Thanks to all of you. These are all good ideas. I'm thinking I'll start by contacting the Oregon Historical Society in Portland and see where that takes me. I will also get them out and take some pictures. A few of the yo-yos on the bed spread are coming apart in places, and so it needs some repair. I worry that all of the little stitches holding them together will come apart too since they are very old. The other two quilts are in perfect condition.

i would look for a museum with a reputation for having a notable textile collection. that brings the most interested viewers. also, think about a university with an art history or textile collection. a museum of american folk art is a good place as well. in the meantime, keep them under lock and key. have them insured for a limited time, just until you make other arrangements for them. would you like to keep them on exhibit near you? or does it matter? don't get them to take pictures. you take the pictures and send them to the society. no one has to know where they are and you needn't say where you have them housed. sad, isn't it?

Are they loose in the cedar chest? I ask because the bare wood can be bad for them. If they are wrapped inside another piece of fabric or tissue paper, that is good.

You can find a quilt appraiser in your area and get them appraised. The appraiser would also be able to help you with what to do with them. I think it is AQS that has appraisers?

I want to add - what a treasure you have!

Latimer Quilt & Textile in Tillamook has a wonderful museum. They have a climate controlled room where they store vintage quilts. From time to time they have special displays of some of them. Our car club made arrangements for a tour of that very special room. What a great place experience.

Lindy from Salem

Another thought is Mission Mill Museum in Salem. It is the old woolen mill. They have quilt shows there and may have some ideas for you.

Definitely have them appraised so that if you chose to donate you can document their value for purposes of your tax returns! You will be able to write off your donation and it's worth getting the appraisal in writing. It's fairly inexpensive to get the appraisals...and worth it in the long run.

I would probably donate them, but I would want the museum or historical society that took them to have a good textile storage facility and good textile preservation practices. Good archival storage for quilts is not common among museums. I think the ideal is for the quilts to be stored flat, between layers of sheets or achival quality paper, in temperature and humidity controlled rooms. They should also be handled only with white gloves.

Regarding the cedar chest, you would be well advised to remove them immediately because wood contains acids that first stain and then eat away at fabrics. Many old quilts are stained by acid along the fold lines from storage in cedar chests for years at a time. A good way to temporarily store quilts is to lay them on top of each other on a bed, with a sheet between each one. Ideally you want the bed big enough so the edges don't hang over, but edges hanging over would be preferable to storage in a cedar chest or in contact with any other wood product (such as tissue paper that is not archival quality -- i.e., processed to remove the acid).

Before donating, I would write as much information as possible about the quilt, the person who made the quilts, and include any pictures of the person and the family from that time.

You might want to hand write the history of each quilt onto muslin, then hand stitch it to the back of the quilt. That way it is "with" the quilt and won't get separated. Whoever ends up with them will certainly appreciate getting the information with the quilt. You are very lucky to have these. I have only one tiny crazy quilt from one grandmother, and a stuffed cat sewn from a piece of quilt made by my other grandmother.

Thanks for these two local resources. I had heard about the museum in Tillamook, but didn't know the name. I wasn't aware of the one in Salem. I knew I'd get good advice if I posted my question. Thanks!

Glad I could help!