But Wait! There’s More! During the standard Bush House Museum (BHM) tour, we run out of time before we run out of stories. What to do? An extended, 90 minute tour, of course. Let’s snoop in some closets, whisper some rumors and might there be a scandal? And how does that contraption work?
Date: Sunday, June 7, 2026
Time: The tour will begin promptly at 1:30 pm and will conclude at 3:00 pm. Please meet your tour guide, Robin Cunningham, outside on the front porch before heading into the Museum as a group.
Location: Bush House Museum, Mission Street Southeast, Salem, OR, USA
Back by popular demand! We will conduct the Bush House Museum Historic Architecture tour.
Are you curious about the architecture of the Bush House Museum? What’s with that door to nowhere? Why is the basement mostly above ground? What’s with those two steps up from the servants level? What style is this architecture and who was the architect?
Take a deep dive into the architecture of the Bush House. Learn about its Italianate style of architecture, rooted in Italian villa design and the Romantic movement in 19th century art. Explore finely crafted wood and metal details and exquisite marble fireplaces throughout the house.
Join us for an interesting and enlightening tour of the oddities of Bush House Museum. and enlightening tour of the oddities of Bush House Museum.
Date: Sunday, May 17, 2026
Time: The tour will begin promptly at 1:30pm and will conclude at 2:30pm. Please meet your tour guide, Kathy, outside on the east side of the House to view the exterior architecture before heading into the Museum as a group.
Location: Bush House Museum, Mission Street Southeast, Salem, OR, USA
This tour is capped at 12 guests, so please be sure to register to hold your spot!
Friday, April 3, 2026 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. | BUSH HOUSE MUSEUM
We are excited to continue our lecture series, Heritage Talks. This series offers a deeper look into the rich history of the Bush House Museum. Dr. Russell Low‘s talk will explore the struggles of Low’s family to establish roots and pursue their dreams in a world of Chinese Exclusion.
The little-known, decades-long partnership between the Hop Lee and Bush families in Salem reveals a powerful story of friendship and cooperation—one that honors the immigrant spirit that helped build America.
Date: Friday, April 3, 2026
Time: The talk will begin promptly at 6:00pm and will conclude at 8:00pm.
Location: Bush House Museum, Mission Street Southeast, Salem, OR, USA
Russell Low is a California-born, fourth-generation Chinese American physician and the great-grandson of a Transcontinental Railroad worker and a rescued child slave. His family’s story—celebrating connections to the past and the valor of the World War II generation—has been featured by the History Channel, BBC Radio, NPR, the Voice of America, and major museums, including the Smithsonian. Low brings his passion for research and storytelling to his books, including Three Coins, The All-American Crew, Avengers, Wildcats, & Crickets, and A Willow Tree Becomes a Forest.
This talk is capped at 25 guests, so please be sure to register to hold your spot!
In order to plan for our talk, please register by Friday, February 27 at 4pm; we will close the registration page after that time and we can not accommodate walk-ups for this talk.
The recommended ticket price is $20. Our ticket fees directly support the work we are doing at Bush House Museum. Please consider adding an additional donation in support.
*At the Salem Art Association, we prioritize inclusivity. To ensure that our arts and culture events remain accessible to all, we have set aside a limited number of free tickets. Please reach out to laura@salemart.org if you would like a promo code to waive the admission fee.
Heritage Talk – 1863 Salem Scandal: When White Elites Defied Custom to Attend a Black Wedding
Sunday, June 14, 2026 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. | Bush House Museum
We are excited to continue our lecture series, Heritage Talks. This series offers a deeper look into the rich history of the Bush House Museum. Brian Waldo Johnson will talk about the 1863 Salem Scandal.
African Americans Richard Bogle and America Waldo were married in Salem on January 1, 1863—the same day the Emancipation Proclamation took effect.
The wedding quickly became notorious across the West Coast due to the unprecedented attendance of prominent members of White society at a Black wedding. This presentation will explore the backgrounds of those in attendance, the circumstances that made the event so extraordinary, and the hostile reaction from much of the press, which viewed the wedding as a bold assertion of equality.
Date: Sunday, June 14, 2026
Time: The talk will begin promptly at 2:30pm and will conclude at 3:30pm.
Location: Bush House Museum, Mission Street Southeast, Salem, OR, USA
Throughout his professional career Brian Waldo Johnson has focused on the collection and analysis of research data in both the biological and social sciences, most recently as Associate Research Fellow at Western Oregon University. Since retiring in 2018 he has turned his research skills to family genealogy and Oregon history, with a main focus on members of the Daniel Waldo family and their relatives, including America Waldo Bogle. Brian also regularly provides historic research on early Oregonians for his daughter’s archaeological company.
This talk is capped at 25 guests, so please be sure to register to hold your spot!
