[Heritage] Oregon Heritage News 2013-08-22

Thu Aug 22 08:36:13 PDT 2013

In this issue:
1. Cemetery caution sign available
2. Registration Open for 2013 Oregon Main Street Conference in Astoria
3. Battery Russell subject of new brochure
4. State Library commissions survey of digital historical collections
5. House museum information sought
6. Restore Oregon to host barn preservation workshop in Corvallis
7. 65th Pacific Northwest History Conference set for April 3 – 5, 2014

CEMETERY CAUTION SIGN AVAILABLE

Time and the forces of nature inexorably deteriorate the bonding
material holding sections of historic gravestones together, leaving them
mere stacks of loose stones, poised to topple by seemingly little force.
The Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries is offering a cautionary
sign for historic cemeteries to use in warning the public. Heritage
Exchange (
http://oregonheritage.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/cemetery-caution-sign-available-to-historic-cemeteries/
) offers other actions you can take to avoid a tragedy caused by
gravestones.  For further information about obtaining a sign for your
cemetery, contact Kuri Gill at kuri.gill at state.or.us or (503)-986-0685.

REGISTRATION OPEN FOR 2013 OREGON MAIN STREET CONFERENCE IN ASTORIA

Registration is open for the 2013 Oregon Main Street Conference, which
will take place Oct. 2 – 4 in Astoria. This year’s conference has a
great line-up of speakers and sessions, and Astoria is a wonderful
example of downtown revitalization success! For more information and to
register, visit  www.2013mainstreetconference.eventbrite.com 

BATTERY RUSSELL SUBJECT OF NEW BROCHURE

Oregon State Parks recently released a new brochure about Battery
Russell (
http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=main.loadFile&load=_siteFiles/publications/36002_FS_BR_Brochure_LR032416.pdf
), which joins other informational material about Fort Stevens (
http://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_parkPage&parkId=129
) online.

Fort Stevens dates back to the Civil War and served to protect the
Oregon side of the river, while Fort Columbia and Fort Canby stood guard
on the Washington side. During the early twentieth century, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers built a cluster of gun batteries along the banks
of the Columbia River at Fort Stevens. Named Battery Russell after
Brigadier General David A. Russell, who served with the U.S. 4th
Infantry Regiment in the Oregon Territory and commanded Fort Yamhill
before his death during the Civil War, the guns defended our shores
during a surprise World War II naval attack. 

STATE LIBRARY CONDUCTS SURVEY OF DIGITAL HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS

The Oregon State Library has commissioned an online survey of digital
historical collections in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest Region.  The
survey will compile a comprehensive list of digital collections in
Oregon, and identify institutional needs and obstacles to digitization
of historical collections by libraries, archives, museums, historical
societies, and other cultural heritage institutions in the state.

The survey, open through Aug. 31 and available at
http://osl.digital-collections.sgizmo.com/s3, requires approximately
20 minutes and roughly five minutes per digital collection listed. You
will not need to identify every collection separately if there is a
single "landing page" or access point for multiple collections.
Individual responses will remain private, but aggregate detail,
including a listing of the collections identified through the survey,
will be available to the Oregon State Library.

HOUSE MUSEUM INFORMATION SOUGHT

Restore Oregon is interested in exploring new strategies for house
museums and the National Trust also seeks to provide helpful guidance on
the future of house museums. Can you help identify house museums that
transformed into other uses (either commercial, private or public uses
like libraries, community centers, etc.)?  This includes house museums
that have been shuttered or moth-balled in recent years due to financial
constraints.  

If you are aware of house museums transformed to another use, please
email Peggy Moretti ( mailto:peggym at restoreoregon.org ) and copy Tabitha
Almquist ( mailto:TAlmquist at savingplaces.org ) at the National Trust no
later than Aug. 23.  Write a short description of the site including
location, the old use and the new use, what the process was for
transitioning the site to a new use (if you know it, or contact
information for a person who might know), and if it is successful in its
new use.  For shuttered sites, just provide the name and location along
with who owns it (state or other entity).

RESTORE OREGON TO HOST BARN PRESERVATION WORKSHOP IN CORVALLIS

Who doesn’t love a great old barn?  They are elegant, authentic, and
evocative of our pioneer roots; however, obsolescence, urban
encroachment, or hard times can threaten them.  To encourage more
rehabilitation, Restore Oregon’s Heritage Barn Taskforce will present
the Heritage Barn Preservation Workshop from 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.,
Sept. 21 in Corvallis. The workshop includes sessions at the restored
Walnut Barn (Martin Luther King Park) and the Knotts-Owens Barn (NW
Walnut Blvd at Maser Dr.), which earned a listing as one of Oregon’s
Most Endangered Places for 2013. 

The workshop will provide information about barn types, effective
preservation strategies, and available financial incentives. 
Participants will get a chance to get their hands dirty learning how to
hew timbers, use early hand tools, and evaluate the condition of barn
wood.  

Michael Houser, Washington State Heritage Barn Preservation Initiative,
will teach participants how to tell the difference between types of
barns, basic barn terminology, and examples of barn rehabilitation
projects. Amy McAuley, Oculus Fine Carpentry, will focus on the
different types of tools used to construct historic barns and will
provide demonstrations on how these tools can be used for repair and
replacement of historic barn elements today. Other speakers include Beth
Timmons, who moved and restored the Tangent Barn; David Rogers, owner of
Logs and Timbers Inc.; Cody Hull, Benton County Historic Resources
Commissioner; Joy Sears, State of Oregon Restoration Specialist;  Mary
Gallagher, Archivist, Benton County Historical Society; Karen Emery and
Jackie Rochefort, Corvallis Parks and Recreation Department. 

Due to the nature of the site, this program is not appropriate for
those with mobility restrictions. Recommended attire for the workshop
includes closed toed shoes and clothing appropriate for a rustic site.
To register, visit www.RestoreOregon.org ( http://www.restoreoregon.org/
) or call (503) 243-1923. Those interested in carpooling are encouraged
to email info at RestoreOregon.org. 

65TH PACIFIC NORTHWEST HISTORY CONFERENCE SET FOR APRIL 3 – 5, 2014 

The 65th Pacific Northwest History Conference will take place April
3-5, 2014 in Vancouver.  The Washington State Historical Society invites
proposals for sessions, panels, posters and workshops on the theme of
“Citizenships in the Pacific Northwest” and topics relating to the
125th anniversary of Washington Statehood in 2014. The submission
deadline is Oct. 28. For further information, visit 
http://www.washingtonhistory.org/support/heritage/pnwhc.

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Don’t forget about today’s Online Grant Application Webinar to learn
about the application process from 1 – 2 p.m. Visit the Oregon Heritage
website’s grants page (
http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/FINASST/Pages/grants.aspx ) for the
details. 

There are still spaces available for the Fall workshops on collections
care and disaster response and recovery at multiple locations around the
state!  The workshops are open to volunteers and staff of libraries,
archives, and museums, as well as anyone interested in preserving
historic items. To register and learn more about locations, dates and
time details, visit Oregon Heritage (
http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/HCD/OHC/Pages/C2C.aspx ).

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 heritage issues and trends at Oregon Heritage
Exchange ( http://oregonheritage.wordpress.com/ ) and follow us on
Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/OregonHeritage ). 
 Oregon Heritage News is a service of the Oregon Heritage Commission.
Do you have an issue or item you would like to share? Email us (
mailto:heritage.info at state.or.us ).
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