OHC IN THE PRESS
Artist Lê Quang Vinh's work will be featured at the Oswego Heritage House in April. | Carpenter Media Group Lake Oswego Review Fifty years after Saigon's fall: Exhibit features art of Vietnamese immigrant
Following the fall of Saigon and the end of the Vietnam War 50 years ago, the United States resettled over 100,000 refugees in the United States. To commemorate the anniversary and humanize this story of mass relocation, the Vietnamese Cultural Arts Alliance is hosting a three-part exhibit featuring the work of artist Lê Quang Vinh at the Oswego Heritage House in Lake Oswego in April. The exhibit will then continue at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland and the Jeffrey Allen Gallery in Tigard. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Oregon Public Broadcasting New art exhibits commemorate 50 years of Vietnamese culture in Oregon
April 30, 2025 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, and for Van Le and her uncle, Allen Luong, it’s the perfect time to acknowledge an important moment for Oregon’s Vietnamese community, while also looking forward to a brighter future. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Van Le stands in front of a painting of her mother done by her late father, Le Quang Vinh on March 27, 2025. Le and her uncle Allen Luong are coordinating a series of exhibits that will showcase her father's paintings. |
| Let's Go LO! Podcast Jan 13, 2025 Want to discover a little bit more of the Oswego Heritage Council? Executive Director Kathryn Sinor gave an interview with @letsgolopodcast, which is now available to listen to! Follow Let's Go LO! as they interview more local organizations to educate, engage, and inspire their community. |
Lake Oswego Review Historical exhibit displays political activism in Lake Oswego over time
With politics top of mind for those who recently cast their vote in the November election, the Oswego Heritage House wanted to remind people about historical efforts to enact positive change in the community and, in turn, galvanize civic engagement. |
Julia Brynes' 1913 registration card |
Actors from last year's "A Haunting History" pose at the Oswego Heritage House, where the spooky event will return Oct. 19. | Lake Oswego Review Learn about spooky Oswego history - if you dare
Lake Oswego residents are invited to immerse themselves in the thrills and chills of local history Saturday evening, Oct. 19 at the Oswego Heritage Council’s “A Haunting History.” READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Carpenter Media Group Lake Oswego Review Check out vintage cars and boats at upcoming Lake Oswego show
Organizers of the Oswego Heritage Council’s Collector Car & Classic Boat Show describe the annual event as an informal and intimate experience, providing attendees the chance to closely examine vintage vehicles and discuss their finer points and histories with owners. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Attendees gathered at Sundeleaf Plaza to admire boats during the Oswego Heritage Council's Collector Car & Classic Boat Show in 2022. Staff file photo: Adam Wickham |
Lucy Pollard's story is featured through love letters, photographs and her 1919 wedding dress at the exhibit. | Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Love letters shine light on century-old Lake Oswego courtships
Inspired by the acquisition of love letters from various women to an eligible Lake Oswego bachelor over a century ago, the Oswego Heritage Council has introduced a new exhibit titled “LO in LOve: Love Stories from Early Oswego.” The exhibit features true love stories mined from the Oswego Heritage House’s archives. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce Archivist Mark Browne receives the Herald Campbell AwardMark Browne, Archivist for OHC, was awarded the C. Herald Campbell Heritage Champion Award at the Chamber of Commerce's Community Awards on Thursday, May 23rd, for his impressive work in archival preservation across the city. | 
Director Kathryn Sinor hands off the award to Mark Browne, with Board President Jeff Gudman modeling the historic peg from the Peg Tree in the background. |
The Oswego Heritage House recently | Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Torn painting produced by Lake Oswego artist in 1893 is restored
Though it’s known for providing written histories that shed light on how the 19th and 20th century residents of modern Lake Oswego once lived, the Oswego Heritage Council recently underwent a project that provides a visual glimpse into the past. The council recently restored a painting from 1893 and is now displaying it at the Oswego Heritage House on 10th Street. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Heritage house unveils artifact that shows life in Lake Oswego over 150 years ago
With a new item on display, the Oswego Heritage Council is highlighting a stand of trees that served as a gathering space for early Lake Oswego residents as the town was first forming. The council added to its collection a peg used for placing lanterns on the trees that once lined Furnace Street to the Iron Company Furnace as early as the 1850s. The peg is on display at its museum on 10th Street. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
The peg was used to place lanterns for lighting while the community gathered next to the trees. |
The Oswego Heritage Council runs the | Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Lake Oswego heritage council joins initiative to increase museum access
