Founded in 1966 as Old Aurora Colony Museum by a handful of volunteers and donors, the Aurora Colony Historical Society has spearheaded historical research and preservation in the Old Aurora Colony Museum about the unique heritage of the Aurora Colony, a Christian communal community that flourished from 1856 to 1883 in the heart of Oregon’s historic French Prairie. Acclaimed author Jane Kirkpatrick has built a series of award-winning novels about Emma Wagner Giesy, a member of this community, This communal yet entrepreneurial group helped to foster economic and social change in Oregon through the partnerships created by its founder, Dr. Wilhelm Keil, a charismatic German immigrant, with such Oregon historical figures as Ben Halliday and John Walker Grim. The Aurora Colony Historical Society also oversees the preservation of unique musical manuscripts composed
