This oral history interview with Thomas Vaughan was conducted by Sieglinde Smith at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland, Oregon, from October 1, 1995, to December 2, 1996, as part of the historical society’s oral history program. The interview was conducted in nine sessions. Tape 17 is missing, and Tape 25, the final cassette of the interview recording, was removed from the collection by Vaughan at the time of the interview.

In this interview, Vaughan discusses his family background and early life; briefly discusses his service as director of the Rock Creek Historical Society in Janesville, Wisconsin; and speaks at length about his service as executive director of the Oregon Historical Society. He talks about the buildings that OHS was housed in, particularly about the construction of the museum and library on the Southwest Park Blocks in downtown Portland; speaks at length about building the OHS archival collection; and discusses cultivating relationships with donors. He also talks about his retirement in Skamokawa, Washington.