Now Showing at Oregon Coast Museums: Ghost Town, Scary Lighthouse, Shipwrecks

Published 03/12/2014

(Oregon Coast) – A variety of new exhibits at coastal history museums will have you riveted. From the slightly spooky to the just plain mind-boggling, museums on the north and central Oregon coast are featuring tidbits about the abundance of regional shipwrecks, a coastal ghost town you probably knew nothing about, and a legendary lighthouse. (Above: the secret ghost town of Bayocean as it once was).

Once upon a time, there was a massive resort on the Bayocean Spit, near Tillamook and Cape Meares. But wild seas and moving sands destroyed the sprawling construct, which at one time had five miles of roads. Now there is nothing there but pristine hiking.

The Tillamook County Pioneer Museum has installed a new exhibit in the Main and Northwest Galleries that features a historical perspective on Bayocean spit.

“Bayocean Park: A Grand Notion” features photographs and artifacts from the Museum’s collection and tells the story of Thomas Benton Potter and his son T. Irving Potter as they imagined, designed and developed a resort town on the Bayocean spit that was to rival Atlantic City at the beginning of the 20th century. A grand hotel, amusement park, dance hall, and natatorium were all planned for the site along with cottages and bungalows.

The exhibit explains what happened to this town and why. Included with Museum admission, “Bayocean Park: A Grand Notion” will be on display until July 25, 2014. For more information, visit www.tcpm.org or call 503-842-4553. Tillamook, Oregon.

Down in Newport, it's all about “Rough Waters: Shipwrecks on Oregon's Coast."

A new exhibit “Rough Waters: Shipwrecks on Oregon’s Coast,” is open at the Burrows House Museum of the Lincoln County Historical Society.

“The exhibit offers an intriguing look at the dangers of life at sea and features incredible photos of shipwrecks and interesting objects,” said Diane Disse, museum educator for the Society.

The earliest photograph in the exhibit dates to 1887 and shows the ship “Yaquina City” wrecked on Yaquina Bay. The most recent is of the “New Carissa” and its hapless wanderings and attempts to control and destroy it in 1999. Featured also is a painting of the “New Carissa” by Mimi Fox. The exhibit opening is free and open to the public.

Lincoln County Historical Society. 545 SW Ninth St. Newport, Oregon. (541) 265-7509 http://www.oregoncoasthistory.org. More about Newport at the Newport, Oregon Virtual Tour.

The Cannon Beach History Center & Museum has recently opened the highly anticipated Terrible Tilly exhibit, spotlighting one of Oregon's more mysterious landmarks, Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. The exhibit features the last remaining portion of the Lighthouse's Fresnel Lens, stories from former lighthouse keepers, as well as stories from the construction to its life after being decommissioned.

Sitting a mile offshore, visible from Cannon Beach and Seaside, it's a sight that has captivated generations. From its wild and dangerous construction background to its life as a columbarium, visitors will come to understand Tilly's nickname and why she was such a feat to construct, supply, man, and even remodel.

Cannon Beach History Center & Museum. Corner of Sunset & Spruce, Cannon Beach, Oregon. 503.436.9301. More about Tillamook Rock below and more about Cannon Beach at the Cannon Beach Virtual Tour, Map.

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