<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Helvetica;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Centaur;
panose-1:2 3 5 4 5 2 5 2 3 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:BatangChe;
panose-1:2 3 6 9 0 1 1 1 1 1;}
@font-face
{font-family:"\@BatangChe";
panose-1:2 3 6 9 0 1 1 1 1 1;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";letter-spacing:1.0pt">OREGON PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:60.0pt;text-indent:84.0pt"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:60.0pt"><b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif""> NEWS RELEASE </span></b>May 16, 2014<b><span style="font-family:"Helvetica","sans-serif""><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">MEDIA CONTACT:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kuri Gill<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Coordinator, Grants and Outreach<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">503-986-0685<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:Kuri.Gill@oregon.gov">Kuri.Gill@oregon.gov</a><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Kim Moreland, Project Manager, <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Oregon Black Pioneers<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Office: (503) 540-4063<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Historic_ Places@qwestoffice.net<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Organizations seeking help to document Oregon historic places associated with African Americans<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">In honor of Historic Preservation Month, the Oregon Black Pioneers, in partnership with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), announces a property survey project entitled “<b><i>Preserving Oregon’s African
American Historic Places”</i>.</b> Working with community partners and a dedicated community volunteers we endeavor to protect and preserve Oregon’s African American historic sites and places from the time period of 1844 to 1984<b>.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><o:p> </o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The revelation of relatively unknown and/or hidden African American historic sites and places promises to add yet another dimension to Oregon’s rich history. An early settlement era, gothic revival style home belonged to Black pioneers
Hannah and Eliza Gorman, and is still standing in Corvallis, Oregon. Hannah and her six years old daughter, Eliza came across the Oregon Trail in 1844 with the John Thorp family. In La Grande there is the little-known church, Amazing Grace Fellowship, now
known as Boyd Memorial Baptist Church. Constructed in 1920, Amazing Grace Fellowship represents one of the oldest African American Church in Oregon.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:3.0pt;text-align:justify">Preserving Oregon African American Historic Places<b>
</b>is a crowd-sourcing survey project that allows the general public to contribute information online that pertains to existing structures with any African American association in their histories and cemeteries with African American burials. These places
can be buildings ANYWHERE in Oregon where African Americans worked, sites where important events happened, or objects created, installed, or inspired by African Americans. Our ultimate goal is to create a multiple property document that identifies sites for
nomination to the national register of historic places.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Please share your information! If you know of any places like this, please share your information! The information will be added to the collection of the Oregon Black Pioneers and the Oregon Historic Sites Database.
Provide as much information as you can, but it is OK to leave blanks if you do not know the particular information requested. Go to
<a href="http://www.makeoregonhistory.com">www.makeoregonhistory.com</a> to submit online.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b>Need More Information?</b> If you have any questions about the survey project you may email Kimberly Moreland, Oregon Black Pioneers, Project Manager at
<a href="mailto:historic_places@qwestoffice.net">historic_places@qwestoffice.net</a> or Kuri Gill, Oregon Heritage, Grants and Outreach Coordinator at
<a href="mailto:Kuri.Gill@oregon.gov">Kuri.Gill@oregon.gov</a>. For more information about the Oregon Black Pioneers please visit
<a href="http://www.oregonblackpioneers.org">www.oregonblackpioneers.org</a>. Additional information about SHPO can be found at
<a href="http://www.oregonheritage.org">www.oregonheritage.org</a>.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center">***END***<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Centaur","serif"">Kuri Gill<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Centaur","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Centaur","serif"">NOTE: My email address has changed!<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Centaur","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Centaur","serif"">Oregon Heritage
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Centaur","serif"">Grants & Outreach Coordinator<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Centaur","serif"">503-986-0685<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Centaur","serif""><a href="mailto:Kuri.Gill@oregon.gov">Kuri.Gill@oregon.gov</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Centaur","serif"">725 Summer St NE, Ste C<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Centaur","serif"">Salem, OR 97301<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Centaur","serif""><a href="http://www.facebook.com/OregonHeritage">www.facebook.com/OregonHeritage</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Centaur","serif""><a href="http://oregonheritage.wordpress.com/">http://oregonheritage.wordpress.com/</a> - Blog<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>