Located in the heart of the Palouse Country, home of the Appaloosa, the museum preserves, studies & exhibits objects & information that illustrate the history of the breed. The Museum is designed to provide a self-guided exploration of exhibits that include a theater; a hands-on activity center; a library and archive featuring books, magazines, and videos. Exhibits themes range from the early evidence of spotted horses in art and literature, to the relationship between the Appaloosa and the Nez Perce, to the highlights of the modern Appaloosa Horse Club.

The Appaloosa Museum welcomes school groups, home-schoolers, and youth groups such as 4H and scouts. Their standard program lasts around one hour and includes a short lecture followed by an exploration of the museum in small groups where students answer questions that help them delve into the history, present and future of the Appaloosa.

Where and When
2720 W Pullman Rd, Moscow, ID 83843
Monday-Friday, 9am-2pm, Saturday 11am-3pm

Contact
Call (208) 882-5578
Email appaloosamuseum@gmail.com
appaloosamuseum.com
Find us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

Believed to have been built in the first decade of the 20th century, the Bovill Opera House served for five decades as the entertainment and social center for the town of Bovill and its surrounding communities. Although used primarily as a “moving picture hall,” the Bovill Opera House hosted dances, performances, as well as public hearings and gatherings. In the 1930s the upstairs was transformed into a miniature golf course and later used as a roller skating-rink. While there is a metal sign readings “Bovill Historical Museum” it was apparently never used as a museum on a consistent basis. The building is no longer open to the public.

412 2nd Avenue Bovill, ID 83806

St. Ignatius Hospital located in Colfax, Washington, was built in 1893 by the Sisters of Charity. The building was used as a hospital until 1968, when it became an institution for developmentally disabled adults until it closed in 2003. Preservation efforts are underway to save the building. The Whitman County Historical Society offers historic tours, ghost tours (complete with gear for investigations), scary movie nights and fun interactive clue games. Funds from ticket sales help save the building, which is on the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Most Endangered Watch List.”

Where & When
1009 S Mill St, Colfax, WA
Open year-round. See website for tour dates, times and tickets.

Contact
colfaxhauntedhospital.com
Find them on Facebook and Instagram

Find out about the first house built in Harrison!

Where and When
201 Coeur d’Alene Ave. Harrison, ID 83833
Memorial Day – Labor Day, weekends and holidays 12 – 4 pm. The Harrison Historic Downtown District Tour starts here too.

Contact 
Call 208.689.3111

Located on the first Kamiah town site in East Kamiah, the Rev. and Mrs. Henry T. Cowley organized the First Church on December 25, 1871, with Hol-Lol-Sote-Tote (Lawyer) as the first Elder. In the summer of 1873, the government built the present church. The Rev. Henry Spalding spent 1872 and 1873 doing church work here during the construction. Sue McBeth had charge of the Presbyterian Mission at the time that the First Church was built. Her sister Kate McBeth joined her in 1879. The church and cemetery is still in use today and stand in quiet dignity at the original location on Highway 12.

Season: all, Hours: call

Chamber: 935-2290

518 Main St Kamiah, ID 83536

Step back in time with this guided walking tour that takes you through the history of Harrison, a once thriving mill town that had 9 sawmills within a one-mile radius. This tour introduces 20 National Historic Registered buildings, including: the E.C. Hays & Sons Grain Elevator, the L.O.O.F. Hall, Star Lodge, the Crane House, and the Mill Boarding House, which is currently a B&B.
A brochure is located at the Crane House Historic Museum.

208-689-3111

201 Couer d’Alene Ave, Harrison, ID 83833

US Hwy 12, Milepost 68.5
One of the Nez Perce National Historical Park sites and one of the most sacred places in Nez Perce culture.

208.843.7001
Nez Perce Historical Park information

An easy and worthy detour from Highway 195 in southeastern Washington is the town of Rosalia.  It’s the gateway to the Palouse Scenic Byway for starters and driving in from the southern highway exit takes you right under one of the iconic railroad bridges that Rosalia is known for.  Built in 1915, these bridges are on the National Historic Register and are understandably popular with photographers.

Stay on the business loop into town for a short cruise or walk down Main street and look for Fast Freddy sitting in his 57 Ford Fairlane parked in front of a retired gas station that now serves as the current Mayor’s “hobby shop.” Freddy is a hit at Halloween!

