TILLAMOOK, Ore. — The Tillamook County Pioneer Museum this week welcomed its new director, Jaykob Wood. Wood, who originally hails from Michigan, moved to Oregon in 2018 and worked in federal and state public lands as a park ranger before coming to work for TCPM.
“In my role as museum director, I hope to build and foster relationships with other historical and ecological organizations, and to broaden the museum’s local involvement,” Wood said. “Most of all, I look forward to becoming a member of the Tillamook County community and making this area my home.”
Wood, 27, graduated from the University of Michigan in 2015 with a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology, history and museum studies. While in college, he worked as a museum docent at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History.
He started his career as a field archaeologist and later, an interpretive ranger. It was his experience working with the public that inspired Wood to pursue a career that would allow him to connect visitors to their cultural and natural history.
“This job is multi-faceted, and it’s not just front-line work: The museum director is responsible for keeping everything running in the museum, so that Tillamook residents can use this platform to connect with their heritage,” Wood said. “There is an amazing collection and wonderful permanent and temporary exhibits at the TCPM. Now, I have the pleasure of making those artifacts relevant to present-day visitors.”
Wood is well-versed in informal educational standards and has a deep passion for living history interpretation. He hopes to continue the museum’s mission to preserve and interpret the Cultural Heritage of the North Oregon Coast and to foster appreciation and respect of the North Oregon Coast’s Environment.
An avid outdoorsman, Wood also is excited to facilitate public use of the Kilchis Point Reserve, a 200-acre wetland protected and maintained by the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum.
“I hope visitors to the museum can see us as more than just an old building. We hold, in public trust, some of the most beautiful, historically significant land in Tillamook county,” Wood said. “I want people to come experience it.”
Wood can be reached by email at director@tcpm.org or by phone at 503-842-4553.
About the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum
Founded in 1935 by Tillamook, Oregon Pioneers, the Tillamook County Pioneer Museum offers 19 display areas that focus on the history of the North Oregon Coast. The museum’s mission is to preserve and interpret the Cultural Heritage of the North Oregon Coast and to foster appreciation and respect of the North Oregon Coast’s Environment. The current collection includes 55,000 items and 20,000 photographs ranging from prehistoric specimens to modern day.
The Tillamook County Pioneer Museum is currently closed due to Covid-19 restrictions. The museum’s regular hours are 10am-4pm, Tuesday-Saturday. The research library can be used by the public by appointment only.