Palmer Historical Society
The Palmer Historical Society, incorporated in 1986, extends a warm welcome to you during your visit to our WEB site! Our historical society is dedicated to our hometown of Palmer, Alaska, a special place, nestled in the beautiful Matanuska Valley and surrounded by the Talkeetna and Chugach Mountains. We are truly a hometown kind of community.
Our town site was designed in 1935 during the Great Depression. Our town was one of the 100 planned FDR New Deal "resettlement communities". In May of that year, 204 families from Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin (including one family from Oklahoma) were relocated to the Matanuska Valley in order to develop an agricultural community in what was then a Territory. Just think! That was just 68 years after the United States of America had purchased the Territory of Alaska from Russia!
Palmer incorporated as a City in April 1951 and has been an Alaskan leader in community infrastructure development through the years, with many dedicated citizens giving caring thought to community needs and lifestyle amenities.
We at PHS invite your participation in efforts needed to save our town's unique history! Visit the Colony House museum at 316 East Elmwood Avenue and you will learn more about the Matanuska Valley Colonization Project! The public is always invited to attend our varied monthly programs and events during the year. Keep watchful eyes for historical artifacts as you travel your own life's path, and you may be able to save a historical treasure for us! You could be a helping hand for history!
