Name: Elaine Murdy

Age: 28

Hometown: Seaside

Title: Administrative professional at the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum

Her job entails: Murdy is responsible for all manner of museum tasks, from keeping up with mail to handing out posters to maintaining the museum’s database of artifacts. On the human side, she also works with museum board members and assists visitors.

How she became interested in history: After graduating from high school in 2000, the shy, self-professed sci-fi nerd found herself longing for a little excitement. So she followed in her father’s footsteps and enrolled in the military. She trained in Oklahoma, but an injury relegated her to a desk job, and after two years of service, she received a medical discharge. She’d barely set foot in the door back home when the World Trade Center was bombed.

Although her stint in the military didn’t prove the international adventure she’d hoped, Murdy met a variety of people, broadened her perspective and became much more outgoing.

“I really came out of my shell,” she said.

She also discovered an enduring fascination with the concept of humanity, and she began to think a lot about what makes people tick. Back in Oregon, she enrolled in courses at Clatsop Community College, where she discovered the synthesis of all her passions: anthropology.

“It really appealed to me,” she said. “It’s a combination of science, history and understanding humanity.”

Eventually, she moved to Portland and transferred to Portland State University, where she continued her studies.

How she ended up in Cannon Beach: For Murdy, winding up back on the North Coast was one of those full-circle things. She enjoyed PSU but found herself missing the beach and her coast-dwelling boyfriend, who runs a recording studio in Seaside.

“I’ve always kind of had my foot here even when I was in Portland,” she said.

She applied for the job at the History Center not really expecting to hear back, but by the time her phone interview was over, there was no doubt in her mind about where she wanted to be and what she wanted to be doing. In September, she was offered the job and moved back to the coast, and the rest is history. (Murdy is continuing her studies online.)

The best part of her job: Murdy loves the fact that every day at the office is its own little trip back in time.

“I love reading the history books and looking back at old photos and postcards,” she said. She also enjoys being regaled by longtime residents’ with stories of the Cannon Beach of olden days, when liquored-up hunters merely had to take a couple steps outside the doors of local taverns to line up a shot.

Common History Center queries: Many visitors come to Murdy curious about the Tillamook Head Lighthouse. Lately, she’s also been fielding rumors of pirate treasure. A decades-old legend concerning a wealth of bootie hidden on Neahkahnie Mountain has resurfaced, Murdy says, and she loves seeing visitors young and old get worked up at the prospect of a little treasure hunting.

What she’d do if she weren’t at the History Museum: Murdy has a love of travel that fits hand in glove with her anthropological inclinations, and she enjoys visiting new cultures as much as she enjoys studying about them.

“I would love to be a travel agent so I could book myself on vacations,” she said.

Her favorite travel destination so far? County Cork, Ireland. There, she ditched two whiny travel companions to fly solo and found herself in a pub listening to a musician whom she describes as having the head of Albert Einstein and the body of Mick Jagger.

Why the world needs museums: History offers people a wealth of lessons, Murdy says, on what works as well as what doesn’t work. Looking back at who we used to be provides insights that prevent us from repeating mistakes, plus it’s a whole lot of fun. And if humanity ceases to exist? Careful records will preserve information about us for whatever life form comes along next.

“They could come through here [the museum] and understand us,” she said. “And hopefully they’d say it’s really well organized!”

What makes working in Cannon Beach great: Murdy enjoys being surrounded by friendly neighbors eager to offer a hand – and being immersed in a subject she’s passionate about.”

“I love talking about history with people,” she said. ” I’m proud to be working in a museum.”

The eco-friendly vibe is also a boon for Murdy, who is trying to stick to a more natural diet.

Coming up at the History Center: Carolyn Cruso, an acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and composer, will bring her Celtic folk, jazz, and pop stylings to the Cannon Beach History Center for an Acoustic Folk! Music Series concert Jan. 29 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $7 for adults and $2 for children. The History Center is at 1387 S. Spruce St. For information or to purchase season tickets to the Acoustic Folk! Music Series, call (503) 436-9301, email cbhs@seasurf.net, or go online to www.cbhistory.org.