Permanent Exhibits

GRANT IN AID TO FUND NATIVE COLLECTION & GALLERY REVIVAL

January 11, 2025

Thanks to a generous grant from the State Museum of Alaska Grant-in-Aid fund and additional funds from the Museum’s Phyllis Irish Memorial Fund, we are collaborating with the Valdez Native Tribe and Chugachmiut, Inc. to contract with Alaska Native knowledge keepers and elders in and around Prince William Sound who may be able to identify…

Native Cultures

January 30, 2024

As far as we know, the area around Valdez was never permanently inhabited before the founding of the town by white settlers, although Natives did use the land for hunting and fishing. However, the area of Valdez’s broader “neighborhood” — Prince William Sound and the Copper River Basin — has been occupied by several different…

Old Town Model

July 30, 2013

The centerpiece of the Remembering Old Valdez Exhibit is the museum’s Historic Old Town Valdez model, a 1:20 scale replica of Old Town Valdez as it appeared just prior to the 1964 Earthquake. The model includes over 400 buildings and 60 city blocks. Details include window boxes, period automobiles, pets, and signs. It is divided…

Between the Glacier and the Sea

July 30, 2013

This award-winning documentary, produced by the Valdez Museum in 2008, tells the story of the Good Friday Earthquake’s impact upon Valdez and the unique circumstances that led to the town’s founding and eventual demise. Starting with the Gold Rush of 1898, viewers will learn why Old Valdez was founded on the glacial moraine that liquefied…

Held House

July 30, 2013

Also featured at ROVE is the Held House, the top portion of an original house from Old Valdez, featuring artifacts and furnishings from Old Town. At the time of the Good Friday Earthquake, this structure was owned by Theodore M. Held and Darlene Held. The “Hip Roof” design ensured that snow would slide off during…