We were visiting Brownsville, OR, and my wife loves to collect magnets from everywhere we go. While driving through town, we noticed the Linn County Historical Museum was open and what immediately caught our attention were the actual train cars on either side of the building. Naturally, we parked and went inside. This place is packed with history. Founded in 1962, the museum is housed in Brownsville's original railroad depot and includes six Southern Pacific railcars. The exhibits do a great job telling the stories of the region's Native peoples, Oregon Trail emigrants, Black and white pioneer settlers, and the early families of Linn County. One of the highlights was learning that one of the boxcars has been converted into a 29-seat theater known as the Boxcar Theatre. Another fun surprise was how prominently Stand By Me is recognized throughout the museum and the surrounding area. Many scenes from the movie were filmed nearby, and seeing that brought back a lot of memories from our own childhoods. Overall, this was a really cool and unexpected experience. And of course, my wife found exactly what she was hoping for, a Linn County magnet to add to her collection. Highly worth the stop if you're anywhere near Brownsville. read more

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Loved this cute little town, it's like stepping into a hallmark movie. We passed the quilt shop and there were ladies sitting around a table talking and knitting. You don't see this kind of things these days. We loved the museum it took us back to the pioneer era. It was well maintained and so much to look at. It was great to see the actual equipment used. I highly recommend the detour to check this out!! read more

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The Linn County Museum (includes the Brownsville Pioneer Museum). Excellent museum and very much worth a couple of hours if you like historical museums. Loaded with genuine artifacts dating back to the 1830's. They even have a railroad caboose outside, which, for me, was particularly interesting and fun to walk into. They have very little militaria, which is fine, since most country and town museums are overloaded with the same stuff. This museum has great, full scale re-creations (using actual components) of a dental office, doctor office, country store, bank and an actual, original and very rare (1865) Conestoga wagon, fully equipped for travel. They have clothing to wear if you want to dress up for a photo, and a model wagon set for the kids to touch and pack. The museum is free, but donations are appreciated, of course. The docent was a very friendly, cheerful and knowledgeable lady. They also have a guided tour of a nearby, two-story home (the Moyer house1881) for $5 per person. We enjoyed that and found it worthwhile. If you enjoy museums, then this is a great stopover. Pub, coffee shop and witches' store (Hex) within one block. Two thumbs up for a delightful afternoon there! read more

"Isn't fun museum an oxymoron?" This was the response from a friend when I started telling her about my visit to this 'fun museum' in the historic town of Brownsville. So perhaps you should only continue reading this if you are a "museum person." Or, by visiting the Linn County Museum, you might surprise yourself and become one. Even if you don't walk through the doors, the town of Brownsville is fascinating in its own right. Large portions of the movie "Stand by Me" were filmed here (Gordie's house, the "pie eating contest", the "Blue Point Diner", etc.) and the city still retains that classic Americana feel. I've visited a few other historic towns in Oregon that have their old-time facades intact, but are pretty depressing places due to neglect. That isn't the case here. Just four miles from the I-5 freeway, disregard the Yelp directions and just follow the road signs to Brownsville. The museum is operated by volunteers and while there is no admission charge, there is a suggested donation of $2/person. It looks small from the outside until you realize the museum housed in the old train Depot expands to includes the box cars on both sides of the main building. Brownsville was an early Oregon settlement, so there is information on the pioneers, local native American tribes and school memorabilia. One side of the museum is a collection of replicas of businesses from an earlier time (the general store, dentist's office, blacksmith, dress shop, etc.). The highlight of the other side is the Box Car Theatre. They took 30 seats from the old Linn Theatre and created a cinema in one of the box cars. On request, and at no charge, you can watch a movie. They have a large selection of vintage flicks including silent films, Westerns, Shirley Temple, Three Stooges and a few modern entries like Stand by Me. No food is permitted in the theatre, but groups can rent it out for parties or gatherings and have refreshments in another part of the museum. There were a few other really cool items, including a 1909 Brush automobile with the original license plate, a beautiful collection of arrowheads and a covered wagon. Totally my definition of fun. read more

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Brownsville, Oregon may be small but as it turns out it has a lot of history...and a decent litle "homespun" regional history museum. It's obvious they didn't have the budget of a larger facillity for all the bells and whistles (The Columbia River Gorge and Baker City history centers come to mind) but what they've created is educational and sincere. Inside the historic Brownsville train depot building and filled with much more than you would expect from the outside, their use of train cars as extra rooms to house the exhibits is clever and fun. Add a surprising amount of local artifacts and antiques, supplement with fantastic vintage photographs and printed info, sprinkle in a few creepy vintage manequins and you have my favorite type of local history museum. Very friendly docents, an impressive library of local and state info at the front, and free admission are just icing on the cake. read more

What a treasure trove!! A very lovely surprise. My 11 year old son was fascinated and I thought it was one of the best displays i have ever seen. You will be shocked when you see how small the covered wagon really was. the docents were well informed and so very nice. Thumbs up!! read more

There aren't many real covered wagons left. Go see this one while you can... read more

Good as they come! The museum is set up in a maze of railway cars, very well done! Don't fool yourself by the size of town, this place is amazing! read more

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Absolutely an amazing museum! If you like history, you have to stop in and explore! They have everything from Oregon Trail pieces, mining displays and arrow head art to mocked main street stores, an old movie theater, and a display of telephones over the decades. read more

Be sure to give yourself at least an hour to absorb everything! This museum is as great as the museums in Los Angeles with unlimited funds!!

Super cool place and town - very well done museum! You can watch Old-Time movies (such as Heidi w Shirley Temple) for free in their air conditioned radio car (fun!), and the museum's information is very well curated! Excellent place to take a stop! read more

Visited for the first time this weekend. Very surprised at the variety and quality of the exhibit. There is something for everyone here. We spent an hour and felt rushed. Take in the Moyer House as well-very impressive 1850's house they are still restoring. read more

Better than we expected. We decided to drop in during a stop in Brownsville. It is free, but of course donations are welcome. Great memorabilia from local to regional. One side is set-up like a main street and someone has put some enthusiasm into this little place. Not super kid friendly...but we dragged ours through and I think they may have learned a thing or two ;). read more