Another historic gas station, still known to locals as the “Texaco Station,” was restored to its original glory and turned into the Rosalia Visitor Resource and Interpretive Center. Exhibits and interior amenities are getting an upgrade so the Center is closed for now, but if you are looking for a historical experience, you are in luck!  City Hall hosts a museum on its second floor and the Steptoe Battlefield State Park is at the edge of town.

Where and When
Fast Freddy is parked at 704 S. Whitman and the “Texaco Station” is at 533 S. Whitman. You can drive or stroll through anytime.  City Hall Museum is at 110 W. 5th street and is open from 9 – 3, M-F.

Contact
Call 509.523.5991
Email clerk@rosaliatown.org
townofrosalia.org

Explore the Hughes House Museum for a glimpse into the history of St. Maries. Enjoy photos, antiques, and artifacts that depict early life in St. Maries and northern Idaho as you wander through this log cabin.

Where and When
528 Main Ave. St. Maries, ID 83861
Please call for information concerning hours of operation, as the museum is open on a volunteer-available basis.

Contact
Call 208.245.3212
visitidaho.org

The McConnell Mansion is a free community museum that shares the stories of some of Moscow’s earliest and most interesting residents. This Victorian home was built in 1886 for William J. McConnell’s family, before he became the third governor of Idaho. Later, the Adair and Jackson families made their home at 110 S. Adams Street. The final private owner, Dr. Frederic Church, gifted the home to Latah County upon his death, to serve as a museum and meeting space for residents of the county.

The Latah County Historical Society operates the museum and also maintains a research archive across the street at 327 E. Second Street in the Centennial Annex.

Where & When
110 South Adams, Moscow, ID 83843
Museum: Tuesday – Friday, 1-4pm; some Saturdays
Centennial Annex: Tuesday – Friday, 9am-4pm

Contact
Call 208.882.1004
Email lchslibrary@latahcountyid.gov
latahcountyhistoricalsociety.org
Find us on Facebook & Instagram

This historic building, Moscow’s first post office and later a community event center, just celebrated its 100 years. This building is a good example of federalist architecture with multi-paned windows, terra cotta trim, and brick decorations. The interior includes oak woodwork, terrazzo floors, red and white marble, and dential and cornice molding. Part of the second floor is home to the Third Street Gallery.

Where & When
Hours of Operation: Mon – Fri 8 am – 5pm.
206 East 3rd Street, Moscow, ID 83843
Contact
Arts Department Manager Megan Cherry
https://www.ci.moscow.id.us/230/Third-Street-Gallery

The Nez Perce County Historical Society & Museum preserves over 150 years of the county’s rich history throughout the museum campus which includes the Heritage House, Trolley Car #8, Idaho Territorial Capitol 1863-65 replica building and the Miranda Cabin.

Where & When
0306 3rd Street Lewiston, ID.
Tue—Sat 10-4

Contact
208.743.2535
npcmuseum@gmail.com
www.nezpercecountymuseum.com

Learn about the Nez Perce people and their incredible history at this collections and research center. Long before the arrival of explorers or missionaries, this area was a place where the Nez Perce lived and fished. Nez Perce National Historical Park was created in 1965 by an act of Congress, and what was known as Spalding Park became the headquarters and visitor center for Nez Perce National Historical Park. Take some time and explore the park. The center is one of 38 sites included in the National Park.

Newly renovated, all the exhibits except the sweat lodge and canoe are new! The main exhibit is a seasonal round, starting with winter and going through the seasons, with the activities of the Nez Perce in each season. Additionally, they have quotes from Nez Perce elders and an audio station where visitors can look at a photograph of a Nez Perce elder and listen to him or her speak. The central room of the Visitor Center has also been redone, as has the auditorium.

Where & When
39063 U.S. Hwy 95 Lapwai, ID 83540, Winter: 8-4, Summer: 8-5, 208.843.7009, nps.gov/nepe

Grand re-opening May 31, 2024.

Contact
208.843.7009
http://www.nps.gov/nepe/historyculture/the-spalding-site.htm

Find them on Facebook

Paradise Creek Brewery – Downtown Restaurant is located in Pullman’s first Federally built Post Office Building which was built in 1930. The building served as Pullman’s post office until 1975, when a new post office was constructed. The Old Post Office subsequently hosted various businesses, including a movie theater, a bakery, and a gun store. In 2002, a new owner began restoration of the building, leading to its National Register of Historic Places listing in 2003.

