June 5, 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM 

Ask the Ancients: Astonishing Advice for Daily Dilemmas by Dr. Sylvia Gray

Sylvia's personal discovery of writings from authors in the Roman and Greek world led her to read as many of them as she could and eventually to write a book introducing a variety of them for interested readers. The writings range through biography, history, moral and religious essays, philosophy, satires, plays, poetry, cooking and architectural instruction, and Sylvia gleans advice from them in short blurbs. She will introduce a few highlighted authors and then go into more depth on one of her favorite Roman characters, Seneca, tutor to the infamous Nero.

Dr. Sylvia Gray, recently retired, taught history (Western and Asian) at Portland Community College for thirty years, as well as Classical History at Marylhurst University for eight years. Her current projects include a book focused on the issues of part-time faculty in the community college (working title: Adjuntivitis) and performances with a trio, "The Classical Beauties & the Beast."

EARLIER THIS SEASON: 

Wednesday, September 6, 2023:

Arirang: Korean Folk Songs on Kayageum by Doyeon Lim

Arirang is a representative Korean folk song and there are about 3,600 variations. Every region in Korea has its own Arirang and each Arirang bears the core emotions of Korean people. You can make your own Arirang naming after your hometown, too. Doyeon will play several Arirang songs on Kayageum introducing the background story and the lyrics. 

Check out our social media recap on the performance!

Wednesday, October 4, 2023:

My Great-Grandmother, Mrs. Margaret Henderson, Pioneer Entrepreneur by Linda Holden

Mrs. Henderson was recognized in The Oregonian in 1914: "She is the pioneer caterer on the (Old) Columbia River Highway. A typical Western woman, one who knows how to overcome difficulties and carve success right out of the wilderness". Born in Portland, OR in 1872, she was raised in Happy Valley. However she made her mark in the Oregon history as a key campaigner for building the (Old) Columbia River Highway (CRH), and providing extraordinary hospitality to travelers at roadhouses she owned and managed along this highway.

Wednesday, November 1, 2023:

Whistle Punks and Misery Whips: Logging the Willamette Valley, 1850 to 1960 by Dr. Stephen Beckham

This illustrated lecture is an overview of logging and lumbering, major enterprises in the Willamette Valley. In 1850 the Oswego sawmills of Albert A. Durham and Socrates Tryon cut lumber for Portland and San Francisco. The presentation covers the evolving technology of log transportation from bull teams to logging trucks as well as river drives, splash dams, and railroads. It includes the proposal in 1923 by the Oswego Log and Booming Company to transform Oswego Lake into a massive log pond with a flume connecting to the Willamette River.

Wednesday, December 6, 2023:

Annual Holiday Marketplace

Join us on Wednesday, December 6th, from 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM for a market of holiday cheer! Vendors will be throughout the house with local-made goods available for purchase. Santa Claus will also be visiting from 3:00 PM - 6:00 PM for photos, with food donations accepted for the Lake Oswego Food Pantry!

Wednesday, February 7, 2024:

The History and Mystery of Magic by David Charvet

Since 1974, David Charvet has been performing, creating and writing about magic. He has a passion for history that he credits to his father and became interested in magic around age seven through books in his school library and a children’s magic set. Join him and discover the history and mystery of magic from a well-regarded magician!

Wednesday, March 6, 2024:

Preserving Your Family's Legacy by The Family Archivists

Rachel and Morgan Hagar of The Family Archivists specialize in helping families organize, preserve and share their photographs, videos and memorabilia. Rachel has a Master's Degree in Library and Archival Sciences while Morgan has been working as a professional photographer and retoucher for over 20 years. Together they work to help families transform their collection of analog and digital photos and videos into an organized, searchable and shareable family archive. Join them for an introduction into preserving your family’s history.

Check out Rachel's recording of the presentation here!

Wednesday, April 3, 2024:

The Transformation of Modern India by Dr. David Campion

On August 15, 1947, at the stroke of the midnight hour, India went from being the largest colony of the British Empire to the world's largest democracy. Today India is a rising superpower with a global diaspora and one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Its astonishingly diverse population, the largest of any country in the world, aligns along the complex and overlapping categories of religion, language, ethnicity, and caste. This presentation traces the remarkable transformations that have occurred in India's politics and society in the eight decades since independence.

2018

Stephen Beckham, Oregon's Backwoods Utopias

Nancy Dunis, Pioneer Women of Lake Oswego

Linda Beutler, Heirloom Clematis in the Garden

Gregory Nokes, Troubled Life of Peter Burnett

Mark Browne, Theresa Truchot: A Jewel of Many Facets

Rachel Verdick/Dorothy Atwood, Historic Preservation and Path to a Sustainable Future

Marge Easley, League of Women Voters History 

2019

Dr. Stephen Beckham, NW Indians

Jan Newton Becker, Aurora Colony History

David Charvet, History of Magic and A Performance

Darrell Jabin, Discovering Oregon History through the Blue Book

Mark Browne, Historic Forensics in Collection Preservation

Susanna Kuo, Rediscovering a Lost Oswego Family: Pomeroy

Dr. Stephen Beckham, Theodore Roosevelt

2020

Dr. Stephen Beckham, Studies in Climate Concerns

Cece Otto, Release of WWI album

Angel Ocasio, History of Ukelele and Performance

2021

Zachary Stocks, Oregon's Black History 

Paul Lyons, Springbrook Park and its Women

Stephanie Wagner, Tryon Creek

Mike Goodrich, 400 mil yrs of Oswego History (Geology)

2022

Dr. Stephen Beckham, Theodore Roosevelt and TR Library

Kim Hewey, Beginnings of Chautauqua

R. Gregory Nokes, Massacre for Gold

Cece Otto, Songs from America's Past

Nancy Dunis, Eva Emory Dye

2023

Katie Henry, Preserving Your Heritage

Courtney Clements, Local Diaries

Dr. Stephen Beckham, Sewing Seeds for Today and Tomorrow: Oregon Indian Tribal Economies

Charlene Green, If Walls Could Talk

Cece Otto, Prohibition: 90 Years of Temperance, Temptation and Song