After naming him interim executive director earlier this summer following the previous director’s departure, members of the Lewis County Historical Society have officially selected Doug DeVany as the full-time executive director of the Lewis County Historical Museum.
DeVany took the reins from former Executive Director Jason Mattson, who left to pursue another career opportunity last June.
Despite being thrown into the role with little time left to plan, DeVany facilitated the continuation of the annual Chehalis Flying Saucer Party, which was hosted at the museum.
“We like what he’s brought to the museum. Every one of us has a different point of view on how we run things, and he brought some new energy to the office,” Lewis County Historical Society Board President Peter Lahmann told The Chronicle during a Thursday, Sept. 24, interview at the downtown Chehalis museum. “We’re pleased with that and happy that he would consider coming to work for us. We decided he was doing a good job, so we wanted to take any fears or apprehensions away from him.”
He added he felt DeVany would be a good conduit to help improve relations in the partnerships the museum has with both the City of Chehalis and Lewis County governments.
“We think the museum is a valuable asset to the community, both the city and the county, and we’d like to see it continue to grow,” Lahmann said.
Having been raised in Chehalis, going to St. Joseph’s Catholic School and W.F. West High School before getting his associate of arts degree from Centralia College, DeVany’s roots remain deep in the community despite having just moved back from Arizona.
“My mom taught elementary school, and my dad worked for Lewis County on projects I got to watch take shape, including building the Lewis County Jail,” DeVany said in a letter to the editor. “I spent my first 20 years stomping around this county, and I always loved being from here.”
Long before he was the head of the Lewis County Historical Museum, his first job was at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center, one of the nation’s premier science and technology educational centers, after graduating from Eastern Washington University. DeVany is taking what he learned there and applying it here in Lewis County.
“Over the next two years, we'll modernize how we collect, catalog and preserve our collections: photographing and inventorying artifacts to modern museum standards, organizing our vast digital collection, putting our catalog online, and lending pieces to other museums,” DeVany said. “We'll also have fun. The museum is a great space for wedding receptions, private parties, concerts and marketplaces. Our rates are reasonable, and we're working on a permanent food truck in our parking lot.”
He also has long-term plans for the museum already, including pursuing the completion of the proposed Daryl Lund Memorial Railfan Park adjacent to the museum. Currently, the museum hosts the Chehalis Virtual Railfan Cam, a YouTube 24/7 livestream camera where anyone from around the world can see the live train traffic travelling through the Mint City.
Virtual Railfan has over 530,000 followers on its YouTube account, and the Railfan Cam at the Lewis County Historical Museum has been running ever since it was installed in 2019. The livestream draws visitors from around the world who come to the museum to watch the dozens of trains which pass by the museum daily in person.
Prior to his death in 2024, Lund, a former Chehalis city councilor, was working with Chehalis Railfan Cam supporter Robert Scott on designs for a park along the train tracks in the lot directly south of the Lewis County Historical Museum where visitors could sit and watch the passing trains.
“Over the next 10 years, we want to grow from a tourist stop into an essential experience: A true educational institution connected to museums across Washington and the region, with an endowment strong enough to last another 50 years. We also dream of a train-watching park just south of us along the tracks, something that could change how downtown Chehalis feels and functions,” DeVany said.
Given his grand visions for the museum’s future, DeVany knows they are not something he can accomplish on his own.
“None of this happens alone. I can do a lot, and I'm willing to do a lot, but not with just my own two hands. We're building an internship program with Centralia College and forming volunteer groups for research, event planning, archives, digital collections and more. Some roles need an expert. Some just need enthusiasm. There's something for everyone, from gardening to research to simply talking with folks who walk in,” he said.
DeVany’s full letter introducing himself to the community is here: https://www.chronline.com/stories/letter-this-is-your-museum,409023?