Where & when
245 SE Paradise St., Pullman, WA 99163
Tuesday – Thursday 11:30am-9pm
Friday and Saturday 11:30am-11pm
Sunday 11:30am-9pm
Closed Mondays

Contact
Call 509.339.6894
paradisecreekbrewery.com

The Potlatch Historical Society keeps a self-guided museum on the main floor of Potlatch City Hall and contributes to the exhibits within the WI&M Railway Depot. The archives are located on the second floor of the Depot by appointment only. They have an ever growing collection of Potlatch Idaho and North Latah County related subjects and share these on social media. Mother to the Return to Riverside Music Festival and recently, PHS just preserved the Carter’s Log Inn neon sign, which lights the Potlatch sky every night!

Where & When
Open by appointment only.
185 Sixth Street Suite 209, Potlatch, ID 83855

Contact
Call (509) 595-7684
potlatchidaho@gmail.com
Find us on Facebook and learn more about Potlatch on our community history page, complete with oral histories, digital projects, and more ways to explore the history of our company town.

The Roy Chatters museum contains letterpress equipment dating to the late 1800s as well as an extensive collection of early newspapers from throughout Whitman County. Rotating exhibitions feature artifacts and photographs from the region.

Where & When
110 E. Main Street, Palouse, WA
Saturday 10 – 2

Contact
(509) 330.0353
barstow@palouse.com
Whitmancountyhistoricalsociety.org/locations/

This four-acre day-use park commemorates a battle between U.S. Army forces led by Colonel Edward Steptoe and several Native American tribes from eastern Washington that occurred in 1858.

The battle was considered a significant victory for the eastern Washington tribes. Later that summer, however, Colonel George Wright returned to the area with nearly 700 heavily-armed soldiers and defeated the tribes, effectively ending their resistance in that region of the territory.

Where & When

Summer 6:30 a.m. – dusk
Winter 8 a.m. – dusk

S. Summit Loop, Rosalia, WA 99170

Contact

(509) 337-6457

parks.state.wa.us/591/Steptoe-Battlefield/

Find us on Facebook and Instagram.

White Spring Ranch is listed on the National Historical Registry and was the homestead of early settlers in the wheat producing Palouse area south of Moscow Idaho. John Lorang and Mary Gesellchen Lorang created a successful farm and they and three generations of the family preserved all its history from its founding in 1885 to the present day. Thousands of artifacts are in the archive library collection. The museum is supported by grants and donations and by students and faculty from Washington State University and the University of Idaho.

With a minimal budget of grants and donations, we have become a gathering site for students, artists and volunteers with all kinds of skills to restore the: 1878 Log cabin, c.1880’s Curio cabin, c.1873-1904 Historical Farmhouse and 160 years of letters, journals, books and photographs into an onsite and online library. Learn of the farming history of Idaho and details of American life for the last 160 years.

Where & When
1004 Lorang Rd Genesee, ID
Sundays and Tuesdays, 1 p.m. to sunset. Other times by appointment.
Contact
208.416.1006
whitespringranch.org
Find us on Facebook

Whitman County Historical Society (WCHS) offers historic tours, location rental and educational programs at four sites in the area. Co-located with Perkins House Museum, a Victorian home built by James and Jennie Perkins in 1886. WCHS purchased the home in 1973 for $13,900 and it has been fully and lovingly restored. Not just a museum, however, the house can be rented by the public for weddings and meetings! Travel the county and visit the other three sites managed by WCHS.

Where and When 
WCHS & Perkins House – 623 N Perkins Ave., Colfax, WA 99111
Pullman Depot – 330 N Grand Ave, Pullman, WA
Chatters Print Museum – 117 E Main, Palouse, WA
Holy Trinity Chapel – 105 E Alder, Palouse, WA.
See website for hours, which vary by location.

Contact
Call 509.553.9729
Email wchsdirector1@gmail.com
whitmancountyhistoricalsociety.org
Find us on Facebook

Where & when
185 6th St. Potlatch, ID 83855
Check website for hours

Contact
Call 208.875.1357
Email hpgpres@wimryhpg.com
wimry.org
Find them on Facebook