Oregon Film Museum

Oregon Film Museum is located in the old Clatsop County Jail in Astoria, Oregon. The historic jail building now celebrates films made in Oregon, but it is best known as one of the most recognisable locations from “The Goonies” (1985). With its brick exterior, barred windows and small-town jail atmosphere, the building became a perfect opening location for Richard Donner’s adventure film, which used several real places around Astoria and the Oregon coast.

In “The Goonies” (1985), the old Clatsop County Jail is used in the opening jailbreak sequence. Jake Fratelli is held inside the jail, where he fakes a suicide note before being helped by his family. Mama Fratelli and Francis wait outside in their getaway vehicle, and the escape quickly turns into a police chase through Astoria. The scene establishes the Fratellis as the film’s criminal threat before the story shifts to Mikey, the Goonies and the search for One-Eyed Willy’s treasure.

The building’s later transformation into the Oregon Film Museum makes it a rare case where a filming location has become a museum partly because of the film that made it famous. Visitors can still recognise the exterior from the jailbreak sequence, and the museum also contains displays connected to “The Goonies” and other productions filmed in Oregon. The parked ORV-style vehicle outside further strengthens the connection to the Fratelli escape, making the old jail one of the key “Goonies” locations in Astoria.

---