Othello Museum opens for 2026 with new, refurbished exhibits

OTHELLO - One of the newest Greater Othello Chamber of Commerce members cut the ribbon at its upgraded facility Saturday. The Othello Museum opened its doors for the summer season.

"It really has a new look and new feel," said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary.

The revived museum is open from 1 to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, with museum officials hoping to extend the season to October.

As befits a museum, it's one of the oldest buildings in town, originally the Othello Methodist Church built in 1908. It opened as a museum in 1972, but a lack of heating and cooling in the building limited its use in recent years.

That was remedied with a new heating-cooling system installed earlier this year. Museum officials decided to join the Chamber, and Chamber members helped commemorate its opening with the ribbon cutting.

The museum got a deep cleaning, rearranged displays and a couple of new exhibits. Popchock said those include a look at the building's history, put together with the help of museum consultant Freya Liggett.

A second exhibit traces the history of medical care in Othello, created with the help of a substantial donation of material from two medical professionals who practiced in town for decades.

Opening Day attracted about 60 people, Popchock said, about one-third of them children.

"It was just a great day," she said.

Museum administrators are planning to rotate exhibits over time and display more of the permanent collection.

"So much of our research and pictures were in boxes," Popchock said.

Liggett assisted local volunteers with organizing a lot of that material to make it easier to access, she said.

Like most towns, the city of Othello has a varied history, starting as a water stop for trains and an attractive spot for dryland homesteaders. But weather patterns changed and many of the dryland farmers couldn't make it.

Then the water came, specifically the Columbia Basin Project, which made Othello a prime spot for orchards and row crops, all sustained by irrigation. Agriculture is still the basis of Othello's economy, along with ag - related businesses like fruit and vegetable processing.

The museum has a substantial collection from Othello's early history, Popchock said, but its members also want to illustrate more recent times.

"That has been our goal from the outset," she said. "We'll honor our pioneer history (and) we need to reflect our modern history. It's a pretty big story."

Museum operators will continue organizing its materials, with the goal of making them more accessible to anyone who wants to take a look.

"There is so much history here. It is exciting," Popchock said.

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This story was originally published April 28, 2026 at 11:53 PM.