The Astoria Historical Museum is an old house museum in the Goon Docks dedicated to the community's pirate history and other subjects. It originates from the 1985 adventure film, The Goonies.
Situated in the heart of the Goon Docks, this charming museum serves as a delightful time capsule, chronicling the town's rich history. Visitors can explore engaging retrospectives on various topics, including maritime adventures, local pirate legends, and the fascinating lore of the Oregon coast. Irving Walsh, the sentimental curator of the museum, tends to store retired memorabilia in his attic, which has become a treasure trove of forgotten relics, each whispering tales of bygone eras and pirate adventures.
Irving Walsh, curator of the Astoria Historical Museum
What makes this museum special is its connection to the escapades of the local boy adventurers known as 'The Goonies', who are led by Irving Walsh's own son, Mikey. It was by searching through some of the museum's relics stored in the Walsh attic that the boys began their quest to uncover the treasure of the legendary pirate, One-Eye Willy.
Before the Goonies began their quest, the museum, along with the rest of the Goon Docks, were in danger of being demolished to make way for a golf course courtesy of the Hillside Country Club Corporation, and the citizens lacked the needed funds to save their home. But once the boys began their journey and found the treasure thanks to the map from the museum, Mr. Walsh and the other parents used the jewels the boys recovered from their adventure to save their homes and the museum for good by forming the Friends of the Goon Docks consortium to put a stop to the HCCC's operations and improve the quality of living in the Goon Docks.
At the time the Goonies began their adventure, the museum had been hosting a "Pirates of the Pacific" exhibit, a fitting showcase for such a day, especially since the following day, the lost ship of One-Eyed Willy himself, The Inferno, had been released from its rocky prison and went off to sail the pacific once more. These events led to renewed interest in the town's pirate history and attracted many to the museum seeking to learn more about the infamous One-Eyed Willy and his treasure.
Exhibits[]
“One-eyed Willy, yeah, he was the most famous pirate in his time. My dad told me all about him once. No, see, One-eyed Willy stole a treasure once. It was full of rubies, and emeralds, and... diamonds. Then he loaded it all up on to his ship and they sailed away into the sunset. Until the British King, see, he found out about it and then he set up this whole armada to go out after him, then the armada, they...it took em a couple weeks, but then they caught up with Willy, and, and, then there was a whole, big war between the armada and Willy's ship, the Inferno, and during the firefight there was these guns bursting here and cannons bursting there, and then Willy fled, 'cause he didn't want to stay around, 'cause he knew he'd get killed if he stayed around. And then he got into this cave, and the British, they blew up the walls all around him, and he got caved in, and he's been there ever since.”
―Mikey Walsh sharing the legend of One-Eyed Willy
The museum had many topics relating to the history, science and legends of Astoria. Many of the exhibits shown below had been retired and stored in Irving Walsh's attic after a previous retrospective exhibit had been held and ended, but were to be returned to the museum for the Pirates of the Pacific Exhibit and the pirate relics likely gained a permanent spot in the museum following the actions of the Goonies.
Gallery[]
Appearances[]
The Goonies (1985)
The Goonies Novelization by James Kahn (1985)
The Goonies Souvenir Magazine (1985)
The Story of the Goonies as narrated by Chunk (1985)
Trivia[]
The location used for the Astoria Historical Museum was an actual museum in Astoria best known as the 'Captain George Flavel House Museum', the home of the late George Flavel, one of Astoria's first millionaires.
In an early script for the film as well as its novelization, Irving Walsh was referred to as Andrew Walsh. His name was also given as Michael Walsh on the foreclosure papers seen at the end of the film.
