HISTORY & HOPS, The “Willard Incident”

HISTORY & HOPS

Presented by the Seaside Museum with the support of Seaside Public Library

Thursday, April 24^th, 2025 @ 6:00 PM

Times Theatre & Public House (133 Broadway)

History & Hops is a series of local history discussions hosted by the Seaside Museum on the last Thursday of each month, September through May, at Seaside Brewing Co. The event is free to attend, and everyone is welcome to join in the fun!

The “Willard Incident” of December 30, 1898, left two Seaside residents and the Clatsop County sheriff dead. Sheriff John “Jack” Williams was the first Oregon sheriff killed in the line of duty. What started as a routine investigation earlier in the day ended in tragedy. Mike Leamy will share an examination of the event, recreated from reports from the era, including morsels of the paranormal and the macabre.

Local author Michael Leamy survived the Vanport Flood of 1948 and grew up on a pioneer farm in the hills east of Corbett, Oregon. He manages Greenwood Cemetery south of Astoria, on Hwy 202 where countless stories lie buried beneath the sod. A teacher fascinated by history; he has heard echoes of those stories from visitors at the cemetery. Fragmented accounts prompted research, and as more and more pieces of the puzzle emerged, the stories took form, even though some of the puzzle pieces are still missing. As more details are discovered, the picture changes. Sometimes, the stories of seemingly unrelated characters intersect, giving more questions than answers.

Such is the life of the historian and the writer.

SPECIAL VENUE FOR THIS HISTORY & HOPS SESSION AT TIMES THEATRE.

The Seaside Museum Annual Member meeting will be held directly before History & Hops. The meeting begins at 5:30. Please allow extra time to order your meals or drinks before the event.

Preserving Seaside’s History since 1974, the Seaside Museum & Historical Society is a non-profit educational institution with the mission to collect, preserve, and interpret materials illustrative of the history of Seaside and the surrounding area. The museum is open Wednesday – Saturday from 11 AM – 4 PM.

For further information, please contact Emily Halverson during museum hours at 503-738-7065, or send an email to seasidemuseum@gmail.com. You can also visit www.seasideoregonmuseum.com