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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 348.0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">The <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Marshfield</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">I.O.O.F.</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Cemetery</st1:PlaceType> in <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Coos</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType> is among <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>’s latest entries in the National Register of Historic Places.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">The <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Marshfield</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">I.O.O.F.</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Cemetery</st1:PlaceType>, which is located on a hillside overlooking the town of <st1:City w:st="on">Coos</st1:City> Bay in southeast <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State>, was adopted by the I.O.O.F. Sunset Lodge No. 51 as the community burying ground for the citizens of <st1:City w:st="on">Marshfield</st1:City>, North Bend, and the former town of <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Empire</st1:place></st1:City> in 1888.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>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.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Today the cemetery additionally serves as a reminder of the importance of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Coos</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType></st1:place> 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.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Marshfield</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">I.O.O.F</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Cemetery</st1:PlaceType> is notable as the final resting place for people from twenty-seven countries, representing all socio-economic classes, who collectively succeeded in making <st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Coos</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType w:st="on">Bay</st1:PlaceType> the principal port between <st1:City w:st="on">San Francisco</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">California</st1:State> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Portland</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place>, reinforcing the city’s maritime and cultural ties worldwide.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Oregon</SPAN></st1:place></st1:State><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation recommended the cemetery’s nomination in their February 2012 meeting. <SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>It is one of twenty-two buildings in Coos Bay and fifty-two historic properties and archaeological sites in Coos County that are now listed in the National Register, which is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; tab-stops: 348.0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 11pt">More information about the National Register and recent <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:State w:st="on">Oregon</st1:State></st1:place> lists is online at <A href="http://www.oregonheritage.org/"><FONT color=#0000ff>www.oregonheritage.org</FONT></A> (click on “National Register” at left of page).<o:p></o:p></SPAN></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none" class=MsoNormal>Diana</P>
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<DIV>Diana J. Painter, PhD</DIV>
<DIV>Architectural historian</DIV>
<DIV>National Register program</DIV>
<DIV>Oregon SHPO</DIV>
<DIV>725 Summer Street NE, Suite C</DIV>
<DIV>Salem, Oregon 97301</DIV>
<DIV>Ph: 503-986-0668</DIV>
<DIV>Fax: 503-986-0793</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Visit our website:</DIV>
<DIV><A href="http://www.oregonheritage.org">www.oregonheritage.org</A></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c8e0d8" face="Poor Richard">Kuri Gill</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c8e0d8" face="Poor Richard">Oregon Heritage</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c8e0d8" face="Times New Roman">725 Summer St. NE, Suite C</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c8e0d8" face="Times New Roman">Salem, OR 97301-1266</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c8e0d8" face="Times New Roman">(503) 986-0685</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c8e0d8" face="Times New Roman">(503) 986-0793 (fax)</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c8e0d8" face="Times New Roman"><A href="mailto:kuri.gill@state.or.us">kuri.gill@state.or.us</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #c8e0d8" face="Times New Roman"><A href="http://www.oregonheritage.org/">www.oregonheritage.org</A></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>