lincoln Country Historical Museum is housed in one of the historic buildings, dating from 1941, of the original town of Taft which has served as both fire station and city hall. The building was donated to the museum in 1994 and expansions in 2003-5 provided more space for the current museum with its many excellent displays.