[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2009-09-01

[Heritage Info]

In this issue:
1.  Poultry Building gets preservation work during State Fair
2.  200th birthday to be celebrated at Eugene Masonic Cemetery
3.  September open house dates announced
4.  Blacksmithing workshop scheduled for Sept. 12-13
5. Rope-cutting ceremony planned at Fort Umpqua replica


POULTRY BUILDING GETS PRESERVATION WORK DURING STATE FAIR

A large and badly deteriorated window in the historic Poultry Building
at the state fairgrounds is undergoing preservation repair this week
while the State Fair is in full swing.

Students, instructors and a window restoration specialist are using the
window as one of three projects for the University of Oregon’s 2009
Pacific Northwest Historic Preservation Field School.

Fair goers will be able to observe “preservation in action”
according to the field school’s co-director Shannon Bell. Staff
members from the State Historic Preservation Office will also be on hand
to provide information about the restoration effort.

The window repair being carried out on the building’s south façade is
part of a succession of initiatives that began in 2006 with the
development of a long-term preservation and restoration plan by the
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and the Oregon State Fair.

Built in 1921, the Poultry Building is listed in the National Register
of Historic Places and designated for its significance as a structure
that would stand as testament to the major impact the highly successful
poultry industry had on Oregon’s economy during the early 20th
century. 

More information about the field school is available at
http://hp.uoregon.edu/fieldschools.  


200th BIRTHDAY TO BE CELEBRATED AT EUGENE MASONIC CEMETERY

The Eugene Masonic Cemetery Association is hosting a 200th birthday
celebration in honor of city founder, Eugene Skinner at 3 p.m. Sept. 13.
The program will feature an appearance by author and historian William
Sullivan who will enact excerpts from Skinner's letters written to his
sister in the 1850's. Three Eugene poets will read short prose and
poetry that reflect on loss and remembrance, the natural environment,
and the lives of early settlers. The celebration will also include music
and cakes from Eugene bakeries. Hope Abbey Mausoleum will be open to the
public afterwards. 

The cemetery and Hope Abbey Mausoleum are listed in the National
Register of Historic Places. The site is located at East 25th Avenue and
University Street. This event is free and open to the public. For
parking information or special assistance contact Mary Ellen Rodgers at
(541) 684-0949 or visit www.eugenemasoniccemetery.org. 


SEPTEMBER OPEN HOUSE DATES ANNOUNCED

September open houses for properties in the National Register of
Historic Places are scheduled in Albany, Bend, Coburg, Cottage Grove,
Eugene, Gresham, Grants Pass, Independence, Oregon City, Portland, Salem
and The Dalles.

Owners are receiving a tax relief under the state's special assessment
program, which freezes a property's assessed value for 15 years.  

In return for the special assessment benefit, a property owner must
invite the public to an open house at least one day, per year, for a
minimum of four consecutive hours between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. 

A complete schedule of the open houses is at
http://www.oregon.gov/OPRD/HCD/docs/openhouse_odd_month.pdf     


BLACKSMITHING WORKSHOP SET FOR SEPT. 12-13

Pre-registration is required for a Sept. 12-13 workshop on the basics
of blacksmithing at the National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive
Center near Baker City.

This hands-on workshop will feature working at a small forge, learning
basic techniques and terminology. The workshop runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
daily. Instructors are blacksmiths Dan Klug and Heidi Shewchuk from
Portland. Their workshops have introduced novice blacksmiths from around
the US to the art of metalworking.

Pre-registration is required by calling 541-523-1843.

The National Historic Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, operated by the
Bureau of Land Management, is located five miles east of Baker City.
Visit oregontrail.blm.gov for
more information about the Center, or call 541-523-1843 for updates on
programs and events. 


ROPE-CUTTING CEREMONY PLANNED AT FORT UMPQUA CEREMONY

Fort Umpqua Days is a two-day celebration held Sept. 5-6 in Elkton. In
2009, the celebration will feature Fort Umpqua as well as the Oregon
Sesquicentennial commemorating the 150th year of statehood.  

The replication of the Fort Umpqua complex at the Elkton Community
Education Center in the town's west end is a work in progress.  The
complete project plans, which are based upon several historic records of
the original 1836 fort, have been drawn and approved by the Douglas
County Planning Department and the Douglas County Building Department.
As of last month, the stockade, bastions and gate are up and ready for a
special dedication ceremony at Fort Umpqua Days at 1 p.m. Sept. 6.

The three buildings inside the fort will be the next major project at
this site.  The original fort was located one mile upstream from the
center's site, but fire and flood destroyed it.  For more information,
visit www.elktoncommunityeducationcenter.org or phone 541-584-2692.
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which can be contacted at heritage.info at state.or.us