Presby Mansion
Goldendale, WA.
Home of the Klickitat County Historical Society

     W.B. Presby built this 20-room Victorian mansion in 1902. Several families owned it until the Klickitat County Historical Society purchased the residence 60 years later. It was dedicated in 1962 by U.S. Supreme Justice William O. Douglas, who had spent some of his early years in the Bickleton area and some of his later years in the Glenwood area.

     The Presby House is now the headquarters for the Klickitat County Historical Society. The museum has attempted to reconstruct turn-of-the-century life. Its three floors of displays contain many treasures donated by county residents, including parlor, dining room and kitchen items used in food preparation, preservation, entertainment, laundry and sewing. Also bedroom furniture, toys, clothing, Indian artifacts, one of the largest collections of coffee mills, nearly 300 brands registered by county cattlemen prior to 1920, plus harnesses and saddles.

     The museum also contains a gift shop and a research library.

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©  Jeffrey L. Elmer