The First Thursday Speaker Series occurs on the first Thursday of most months. The program takes place at 7:00 pm at the Cowlitz County Historical Museum, unless otherwise noted.
Admission is free.
Upcoming First Thursdays
June 1 – From the Old Northwest to the Pacific Northwest: The Preservation of Civil War Letters and ‘The Planned City of Longview’ with guest speaker John Simpson
Time: Jun 1, 2023 07:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84649763271
Meeting ID: 846 4976 3271
How did 180 original Civil War letters, written by the Ellithorpe family of rural western New York, resurface in Cowlitz County in the early twentieth century?
What was the role of Longview’s “planned city” in attracting these priceless historic documents?
Where are the letters stored today?
For answers to these questions, you are invited to attend our First Thursday event on June 1, at 7pm, featuring local historian-author John Simpson.
This will be Simpson’s sixth, and final, presentation since 2014. His recent book (based on the letters) is entitled All for the Union: The Saga of One Northern Family Fighting the Civil War, and will be available for purchase after the program.
To view past First Thursday programs, please click the links below:
Discover Your History with the Lower Columbia Genealogical Society –
May 4, 2023
Learn more about genealogy with an overview of the history and activities of the Lower Columbia Genealogical Society
A History and Operations of the Cowlitz County Jail – February 2, 2023
Learn more about the history and operations of the Cowlitz County Jail from Cowlitz County Director of Corrections, Marin Fox.
Annual Meeting – November 13, 2022, Full Program
Museum Director Joseph Govednik and Board President Nick Fazio share some of the accomplishments this year and future endeavors at the Museum, followed by a program featuring Joel Rupley and Harve Williamson of the Cowlitz County Historic Preservation Commission. Joel and Harve speak about past and recent works of the Preservation Commission, including the Cowlitz Trail Corridor and Historic Inventory Projects. Three short films created by Historic Commissioner and Museum Curator, Bill Watson, featuring the Cowlitz Trail Corridor, were shown at the end of the presentation.
Please enjoy these short films produced by Historic Commissioner and Museum Curator Bill Watson on behalf of the Cowlitz County Historic Preservation Commission.
Wilkes Expedition on the Cowlitz
Edward Jay Allen’s travels from the Lewis River to Monticello
Early descriptions of the Military Road through Cowlitz County, 1855-1873
The Yearbook Project – October 6, 2022
Jerry Kelly, a Life Member of the Cowlitz County Historical Society, presents the High School Yearbook Project. Over the past decade, Jerry has scanned all the available yearbooks in Cowlitz County. The scans include the cover, staff, teachers, and 9th-12th grade. Enjoy learning more about Jerry’s process for gathering and developing this image database of our local school graduates and staff.
Yearbook Project
Industrial History at the Reynolds Aluminum Plant – September 1, 2022
Kristin Gaines of Northwest Alloys and George Winn of Cowlitz County Building and Planning share about the history of the Reynolds Longview facility during this First Thursday program, a Zoom/In-Person hybrid.
Reynolds Aluminum
71 at 71: Bike Ride of a Lifetime – June 2, 2022
On July 23, 2021, Jim LeMonds and Bob Horness rode 71 miles of single-track in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest to Celebrate their 71st birthdays. Jim shares about this once-in-a-lifetime event during this hybrid Zoom/in-person program.
71 at 71: Bike Ride of a Life Time
“All For the Union” Civil War Letters Book – May 5, 2022
Local author and Civil War Historian John Simpson shares about his book, “All for the Union: The Saga of One Northern Family Fighting the Civil War” during this hybrid Zoom/in-person program.
All for the Union
A Glimpse of Cowlitz County Postal History – March 3, 2022
Author and postal history enthusiast Ted Gruber shares his research in “A Glimpse of Cowlitz County Postal History” during this Zoom presentation.
A Glimpse of Cowlitz County Postal History
Vestiges of the Iron Curtain landscape photos – February 3, 2022
Longview photographer and artist Hans Schaufus shares his “Vestiges of the Iron Curtain” landscape photos of East Germany taken between 2006 and 2014.
Vestiges of the Iron Curtain
Staff Picks for 2021 – January 6, 2022
Cowlitz County Historical Museum staff share their top picks from items that came into the collection during the year of 2021 in this Zoom presentation.
Staff Picks: Our favorites from 2021
Cemetery Tour Program – May 6, 2021
Cowlitz County Historical Museum staff share Cemetery Reenactment videos of local individuals who died during the 1918 Spanish Flu epidemic in this Zoom presentation.
Spanish Flu whole program
Fern Master Segment
Vern Pea Segment
James Catlin Segment
Hazel Beck Segment
Mary Shult Segment
Alfred Wright Segment