The recommended ticket price is $20. Our ticket fees directly support the work we are doing at Bush House Museum. Please consider adding an additional donation in support.
*At the Salem Art Association, we prioritize inclusivity. To ensure that our arts and culture events remain accessible to all, we have set aside a limited number of free tickets. Please reach out to laura@salemart.org if you would like a promo code to waive the admission fee.
Sunday, March 1, 2026 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. | BUSH HOUSE MUSEUM
We are excited to kick off 2026 with a new lecture series, Heritage Talks. This series offers a deeper look into the rich history of the Bush House Museum.
Join our speaker, Bill Galbraith, to hear compelling stories of the immigrants and others who lived and worked in and around Bush House and Salem at the turn of the 20th century.
Date: Sunday, March 1, 2026
Time: The talk will begin promptly at 1:30pm and will conclude at 2:30pm.
Location: Bush House Museum, Mission Street Southeast, Salem, OR, USA
Bill is a volunteer docent at Bush House Museum who has always been interested in history, especially in the lives of common people in the past. His curiosity about the life experiences of working women and men employed at Bush House led him to do research with Bush House staff.
This talk is capped at 25 guests, so please be sure to register to hold your spot!
In order to plan for our talk, please register by Friday, February 27 at 4pm; we will close the registration page after that time and we can not accommodate walk-ups for this talk.
The recommended ticket price is $20. Our ticket fees directly support the work we are doing at Bush House Museum. Please consider adding an additional donation in support.
*At the Salem Art Association, we prioritize inclusivity. To ensure that our arts and culture events remain accessible to all, we have set aside a limited number of free tickets. Please reach out to laura@salemart.org if you would like a promo code to waive the admission fee.
his tour is capped at 12 guests, so please be sure to register to hold your spot!
In order to plan for our tour, please register by Friday, January 9 at 4pm; we will close the registration page after that time and we can not accommodate walk-ups on this tour.
The recommended ticket price is $20. Our ticket fees directly support the work we are doing at Bush House Museum. Please consider adding an additional donation in support.
*At the Salem Art Association, we prioritize inclusivity. To ensure that our arts and culture events remain accessible to all, we have set aside a limited number of free tickets. Please reach out to laura@salemart.org if you would like a promo code to waive the admission fee.
But Wait! There’s More! During the standard Bush House Museum (BHM) tour, we run out of time before we run out of stories. What to do? An extended, 90 minute tour, of course. Let’s snoop in some closets, whisper some rumors and might there be a scandal? And how does that contraption work?
Date: Sunday, November 9, 2025
Time: The tour will begin promptly at 1:30 pm and will conclude at 3:00 pm. Please meet your tour guide, Robin Cunningham, outside on the front porch before heading into the Museum as a group.
Location: Bush House Museum, Mission Street Southeast, Salem, OR, USA
SUNDAY, August 31, 2025 From 1:30 P.M. to 2:30 P.M. | BUSH HOUSE MUSEUM
The inaugural Art Lover’s Tour was a sell-out success with a waitlist. Here’s your chance to join the next one.
There’s never enough time on the standard tour to do justice to the Bush family art collection. Here’s your chance to satisfy your curiosity and fundraise for Bush House Museum.
Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to experience a private tour with a focus on the Bush family art collection in the historic Bush House Museum.
Back by popular demand! We will conduct the Bush House Museum Historic Architecture tour.
Are you curious about the architecture of the Bush House Museum? What’s with that door to nowhere? Why is the basement mostly above ground? What’s with those two steps up from the servants level? What style is this architecture and who was the architect?
Take a deep dive into the architecture of the Bush House. Learn about its Italianate style of architecture, rooted in Italian villa design and the Romantic movement in 19th century art. Explore finely crafted wood and metal details and exquisite marble fireplaces throughout the house.
Join us for an interesting and enlightening tour of the oddities of Bush House Museum. and enlightening tour of the oddities of Bush House Museum.
Date: Sunday, August 17, 2025
Time: The tour will begin promptly at 1:30pm and will conclude at 2:30pm. Please meet your tour guide, Kathy, outside on the east side of the House to view the exterior architecture before heading into the Museum as a group.
Location: Bush House Museum, Mission Street Southeast, Salem, OR, USA
This tour is capped at 12 guests, so please be sure to register to hold your spot!
But Wait! There’s More! During the standard Bush House Museum (BHM) tour, we run out of time before we run out of stories. What to do? An extended, 90 minute tour, of course. Let’s snoop in some closets, whisper some rumors and might there be a scandal? And how does that contraption work?
Date: Sunday, July 27th, 2025
Time: The tour will begin promptly at 1:30 pm and will conclude at 3:00 pm. Please meet your tour guide, Robin Cunningham, outside on the front porch before heading into the Museum as a group.
Location: Bush House Museum, Mission Street Southeast, Salem, OR, USA
Welcome to the Bush House Museum 