Events

Exhibits

Both the Boldman House Museum and the Dayton Historic Depot have rotating exhibits.

Presently:

• The Boldman House: A walk through this house museum is a journey through time. You’ll see glimpses of “life-as-it-was” from nearly every decade of the 20th century and will experience what an early 20th-century parlor, music room, dining room, kitchen, and bedroom looked like. In addition to the artifacts on permanent exhibit in each of these rooms, the Boldman House features a few rotating exhibits. These are currently focused on the Boldman farming artifacts, the historic drugstores of Dayton where the Boldmans purchased medicinal items, and the Boldman artifacts related to funerals and the Pioneer Cemetery. On non-event days, the museum manager will provide guided tours. There is also a self-guided tour booklet for those visitors who only have a few minutes to stop by or who visit on event days.
• The Upstairs Gallery at the Dayton Historic Depot: “Hands That Built a Community” is a new exhibit at the Dayton Historic Depot Museum that honors the people whose work shaped Columbia County and sustained its communities across generations. From skilled craftspeople and builders to agricultural laborers, artists, and homemakers, this exhibit focuses on the everyday labor that formed the foundation of local life.
  The story of Columbia County is not only told through major events or prominent figures, but through the steady work of ordinary people. The tools they used, the clothing they wore, and the skills they passed down reflect values of resourcefulness, cooperation, and pride in one’s work. Hands That Built a Community brings these stories forward through artifacts, photographs, and personal histories drawn from the museum’s collections, offering visitors a deeper understanding of how work connected individuals to one another and to the land.
  The exhibit highlights a range of traditional industries and trades that were essential to the region’s development, including farming and ranching, construction, transportation, domestic labor, and creative pursuits. Together, these stories reveal how work shaped daily routines, family life, and community identity, and how skills were learned, shared, and adapted over time.
  Presented within the walls of the 1881 Dayton Historic Depot, the oldest surviving train station in Washington State, the exhibit is firmly rooted in place. The Depot itself stands as a reminder of the labor and ingenuity that built the community it served.
  Hands That Built a Community invites visitors to reflect on the enduring value of work, the knowledge carried in practiced hands, and the shared effort that continues to shape Columbia County today.
  This exhibit will be on display from February through December 2026.

The Depot building and grounds are a special place to hold your events, such as weddings, receptions, parties, family reunions, or office workshops.  Inside gatherings can be held in the Waiting Room and Ticket Office downstairs or in the Upstairs Gallery that has a small kitchen adjacent.  The Depot balcony is a wonderful place from which to toss a wedding bouquet!

The outside courtyard is made of smooth, stamped concrete under a beautiful tree canopy and has ample room for tables and chairs.  The perimeter is lined with built-in wooden benches and attractive landscaping.  Adjacent to the courtyard is a lawn area that can be used separately or in conjunction with courtyard events.

The Depot is located across the alley from the Hotel Hardware, a newly renovated lodging establishment with a rooftop lounge.  It is a wonderful place for honeymooners.