‘Blocked out: Race and Place in the Making of Modern Astoria’
Published 3:07 pm Friday, January 30, 2026
Heritage Museum’s exhibit on Black History is timely
In a primarily white area, local residents may not realize that people of African descent have lived in Clatsop County since 1805. Historians say the limited diversity in the area was intentionally produced on the local, state and federal levels.
Chelsea Vaughn, the Heritage Museum’s curator, has been researching Astoria’s Black history for several years.
“Astoria has been multi-ethnic since its founding,” said Vaughn. “Clatsop County has been home to people of many diverse backgrounds, including Black, Punjabi, Chinese, Japanese and Hawaiian communities.”
The Heritage Museum’s exhibit, “Blocked Out: Race and Place in the Making of Modern Astoria,” challenges the idea that Astoria has always been white. Vaughn said there’s a lot more to the story and to demographics than meets the eye.
The exhibit’s main wall identifies locations, including many residential homes, throughout Astoria where racial discrimination took place.
“Within the title of the homes, there was a racially exclusive covenant that you could not resell your home to a person of color,” said Vaughn, “That was already illegal by that time, and yet there is that wording in the paperwork anyway.”
The exhibit also features three kiosks loaded with racial history and recorded attempts at community formation in Astoria. Vaughn intentionally placed them awkwardly, blocking the main wall, to provoke a subconscious discomfort.
The display points to specific locations across Astoria where historic moments took place. This was another deliberate decision by Vaughn and her team.
“There’s a lot of myth surrounding how various groups have been treated locally or why they are here or they’re not here now. And so to connect acts of racism and exclusion to the physical spaces where they actually occurred makes it harder to argue and harder to challenge,” said Vaughn.
The only physical objects in the exhibit are a small collection of racist coin bank collectibles and a lumpy pile of three Ku Klux Klan robes. Vaughn grappled with how to include these items in a way that spread awareness of their evil history without giving them any more opportunity for racist influence. Ultimately, she decided that a laundry-like heap was the best way to strike that balance.
However, Vaughn remains open to feedback. “I’m a big fan of questioning your own practices and some interrogation, just because, you know, no one is doing things perfectly.” The exhibit itself actually prompts visitors to consider ethical museum practices regarding difficult histories.
Walking tour
One of Vaughn’s biggest collaborators is Zachary Stocks, the executive director of the Oregon Black Pioneers, an organization committed to spreading awareness of the state’s Black history.
“Our mission is to research, recognize, and commemorate the history and heritage of African Americans in Oregon,” said Stocks.
Beyond the “Blocked Out” exhibit, Vaughn and Stocks have worked together to generate an informational walking tour in downtown Astoria.
A pamphlet presented by the Clatsop County Historical Society details seven powerful stops, all within a few blocks of each other, including well-known landmarks like Fort Astoria Park and the American Legion Building.
It also covers lesser-known spots like Roscoe’s First Class Oyster Saloon, one of the first Black-owned businesses in Astoria. Though the original building burned down in the 1922 fire, the pamphlet directs its readers to the northwest corner of 11th and Commercial Streets, where Silver Salmon Grille is now.
Additional resources
As we enter Black History Month in February, local residents who want to learn more about local history can visit the Heritage Museum any day between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., partake in the downtown walking tour, or reach out to the Oregon Black Pioneers, who have numerous resources.
For one, Stocks shared a social media toolkit including specific Clatsop County history. It celebrates York, the first recorded Black person to visit Astoria, let alone cross North America, who served as a laborer and hunter on the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Gearhart and Warrenton have their own Black history, too. The toolkit features William Badger, the first Black person elected to office in Oregon, and Moses Williams, a Medal of Honor recipient who dedicated 32 years of his life to the army. You can learn more on the Oregon Black Pioneers website at oregonblackpioneers.com.
