[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2012-09-14

[Heritage Info]

In this Issue:
1. Chambers Railroad Bridge in Spotlight on Heritage Exchange
2. I.O.O.F. Sites Listed on National Register in Coos Bay and Hardman
3. Building Developer Demuro Dies 
4. “Our Nikkei Neighbors” Subject of Troutdale Talk, Sept. 25
5. “Pedaling History” Moves to Ashland Railroad Museum
6. Incorrect Web Address Listed for House History Workshop
 
 
CHAMBERS RAILROAD BRIDGE IN SPOTLIGHT ON HERITAGE EXCHANGE
 
Every month, Oregon Heritage is highlighting a person, organization, or
project that has received an Oregon Heritage Excellence Award (
http://cms.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/OHC/pages/award_info.aspx ). This
month’s spotlight focuses on the Chambers Railroad Bridge, a project
that helped boost heritage tourism, local transportation, and all around
heritage efforts in Cottage Grove. To learn more, visit Oregon Heritage
Exchange at http://oregonheritage.wordpress.com (
http://oregonheritage.wordpress.com/ ) .
 
 
I.O.O.F. SITES LISTED ON NATIONAL REGISTER IN COOS BAY AND HARDMAN
 
Two I.O.O.F. sites are the latest listings in Oregon in the National
Register of Historic Places. Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on
Historic Preservation recommended both I.O.O.F. nominations in their
February 2012 meeting.  
 
In 1888, the I.O.O.F. Sunset Lodge No. 51 adopted the Marshfield
I.O.O.F. Cemetery, located on a hillside overlooking the town of Coos
Bay in southwest Oregon, as the community burying ground for the
citizens of Marshfield, North Bend, and the former town of Empire.  The
City of Coos Bay took over the cemetery in 1945, at which time it fell
out of active use but became a community asset as an open space.  Today
the cemetery serves as a reminder of the importance of the Coos Bay
region in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries, when it was
a flourishing community of individuals from around the world, connected
internationally by a complex maritime network.  
 
The Marshfield I.O.O.F Cemetery is notable as the final resting place
for people from twenty-seven countries, representing all socio-economic
classes, who collectively succeeded in making Coos Bay the principal
port between San Francisco and Portland, reinforcing the city’s maritime
and cultural ties worldwide.  It joins twenty-two buildings in Coos Bay
and fifty-two historic properties and archaeological sites in Coos
County now listed in the National Register.
 
Constructed in 1900, the Hardman I.O.O.F. Hall/Community Center still
serves as a center for community activities in the town of Hardman. 
Like many IOOF organizations across the state, Lone Balm Lodge #82,
established in 1886, served the cultural and social needs of the small
town of Hardman, playing a significant roll in the civic and social
development of the town.  In addition to fulfilling the I.O.O.F.’s
mission to “Visit the Sick, Relieve the Distressed, Bury the Dead, and
Educate the Orphan,” the building also served as a dance hall and music
center.  
 
The two-story, wood, false front building is notable for its
architecture, which is a good example of a historic building type that
is closely associated with historic western towns.  Today the Hardman
IOOF Hall is the only active commercial building left standing in
Hardman, located south of Heppner on State Route 207. It is one of five
historic properties in Morrow County listed in the National Register. 
 
The National Park Service maintains the National Register under the
authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. For more
information about the National Register and recent Oregon lists, visit
www.oregonheritage.org ( http://www.oregonheritage.org/ ) (click on
“National Register” at left of page).
 
 
BUILDING DEVELOPER DEMURO DIES
 
Art DeMuro, who started Venerable Group in 1991 after moving to
Portland from Phoenix, has died. His hallmark was adapting abandoned
buildings for modern use while preserving the craftsmanship that made
them special in their heyday. Among the many properties given new life
through this philosophy is the White Stag Block, home of the University
of Oregon in Portland. 
 
The White Stag Block project won an Oregon Heritage Excellence Award in
2008. The award nomination said the company's redevelopment projects
“preserve as much of the original fabric and feel and to minimize
destruction to properties that convey Portland's architectural
history.”
“Historic buildings are pieces of all of us, so that’s why I grieve
when one is lost,” said DeMuro. “I need to know that while I was here I
did everything I possibly could to support what I care about.”
 
DeMuro, a former high school history teacher, had earlier this year
given the University of Oregon's Historic Preservation Program a $2.8
million gift to expand its historic preservation program.
 
“My goal is to increase the educational opportunities for those who
want to seek training in historic preservation,” he said. “My hope is
that others who have a passion for this work and the means to make
similar gifts will want to join in and make it a bigger effort.”
 
He served on the Portland Historic Landmarks Commission for 10 years,
three as chair, and the executive committee of the Board of Visitors for
the University of Oregon's School of Architecture and Allied Arts, the
University of Oregon Portland Council, and the board of directors of the
Historic Preservation League of Oregon.
 
 
“OUR NIKKEI NEIGHBORS” SUBJECT OF TROUTDALE TALK, SEPT. 25
 
Clarence E. Mershon will present “Along the Sandy: Our Nikkei Neighbors”
at 6:30 p.m., Sept. 25 at McMenamins Edgefield Power Station Theater,
2126 SW Halsey St., Troutdale as part of the Oregon Encyclopedia’s
ongoing History Night series.
 
Using photos, historical research, and personal recollection, Mershon
will discuss the history of Japanese American families living in east
Multnomah County, including their experiences during the Great
Depression, their incarceration during WWII, and the Nisei from the area
who served in the U.S. armed forces during the War. Several of Mershon’s
Japanese American neighbors and friends will attend to recall their
experiences growing up in east Multnomah County. 
 
Mershon, a retired school teacher and past president of the Crown Point
Country Historical Society, is the author of the “Along the Sandy: Our
Nikkei Neighbors”. For more information, visit
www.oregonencyclopedia.org ( http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/ ) . 
 
 
“PEDALING HISTORY” MOVES TO ASHLAND RAILROAD MUSEUM
 
“Pedaling History: The Roll of Bicycles in Jackson County is on exhibit
at the Ashland Historic Railroad Museum, 258 A Street, Suite 11,
Ashland, through the end of October. The exhibit is part of the Southern
Oregon Historical Society’s (SOHS) “History: Made by You” traveling
exhibit program that involves community members in developing,
researching and designing exhibits that tell their story.
 
Amy Drake, curator of special projects at SOHS, will talk about the
history of bicycling in Jackson County in conjunction with the exhibit
and as part of the Ashland Historic Railroad Museum’s History Night,
from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., Sept. 14 at the Gresham Room of the Ashland
Library, 410 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland.
 
For further information, visit www.sohs.org ( http://www.sohs.org/ ) .

 
 
WEBSITE ADDRESS CORRECTIONS HOUSE AND FILM WORKSHOPS
 
The Heritage News carried two incorrect web addresses in recent issues.

 
The correct website for the Research the History of Your House workshop
offered at the Architectural Heritage Center on Sept. 29 is
www.vistahc.org ( http://www.vistahc.org/ ) . 
 
The correct website for the Film Preservation Workshop Offered by UO
Libraries on Oct. 27 is https://libweb.uoregon.edu/film_workshop.html .
 

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Oregon Heritage, part of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department,
provides technical support and services to people and organizations
documenting, preserving, interpreting and sharing Oregon's heritage.
Keep up with the latest issues and trends by following our blog at
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Oregon Heritage News is a service of the Oregon Heritage Commission.
Contact us by emailing heritage.info at state.or.us .
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