Guest My View – September 2026

IF YOU PASSED BY Jacksonville’s Old City Hall recently, did you feel like you were being watched? If so, did you turn and look…and realize that people were observing you? How did they get inside? Are they ghosts?

Did curiosity win? Did you peer inside the front doors? If so, what did you see? Would you like a closer look?

Then save the date—Saturday, October 10th—for the formal opening of Jacksonville’s new History Center! The Center will be your doorway to Jacksonville’s “Citywide Museum,” providing an overview of the history of the gold rush camp that became the 19th-century hub of Southern Oregon and introducing you to the many ways you can explore it.

In the meantime, you’re welcome to peek at the exhibit infrastructure that’s now in Old City Hall. Can you pick out the five themes that frame the town’s story: The Land, The Gold Rush, Merchants and Makers, Government, and Town Life?

We’re spending the next few weeks filling in the details—the artifacts and modern storytelling tools that will bring the exhibits to life so that when you do go inside, you’ll encounter the people and events that shaped Jacksonville’s history. We’re adding touchable objects, video and audio media, AI narration, and QR linked content that will invite you to explore the stories in greater depth.

But the stories will not end inside the History Center. Jacksonville’s entire National Historic Landmark District is the museum, a living historic landscape. The History Center will open the door to the many ways you can experience and explore it—guided tours, GPS self-guided tours, virtual experiences, digital resources, community events, and more.

The History Center is a community project, and you can be a part of it! Our goal is to have the Center open every day of the year so there will always be something for residents and visitors to do, and there will always be a way to explore Jacksonville history. But to do this, we need your help.

We’re looking for “History Hosts”—individuals who will staff the History Center; welcome guests; introduce them to Jacksonville, its history and the ways to explore it; and answer questions. We’ll provide training and have online resources available as well.

The initial plan is to have the Center open daily, from 11am to 3pm, so we’re looking at 4-hour shifts, or 2-hour shifts if enough individuals are interested. A commitment might be one day a week, one day every two weeks, or once a month. You could also be part of an “on call” list to fill in when another host can’t be there.

Would you like to volunteer? Then send us an e-mail at info@historicjacksonville.org. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!