About The Friends of Old Fort Stevens, Inc.

We are a 501(c)3 organization and our mission is to support Fort Stevens State Park, located near the mouth of the Columbia River on the Oregon side. Fort Stevens was a coastal defense fort and saw active service from the Civil War days to the end of World War II.

Aerial View of Old Fort StevensMission

The mission of the Friends of Old Fort Stevens is to preserve, improve, restore, interpret, and promote historic Fort Stevens and its environment in cooperation with the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department.

Vision

Future generations of visitors to Fort Stevens, State Park will enjoy an integrated and fully interpreted campus.

Values

Each visitor will receiver courteous treatment from Friends of Old Fort Stevens and Fort Stevens State Park staff and employees. Generally accepted business practices will be applied to all public activities, transactions and organizational management. Local volunteers are important for assistance with projects. Visitors will understand the history and purpose of both Fort Stevens and the Harbor Defenses of the Columbia. It is important to develop visual footprints of Fort Stevens structures. Dialogue with local, state, and federal agencies and congress is important to insure the preservation of the Historic Area. Continuous support will be provided for the Fort Stevens Cemetery.

About Fort Stevens State Park

In addition to excellent camping and RV facilities, the park has many interesting artifacts from its fort days that continue to intrigue visitors. Examples are the reconstruction of the Civil War earthworks – still in progress: Battery Russell, the gun battery in the line of fire from a Japanese submarine during World War II, and the near-by Pacific Rim Peace Memorial: Battery Mishler, a one of a kind battery and the underground command post for the Columbia River forts.

Friends of Old Fort Stevens assists with the interpretation and preservation of Fort Steven’s rich history. Some examples include the following:

  • The Friends sponsor tours of the park’s Historic Area.
  • The Friends are actively involved in the reconstruction of the Civil War earthworks.
  • We are having made some replica Civil War Cannons for the earthworks. Several are on display.
  • The Friends arranged for and funded the Pacific Rim Peace Memorial.
  • The Friends fund a variety of annual action plans designed to fulfill its mission of assisting with the interpretation and preservation of Fort Stevens State Park.