Julia Butler Hansen retired from Congress in 1974 and later served as a member of the State Transportation Commission. After her death in 1988, her son, David Hansen, donated the family house and property in Cathlamet to the Wahkiakum Community Foundation. David continues to serve as the Heritage Center’s curator. An extensive renovation that restored the kitchen and replaced portions of the outer walls and floors was completed in 2005. The house was opened to the public that same year.

Items on display at the Heritage Center include more than 200 of Maude K. Butler’s watercolor paintings; four generations of family antiques; memorabilia from Julia Butler Hansen’s political career, including the desk from her Congressional office in Washington DC; quilts, embroidery, needlepoint, and other handwork created by three generations of women who lived in the house; and more than an acre of formal garden area, featuring century-old plants.

Located at 35 Butler Street in Cathlamet, the Center is available for retreats and meetings, luncheons, garden weddings, and private gatherings. Tours are provided from 1-4 on Thursdays and 10-4 on Saturdays and also by appointment.

For more information, contact Karen Bertroch at 360.795.8805

Julia Butler Hansen was one of the best-known and most powerful Northwest women of the 20th century. She won election to the Washington State Legislature in 1938 and served as the first female Speaker Pro Tem of the House.

In 1960, she was elected to Congress and became the first woman to chair a sub-committee of the House Appropriations Committee.