Two Rivers Heritage Museum hires first paid employee

The Two Rivers Heritage Museum has a paid employee for the first time in its history.

The Camas-Washougal Historical Society has selected Julianne Lawrence, a Camas native and former Camas School District elementary school teacher, to fill the newly created role of director for the downtown Washougal museum.

“I was absolutely thrilled,” Lawrence said.

She said her goal is to ensure the museum is “preserved for generations of kids to come.”

The Camas-Washougal Historical Society formed in 1978 and first opened a museum in the basement of the Camas Library in 1981.

The historical society’s board of directors initiated a long-term planning effort in 2023 that included exploring the feasibility of hiring a museum director. A volunteer committee — Richard and Karen Johnson, Joshua Stahly, Dick Lindstrom, Marilyn Brown and Rene Carroll — led the effort, assisted by Clark County Historical Museum Executive Director Brad Richardson. The group assessed funding, outlined the position’s responsibilities and developed an employment contract.

“We were thrilled when Julianne expressed interest,” Lindstrom, the historical society’s president, said in a news release. “We hoped to find someone with strong ties to our area, and Julianne is exactly who we envisioned. She is an experienced educator, a capable leader and someone deeply connected to local history.”

Lawrence said the fact that the historical society, which receives its funding through grants and donations, was able to hire a paid employee “is a huge positive symbol for the future and the outlook of the museum.”

Lawrence holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Portland State University and a master’s degree in teaching from City University in Tacoma. After teaching in Ridgefield for one year, she spent 11 years at Woodburn Elementary School in Camas.

“A big piece of being a teacher is building strong relationships with the families of your kids and within your classroom,” Lawrence said. “Outreach, communication, nourishing positive feelings and joyful learning were pillars for me as a teacher.”

She said she plans to bring that approach into her new role.

Lawrence’s grandmother, retired Washougal educator Carol Phillips, volunteered at the museum for many years, and her mother, retired Camas educator Lee Elaine Gilronan, is a current volunteer.

“This museum has been really closely connected to my family,” Lawrence said. “I have a lot of vivid memories of coming to the museum for things like Heritage Days when I was a kid. There’s so many amazing artifacts here, and it’s been really neat to watch it grow over the years and always have something new and exciting.”

Lawrence, who began work in her new position May 1, said that she would like to increase membership, expand volunteer involvement to potentially expand museum hours, secure new funding sources, and raise the museum’s visibility within the community and beyond.

“The biggest thing I’d like to accomplish is building awareness, making sure that we are something that our community is proud to show off when they have friends visiting out of town or looking for something to do on a rainy day with their kids,” she said.