Celebrating 50 years of preserving McCleary’s history

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 4, 2026

“Today, the McCleary Historical Society not only is celebrating where it came from, but also where we’re going,” Rachael Hahn told the audience who took time on their March 1 Sunday afternoon to visit the McCleary Museum.

It was exactly 50 years ago on March 1, 1976, that the McCleary Historical Society filed its articles of incorporation.

Hahn, the program and marketing chair of the Society, gave a presentation. Efforts to preserve the town’s history predated the formally incorporated Society. A McCleary Historical Society organized by Norman Porter was responsible for starting a summer festival later named the Second Growth Festival, which later became known as the Bear Festival.

“The committee changed both its name and its focus,” Hahn said. “And even though the original Historical Society did not continue, the festival committee flourished.”

This year marks the 67th year of the Bear Festival.

Preserving local history became a concern by the mid-1970s, which led to the formation of the Eastern Grays Harbor Historical Society. The first board members were President Buena Evans, Vice President Marj Farrar, Secretary Ted Rakoski, Treasurer Elizabeth Tincani, and trustees Clare Farrar, Pat Jenkins and Helen Murray. The center of McCleary’s community — the VFW Hall — is where they met.

“All of them were not only on the first board but continued to be the driving force for many years to come,” said Hahn.

The Society collected membership dues and solicited items for a museum they didn’t yet have. A possible museum was the home of Earnest Teagle, the former bookkeeper for Henry McCleary, owner of a hardware store, secretary of the chamber of commerce, and author of Out of the Woods. However, because of the difficulties and cost of $7,000 to move the house off Simpson Timber Company land to near Beerbower Park, the Society declined on accepting the house.

A site became available in the fall of 1984. John and Esther Carnell willed their house to the Society for use as a museum.

“The Carnell family prepared the home with repairs and upgrades in order for the home to be transformed into the museum,” Hahn said. “The Historical Society began their work preparing the move of the collection items that they had gathered over the years. And after much hard work, the museum opened April 27, 1985, to the public.”

A name change in 1992 renamed the Eastern Grays Harbor Historical Society to the McCleary Historical Society.

Hahn credited Tammy Antilla Finch as one of the Society’s longest-running presidents and for keeping the Society operating when volunteers were few and funds limited. Charles Fattig served as the Society’s curator.

In fall of 2019, the Society, the city of McCleary and the Carnell family acknowledged that a new home for the museum was needed. During her tenure as president, Linda Thompson oversaw the purchase of the Methodist Church as the society’s new home. Financial commitments from the community and the Grays Harbor Community Foundation and local businesses donating work were used to update the building for moving in.

“Our wonderful board and volunteers and community made this move to save our town’s history,” said Hahn. “And the fact that most of this was going on during the height of the pandemic makes it even more meaningful.”

Following Hahn’s presentation, the audience was invited to share their memories.

Seventy-six-year resident Kathy Elofson shared, “What I remember best is Helen Lake’s willingness to take her store off the market so that everything could be stored from the Carnell house before we moved in here. … She was a huge help in this museum.”

Being 93 years old, Jean Willis knew many of the original founding members and was active in the Society.

“As a person who put some work and heart into the establishment of the McCleary Historical Society, I, too, am feeling a great sense of pride today,” she said.

Darren Carnell was in attendance; a grandmother on one side was a founder, and John and Esther Carnell were grandparents on the other side. He remembered it being a tough time for the closing of the Methodist Church and the museum also being light on volunteers and attendance.

“It looked like it might be the end … of the church building and of the museum,” Carnell said. “And through the leadership of Linda Thompson and Kathy and others, somewhat miraculously, both the church building and the museum were saved.”

Following the presentation, the attendees were invited to tour the museum and enjoy refreshments.

Of the turnout, current Society President Sue Palm said, “I thought it was wonderful,” adding “and everyone that was there seemed to be pleased with what we were doing.”

With her name now on the list of presidents who has shepherded the Society over the years, “I do feel a responsibility to see that what we as a board are trying to accomplish continue,” Palm said. “I’m really pleased that, quite frankly, we moved into this building. It’s the largest piece in our collection apart from the museum. It also in itself is the history of the town.”

To the question of what is the museum collecting now for their future members to curate? “Well, we have a hard time convincing people that one minute ago is now history. … What we try to document now are articles that were used by people who lived in McCleary or the surrounding area,” Palm said.

And as the name indicates, McCleary Museum and Event Center, the Society continues to explore how to make the building relevant to the community besides as a historical repository. Events, which include musical acts and lectures, are held monthly.

Currently, the Historical Society has over 170 members, with most living in the McCleary area or having lived here before, or familial connection to the town, and Palm said they do have a member living in England.

A nine-member board oversees the Historical Society’s work. The monthly board meetings are held the second Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. in the museum and anyone is welcome to attend.