The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill houses many pieces of machinery that were used in the late 19th century.  
       
 

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Remodeled in 1999, Mission Mill Museum houses informative and captivating interpretive exhibits about the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill and Historic Houses.This historic 5-acre site interprets the vibrant red structures of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill and the simple white frame houses of devout Methodist missionaries, the founders of Salem. The history presented at Mission Mill helped shape the state of Oregon from 1834 to 1962. The mill and missionary stories are woven together by the use of water - water that sustained life and powered industry. Visit us and take time to become acquainted with early heroes - missionary and industrialist. Their lives, struggles and successes are the stories of Mission Mill Museum. Together they weave a legacy that continues to enrich our lives.

The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill

The Mill Building in the mild Oregon winter.The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill, founded in 1889 by Thomas Lister Kay, was one of numerous woolen mills that operated throughout the valley and which were critical to its economic stability. The mill produced fine woolen blankets and fabrics for seventy years and was managed by four generations of the Kay family – a legacy still perpetuated at the world-renowned Pendleton Woolen Mills, owned and operated by Kay’s descendants.

The mill closed in 1962 and was subsequently purchased by the Mission Mill Museum Association, a private, non-profit organization formed in 1964. It is the only woolen mill museum west of Missouri and has one of the few water powered turbines in the Pacific Northwest that still generates electricity from a millrace. Displays of the original turn-of-the-19th century machinery illustrate industrial wool processing.

The Historic Homes

The Pleasant Grove Church and millrace.The Jason Lee House, the Parsonage, John D. Boon House and Pleasant Grove Church, dating from the 1840s and 1850s, are restored and furnished in period. The Lee House and Parsonage are said to be the oldest remaining frame houses in the Pacific Northwest. Both were built as part of a Methodist mission to area American Indians. The Lee House is said to have housed planning for the Provisional Government and the actions of the first judiciary, first post office, and second store. The Parsonage may have served as the Indian Manual Training School while the school was being built. The school eventually became the Oregon Institute and later Willamette Jason LeeUniversity. The John D. Boon house is likely the oldest single family dwelling in Salem. It was originally located next to the building known as Boon’s Treasury, which was built by Boon and his son and served as Oregon’s first State Treasury. The Pleasant Grove Church is said to be the oldest remaining Presbyterian Church in the state of Oregon. The historic houses are not original to the site, but were moved to the property during the 1960s and 1970s.

The PGE Waterpower Interpretive Center

The working model in the Portland General Electric Waterpower Interpretive Center shows how the turbine was able, through a system of belts and pulleys, to power all the machinery in the mill.The Portland General Electric Waterpower Interpretive Center blends the two historic stories, that of the Methodist Mission and the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill. The exhibit features storyboards depicting Salem’s important waterpower history and a working miniature mill with pulleys, belts and an elevator.

 

 

Changing Exhibits

There is always something new to see at Mission Mill Museum. In our Gallery space we feature exhibits which change frequently. These exhibits range from collections that are prepared locally to exhibits which tour nationally. Visit the calendar section to see our current offering.

Note: If you have an exhibit that you think
we may be interested in featuring, contact our curator .

New souvenir guidebook available - click here!

 

  
           
       
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Mission Mill Museum 1313 Mill St SE Salem, Oregon 97301
(503) 585-7012 fax (503) 588-9902 info@missionmill.org