The Oswego Heritage Council is joining an initiative to make museums around the country more accessible. The council has joined Museums for All, through the Institute of Museum and Library Services, to provide free memberships to people who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. This initiative provides free and reduced admission and membership to 850 museums across the country. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Micro Stream Radio Preservation Oaks Interview
Preservation Oaks highlights Museums, Cultural and Heritage Institutions, Historical and Genealogical Societies, and history focused Media Creators across the United States. Recently the Oswego Heritage Council and the town of Lake Oswego were highlighted. The Executive Director, Kathryn Sinor was interviewed by Sean Radcliff, creator of Preservation Oaks. Have fun and find out more about the Council, the services it offers, and how you can help, by listening to this interview. |
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The Iron Workers Cottage in Old Town is the last surviving house of its kind from an era when Oswego was an iron mining town. | Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Lake Oswego group undertakes preservation of Oregon Iron & Steel Company records
The Lake Oswego Preservation Society received a $5,245 grant from the Oregon Heritage Commission for the preservation of records from the company associated with the founding of Lake Oswego — the Oregon Iron & Steel Company. The Oswego Heritage Council and the Lake Oswego Public Library are also helping out. |
MACC-TVCTV Learn about the first female owned landscape architecture firm in the PNW
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO.... |
Edith Schryver and Elizabeth Lord |
The Oswego Heritage House will showcase how people have coped with death over time during event and ongoing exhibit. This photo shows grave markers for members of the Pollard family in Lake Oswego. | Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Learn about Lake Oswego's evolving relationship with death at event
In honor of Halloween and a new exhibit, the Oswego Heritage House will transport people back to 1905 — when seance mediums traveled to Lake Oswego to help the grieving communicate with their lost loved ones and the process of preparing the dead was more communal. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
KGW8 How infrastructure and a name change helped transform Lake Oswego
"They literally could not give away lake front property," said Mark Browne, a volunteer archivist at the Oswego Heritage House in Lake Oswego. With more than 13 miles of lake shoreline, Lake Oswego or Oswego Lake, whatever you decide to call it, is home to some pretty pricey real estate. These days, homes sell for millions of dollars. |
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An attendees gets behind the wheel of a vintage car at the Oswego Heritage Council's Collector Car & Classic Boat Show in 2022. | Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Lake Oswego car and boat show returns this month
Car buffs and boating aficionados rejoice. The Oswego Heritage House Collector Car & Classic Boat Show will return to Lake Oswego Sunday, Aug. 27, and there is still time to register your car or boat for the occasion. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Genealogical Forum of Oregon The Bulletin Flirting by Fruit Box: An Early 20th Century Dating App
Every couple has been asked at some point in their relationship "how did you meet?" The answers vary widely--college classes, workplaces, church socials, dances, dating apps, etc. For one set of couples in the early twentieth century, the answer may have been "a strawberry box." Young women (primarily), who worked on farms or for fruit packers, would slip notes in the hopes of receiving a response from an eligible young man. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |  Lucy Pollard in her vineyard, undated, LOPL.2016.3.2.470B, Pollard Family Collection, Oswego Heritage Council. |
C. Herald Campbell Heritage Champion Award Courtney Clements with Kathryn Sinor and Jeff Gudman at the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce Community Awards. | Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Community members, organizations honored at Lake Oswego chamber awards
Andrew Edwards capped the annual Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce Community Awards with a simple message: “Carpe diem,” or seize the day in English. “Carpe diem is a war cry. Carpe diem invokes inspiration. It urges us to shed our inhibitions, have some courage and grab every opportunity that comes our way,” he said. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
City of Lake Oswego HelloLO The Historian The Story Behind the Painting:Willamette Falls Painting Donated to Oswego Heritage CouncilMark Browne and Courtney Clements May 2023 The Glenn family, who trace their lineage to Oswego pioneers Waters and Lucretia Gurney Carman through the Carman's middle daughter Henrietta "Etta" Susanna Carman Magone, recently donated a family treasure to the Oswego Heritage Council. This image of Willamette Falls was painted by English artist Alexander Maxwell MacKechnie (1855-1893). MacKechnie worked as an art tutor to Etta Magone's daughters and died tragically attempting to save Francette Magone from drowning in the Tualatin Canal. She perished as well. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Willamette Falls by Alexander Maxwell MacKechnie (1893) |
Ralph Holcomb (left) and pastor Jennie Ott (right) honor Mark Browne for the work he did to organize the church's archives. | Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Lake Oswego church unearths its past to prepare for future
