Upper Valley Historical Society

 

Upper Valley Museum at Leavenworth

Celebrating the diverse heritage of the Upper Wenatchee Valley

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Exhibits
The Upper Valley Museum at Leavenworth produces exhibits that will be of interest to the residents, students and visitors of the greater Leavenworth area. These exhibits consist of three types – permanent – rotating – special.
The Permanent Exhibit is in the Exhibit Hall. Items in this display are those pertaining to the development of the Upper Valley and the Bavarian Theme Village of Leavenworth. 
 
The Rotating Exhibits will normally be in the Exhibit Hall, but can, at times, be located in other rooms within the Museum. These displays will normally be artifacts from the Upper Valley. They will change from time to time due to the limited exhibition space in the Exhibit Hall.
 
The Special Exhibits will normally be located in the Great Room of the Museum and may include the Sun Porch. These displays will normally be directly related to a theme of a town festival or event. It may also be just a seasonal display that would be of interest to our visitors.
 
Current exhibits will be updated on the Museum’s web site.
SPECIAL EXHIBITS
 
Mid-September through October 2007 
 
AUTUMN LEAF FESTIVAL AND
THE ROYAL LADY
  Pictorial history of the Washington State Autumn Leaf Festival and the Royal Lady
On display in the Great Room
The 44 year history of the Autumn Leaf Festial is depicted with artifacts from past Festivals.  Scrapbooks and pictures will show the various themes of each Festival.
The Royal Lady of the Autumn Leaves has been the official Royalty of the annual Festival.  Formal dresses and scrapbooks will be on display.  For a couple of decades, the Leavenworth Junior Miss has accompanied the Royal Lady on the Autumn Leaf Festival Float as it toured the Pacific Northwest, advertising Leavenworth and the Festival.  Pictures and scrapbooks will be on display showing these Royalty appearances.
Current Exhibit
Through September and October
From Button Box to Accordions
One hundred years of vintage accordions from Tom Tilton
On display in the Exhibit Hall
Over a couple of dozen accordions are on display.  This exhibit shows the development of the Accordion, from the early "Button Box" to the earlier versions of today's accordion.  Bring your camera - you will not see these instruments on display elsewhere.

Pending 

Special Exhibits

October 2007

Amber Leaf Theater of Leavenworth

December 2007

A Traditional Christmas

Permanent Exhibit

On display in the Exhibit Hall

This exhibit is on permanent display in the Museum's Exhibit Hall.  You will find a history of the Upper Wenatchee Valley, its people, industry and culture.

These industries started with fishing by the Native Americans and first settlers and crop growing,fruit orchards being prominent.  With the arrival of the railroad, logging became the key industry and many new arrivals to the area began mining for the precious minerals in the surrounding hills.

You will also find information on the geology of the area.

With economic hardships hitting the area after the Depression, the residents of the town of Leavenworth came up with a solution that became its salvation.  The Bavarian Theme you see today began in 1964 and is now a tourist attraction that lures millions to the area annually.