Brooks Historical Society and The Brooks Depot Museum 

Brooks Historical Society operates the Brooks Depot Museum, on the grounds of Powerland Heritage Park. We moved the late 1800s Brooks train depot to the site in 1989. The depot itself is our largest artifact.

During the 2025 season which begins April 5, we will be open at Powerland Heritage Park on Saturdays, and on the big event days at Powerland. Email us for tours on other days. BHS6.OR@gmail.com

Our new agricultural exhibit is on Wheat, with lots of scientific facts, fun facts, and old newspaper articles. We honor local persons who recently served in the military. Our current exhibit is on Joaquin Garcia, who served in the US Army as a Tank Maintenance Specialist from 2010-2013. We also have exhibits on the evolution of the radio, the “ghost town” of Fairfield on the Willamette River, major floods on the Willamette, and some of the local inhabitants. Our cemetery exhibit is on Pioneer Memorial Cemetery, and there are comparative photos of the communities of Brooks and Gervais then and now. Come see us!

Our Annual Used Book Sale will begin as soon as we are sure the rains (more or less) halt for the summer. Once again a tentful of used books at bargain prices of 50 cents or 25 cents will be offered all during the summer.

On May 17, 2025, we join with the rest of Powerland Heritage Park to present S.T.E.A.M. ‘d Up for Kids. Our museum will have wheat related activities; planting wheat seeds to nurture at home and record their growth, and making stamps of wheat sprigs on old-fashioned flour and salt dough.

And we will have brown bag lunches, with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit, carrot sticks and a cookie for just $5

Our featured agricultural exhibit this year on wheat ties into our “ghost community” exhibit of Fairfield. Fairfield had lots of grain warehouses on the Willamette River. Shipping grain by steam boat was a lot closer and faster than taking the grain to Champoeg for shipping to population centers further north.

Our Depot Day on June 28, 2025  will celebrate trains.

We will have kids activities about train safety and “build a train car” activities. We are having our Depot Day on the same day as the Train and Trolley Fest with other museums, so plan to spend the day.