To forge a path forward, pastor Jennie Ott said, the Lake Oswego United Church of Christ needed to properly consider its past. But with documents randomly stacked in boxes, thumbing through the clutter to find a clear view into this history wasn’t possible. So, in 2021, church leaders contacted Oswego Heritage House volunteer archivist Mark Browne. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Oswego Heritage House shines light on Lake Oswego women’s history
Because women were largely shut off from sources of power and opportunity until relatively recently, Oswego Heritage House volunteer Courtney Clements said histories of local communities like Lake Oswego often revolve around men. This is one reason why diaries can be an important counterpoint and supplement to traditional narratives. |
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Kathryn Sinor in front of the Oswego Heritage House, January 2023. | Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review New Oswego Heritage Council executive director strives to make history accessible
Diving into local history, Kathryn Sinor said, helps us understand the world as it is today and glean perspectives that can make us better. “I love local histories, especially. I love the history of smaller areas that are really personal to people. It’s such a great way for us now to understand how and why we exist the way we do,” she said. “These local history institutions are a great gateway to that understanding.” READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Oswego Heritage Council gifts artifacts to Grand Ronde cultural center
Artifacts found in a Lake Oswego backyard over 50 years ago have found a new home in the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde's Chachalu Tribal Museum and Cultural Center. The Oswego Heritage Council donated the artifacts to the museum and cultural center Tuesday, March 15. The obsidian artifacts were tools identified as a projectile point and a scrape made from stone glass. The tools were commonly used by Indigenous tribes while hunting and preparing food. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Two Indigenous artifacts found in a Lake Oswego garden were donated to the Chachalu Tribal Museum and Cultural Center. |
Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Walling family's legacy lives onNancy Dunis Jul 20, 2017 George and Frances Walling left a major legacy in the Lake Oswego area: Part of their donation land claim became the campus of Marylhurst University and the nearby Marylhurst neighborhood. In fact, the old Walling home served as a dormitory for students for many years. George Washington Walling was born Dec. 18, 1818 in Ohio and moved with his parents, Lucy and Gabriel Walling, to Iowa in 1828. Restless, the senior Wallings and their son George, his wife Frances and other members of the family headed west in 1847. Albert, the eldest son of George and Francis, was born on the Oregon Trail in Pacific Springs, Wyo. |
A Marylhurst altar and cemetery stand on what was part of the Walling family's donation land claim in a photo taken sometime after 1937. |
Sheep graze below the Shipley barn in this early view from | Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Shipley-Cook farm plays key role for generationsNancy Dunis May 4, 2017 Adam Randolph Shipley and James Preston Cook were two early settlers who made significant contributions to the history of Lake Oswego. Both men traveled from Ohio across the Oregon Trail to settle in Oregon. Shipley, his wife Mary and their son came in 1852; Cook came in 1883. Shipley, who took a keen interest in agriculture and horticulture, was one of the first to import and grow grapes in the area. Fondly called "Father Shipley," he helped launch Oswego Grange No. 175 as a place for social events and a schoolhouse for local children. |
Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Paulings find eternal peace in Oswego Pioneer CemeteryNancy Dunis Feb 16, 2017 One of the world's greatest scientists, humanitarians, defenders of civil liberties and proponents of good nutrition is buried next to his wife in Oswego Pioneer Cemetery. Dr. Linus Pauling and Ava Helen Pauling were remarkable human beings, together and individually. Together, the Paulings played a key role in the establishment of a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, gathering 13,000 signatures of scientists from around the world — including 38 Nobel laureates — in the late 1950s and early '60s that they presented to the United Nations, calling for disarmament and the end of testing. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Linus and Ava Helen Pauling are among the many community members buried in the Oswego Pioneer Cemetery, |
| Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review Lucy Pollard among area's first pioneers
The family moved from Old Town to a 10-acre farm on what is now Bergis Road. The property extended from both sides of Bergis down to McVey Avenue and was across from the Catholic cemetery. It was Lucy who found and purchased the acreage. "Lucy loved that home and the gentle land," remembers Theresa Truchot. "It had a well; fertile soil; and it raised good crops." READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Pamplin Media Group Lake Oswego Review McVey Avenue named in honor of one of area's first firefighters
Arthur "Red" McVey played many roles in Lake Oswego, including janitor, power-plant construction worker, citizen advocate and preservationist. But his first love was fighting fires. McVey became a volunteer firefighter in 1911 and remained active in the Oswego Volunteer Fire Department. READ THE FULL ARTICLE.... |
Firefighters Arthur Red McVey and Joe Nemec sit in a fire engine for a photo taken around 1946. |
