Services and Facilities Enhancement Project
Fort Walla Walla Museum
Carrying the Past into the Future
Keeping the distinctiveness of a changing community is accomplished by preserving its heritage.
Keeping it safe for future generations is everyone's duty.

'Dapper Maury the Mule' and Baker Boyer Bank (1908)
FWWM catalog # 94.17.3
What Others are saying about Fort Walla Walla Museum's
Services and Facilities Enhancement Project
What a magnificent Fort Walla Walla Museum you folks have created! It's a jewel among such historical sites all across America. It’s amazing what “local support” can do to promote … historical preservation. You have every right to be proud. -Richard Rush, Concord, NH
I want to sing the praises of ... Fort Walla Walla Museum.
-Frances Potts, Sunnyside, WA
... for a quick history lesson on how this particular bit of the Wild West was settled, visit the excellent Fort Walla Walla Museum, located in the military outpost that served Walla Walla from the 1850s to the 1900s.
-The Sunday Herald ( "Scotland's award-winning independent newspaper")
No gimmicks, no made-up heritage, just the people who proudly live and work here and call it home. That character comes from a deep place and deserves to be preserved. –Adele Ganguet
Fort Walla Walla Museum was built by our community to give an understanding of those who pioneered our area … Your support is needed to help keep our heritage alive for our children and grandchildren … -Jo Winn
The Museum expansion will greatly benefit the families in our community in many ways. We need to support this project to assure the culturual heritage of our region is preserved and shared forever.
-Steve VanAusdle, President, Walla Walla Community College

Main entry elevation architect's rendering.
Children today can see things on TV or computers, but neither gives them real “hands-on” knowledge of our past. Help us meet our ... goal so that children can continue to have this solid foundation to rely on . –Marjorie Penner Saranto
There’s been a lot of good news lately about Fort Walla Walla Museum, but one story that has not been mentioned is the reciprocal visitation agreement signed last summer by the Museum, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute and The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. [These organizations] are working to make the Walla Walla region a better place for all of us to live and work in and a fun place to visit, too! -John Chess, Tamástslikt Cultural Institute, Pendleton, OR
It is equally gratifying to see the many children racing around the [Museum] grounds … connecting with the past … When you give a donation to Fort Walla Walla Museum, you are investing in the future of your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. –Jill Zagelow
I have seen the the impact [Museum] exhibits have on visitors, especially children.
-Robert L. Stevenson, Waitsburg, WA
Our many grandkids and I would love to see the museum be able to put up more child accessible, hands-on exhibits. The current funding campaign ends [soon]. If we all make it a success, perhaps there will be a sheepherder's wagon children can climb into and imagine what it was like to live outside caring for the flocks.
-Celia Andrews
It is so important for our children to be connected to our shared heritage, whether they were born in the area or moved here last week. We can see the problems that arise when kids feel disenfranchised from their home towns. Children who can make those connections are far more likely to be committed to our communities’ futures, gain a sense of place and belonging, and can become productive community members. Please dig deep. The kids of the Valley are worth it, don’t you agree?
-Chris Wallace Burlingame, Milton-Freewater, OR

Entrance exterior architect's rendering.
Have you ever had your kids or grandkids ask how things were when you were growing up? I found that by taking them to Fort Walla Walla Museum, here was everything not only preserved, but arranged in a way that they could understand how it all worked. I am so grateful that someone before me … kept all these things from being lost. –Don Meiners
In providing for our children’s future, one of the best things we can do is to put them in contact with the community’s past. Fort Walla Walla Museum does that and wants to do a better job of helping our kids make their futures as bright as possible. Lois and I support [the Museum’s] project whole heartedly and ask you to do the same. –Rod Hahn
Have you visited Fort Walla Walla Museum lately? By this time next year the facility expansion project will have made some enormous improvements.
–Anne Gwinn

Grand Hall architect's rendering.
I’ve committed my time and resources to support the project and now I’m asking you to join me and all the other Board members … Please help the Museum further develop Walla Walla’s reputation as a family friendly community and provide a center where the history and tradition of the Walla Walla [region] come alive. –Barbara Stubblefield
As time passes, so does the museum. The exhibit halls Dad [Carl Penner] helped build 40 years ago have come close to their life expectancy and the museum is working on a project to replace them. I know my father would support these improvements to the buildings and the preservation of our history. If he were still around, Dad would be out helping round up the money needed to complete the project.
-Marjorie Penner Saranto
Fort Walla Walla Museum’s new building project is facing [a] looming deadline. The urgency is tied to two major grants [totaling more than $1.3 million] awarded for the project. That’s a lot of money that could –and should– stay in the community. It requires a commitment from people who care about the community our children and the future of both. I’ve made my donation … and encourage you to follow suit. The time is now and the need is great. –Gale Kimball

Aerial view architect's rendering
If we don’t take care of the materials that we have, we won’t be able to tell the history of Walla Walla, we won’t be able to tell the history of the northwest, and we won’t be able to tell the history of America.
-Lynn Sharp – Professor of History, Whitman College
I think it’s an absolute must to preserve our history and anyone who feels they can invest in it is preserving our way of life.
-Jo Winn, Docent/member/Board of Directors, Fort Walla Walla Museum
We need to get behind this project, we need to help ourselves and help our community get in touch with our cultural heritage.
-Dave Warkentin – President/CEO, Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce

Entrance Building architect's rendering
I for one want to help and I hope a lot of other folks in the valley will ... help carry on the mission of the museum ... -Pete Reid, Assistant to the President, Whitman College
Expansion plans, which have been in the works for decades, are expected to help bolster the museum's contribution to the local economy through tourism spending. -Vicki Hillhouse, Union-Bulletin
As I write, fundraising is [nearly] complete to make a meaningful start on Phase I construction. To fall short is to lose more than $1.3 million that would be spent in the region, a loss all the bigger when multiplied by all the miscellaneous spending associated with construction projects.
- Chris Wallace Burlingame, Milton-Freewater, OR
[T]he museum will be getting even better now that the facility will be expanded. The expansion, which will include a kids' museum, is an exciting project.
-Union-Bulletin Editorial Board
We all need to do what we can to help complete the fundraising for the expansion, so the museum doesn't lose grants that require evidence of local support (you and me). The entire community benefits. -Vi Jones
Don't wait to be asked, contact the museum today and volunteer a gift.
-Tony Wenham
Learn more about the campus completion benefits, education aspects, economic benefits, or return to the main Services and Facilities Enhancement Project page.
See our future here.
You can help. Donate using DONATE NOW JustGive.org. Be sure to designate your preference for the Services and Facilities Enhancement Project. Undesignated donations are placed in the General Fund.
If you prefer not to donate online, consider downloading a gift form.
Mail your check and the gift form to:
Fort Walla Walla Museum
755 Myra Road
Walla Walla, WA 99362
or simply call the Museum at (509) 525-7703 with your Visa, MasterCard or Discovery account number, expiration date, and 3-digit security code. Staff is available Monday through Friday (except holidays) from 9:00 am-4:00 pm.
The Capital Campaign for the Services and Facilities Enhancement Project is coordinated by Fort Walla Walla Museum Board members Tony Wenham and Jill Zagelow. The Capital Campaign Steering Committee includes Larry Beaulaurier, Maita Kibler, Pete Reid, Sonia Schmitt, and Fort Walla Walla Museum Board Treasurer Barbara Stubblefield.
For more information, contact the Museum at (509) 525-7703
or email to info@fortwallawallamuseum.org |