Foundation Mission
The Hanthorn Cannery Foundation is dedicated to the preservation of cannery history, all cannery workers, and the fishing industry livelihood as it was developed from 1875 to the present. The foundation is a 501(c)3 organization.
Foundation History
The Hanthorn Cannery Foundation was established in 2003. Founding members are the workers of the Columbia River Packers Association (CRPA) and the Bumble Bee Seafood Corporation and their families. The Hanthorn Cannery began business at this facility in 1875, and the Columbia River Packers Association operated it for much of the 20th century. Bumble Bee Seafoods was founded in Astoria, Oregon and closed its headquarters here in 1981. The Foundation is located in the Historic Hanthorn Cannery, now called Pier 39.
Foundation Goals:
- Development and maintenance of an interpretive center at Pier 39. This interpretive center, also known as the Hanthorn Cannery Museum, currently houses hundreds of artifacts and archived documents representing numerous aspects of the industry. The foundation continues to collect artifacts and develop new exhibits. The ultimate goal is to have all historic resources adequately curated and protected, and available for viewing and research.
- Development of a Cannery Woman’s Memorial Park that will serve as a monument dedicated to the unsung work force—the women who held most of the cannery jobs and kept the places humming for the better part of a century. The park will include a life-sized bronze statue of a female cannery worker in traditional work clothes, holding a salmon in one hand and a cleaning knife in the other. The park will also offer naming opportunities on benches, stonework, and other commemorative features.
- Development and distribution of scholarship funds designated for children of cannery workers, many of whom earned their way through school by doing cannery work in the summers.
