Can you guess what bridge this is? Hint: This railroad bridge crosses the Willamette River near the north end of Lake Oswego.
Stay tuned to the end of the newsletter to find out!
I hope you enjoyed the glimpse of spring we were lucky enough to receive! It's settling over the Heritage House in jumps and starts, with daffodils showing their brilliant color and a few pink blossoms poking their heads out.
With Spring comes an exciting time of planning for us here at the Heritage House. We have a really exciting 1920s-themed event we'll be promoting soon, along with an upcoming new exhibit and our continued strategic visioning. In short, it's shaping up to a wonderful year!
But with all these fun programs to look forward to, I want to take a moment to look back at a few of our Board Members who have paved the way for our success. Mary Puskas, who is retiring from her position but was the Board President when I joined OHC and provided me with invaluable insight as I started my role, and Jeannie McGuire, who will be specially recognized later this year.
Our team is truly incredible, I can't say it enough. And as we onboard new Board Members who carry a deep passion for historical work and for this community, it's always important to take a moment to give thanks to those who came before us and built the strong foundation that makes growth at the Heritage House now possible.
Kathryn Sinor Executive Director
THE OREGONIAN: Discover the hard work it took for one of our Board Members to remove racist language from their home deed
DID YOU MISS THE FAMILY ARCHIVISTS' TALK ON PRESERVING YOUR FAMILY'S HISTORY?
Our presenter, Rachel, recorded her presentation and has shared it with us. A link is available here on our website under the "Earlier This Season" section, along with a list of upcoming Chautauqua presentations so you don't have to miss the next ones! If you have any issues viewing the presentation, please let me know.
WANT ADDITIONAL RESOURCES?
If you're looking for additional resources on how to get started, how to organize family photographs, or other tips and tools to get your family's archives together, feel free to respond to this newsletter. The Family Archivists provided several items to share!
Remember when we talked about creating an index for the public library's history collection? Well, volunteers have been hard at work for the past few months working on an index for OUR collection! Here's a quick behind-the-scenes look:
Indexing allows us to build a navigable list of what's in a group of items. Instead of researchers digging through thousands of items, the index will allow them to understand at a glance what they'll find.
The first phase of this process involves volunteers going through our family collections. They include important dates, names, and a general idea of what the item contains. This is an example of a first draft; from these details, we'll build a searchable list for researchers.
Interested on staying up to date on our projects? Follow us on social media!
Were you able to guess which bridge this photograph featured, c. 1910 to now?
The 1910 census lists 14 men boarding in Oswego who were working on a bridge. The Southern Pacific Railroad Bridge, now called the Union Pacific Railroad Bridge, features in several historic photographs now on display in our Industry of Early Oswego photo exhibit. As the majestic backdrop of a sternwheeler pushing sawdust barge to the cement plant or visible in the background of a shot of the pipe foundry, this bridge connects us to the past in many ways!
Can you guess this Lake Oswego street, c. 1890?
We hope everyone has stayed safe during the January ice storm! While the Heritage House remained untouched, in large part due to Board Member Scott Havens taking care of dangerous tree limbs two weeks before the storm, things got a little too close for comfort when a large tree fell across A Avenue -- and directly in front of the house. We know that not everyone was lucky, and the amount of damage to houses, businesses, and the community is something weighing heavy in Lake Oswego.
On social media, we had shared some photos of the big storm that passed through Lake Oswego in 1962, which sparked some great conversation about where people were, what they were doing, and what came from the storm. It was a good reminder of the power these storms have to hurt a community -- and how important it is to come together afterwards. The power of history!
In February, we're moving forward with our Annual Member Meeting on Saturday, Feb. 17th, and hope you'll join us! We will be unveiling one incredible piece of Lake Oswego history, freshly mounted by Chrisman Framing. Can you guess the item in the photo before its big reveal?
Stay safe out there, and enjoy the glimpses of sunny weather this weekend is bringing!
OSWEGO INDUSTRY
The theme for our new photo exhibit was chosen by museum supporters like you! Touching on some of the major industries in Oswego during the 19th and 20th centuries, OSWEGO INDUSTRY will allow guests to explore what work was prevalent in a growing community. This photo exhibit will be in our meeting space area and will be on display through 2024, beginning in mid-February.
We hope you'll check it out!
Join us on Saturday, February 17th, from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM for our annual meeting! Discover how the Oswego Heritage Council did in 2023, learn more about our archival projects, and engage with your fellow community members at this event.
There will be treats and coffee available for a brief social hour, beginning at 9:30 AM. A special unveiling will occur at the conclusion of the meeting.
Go behind-the-scenes with Oswego Heritage Council in an interview between our Executive Director, Kathryn, and the host of Preservation Oaks, Sean.
Preservation Oaks highlights Museums, Cultural and Heritage Institutions, Historical and Genealogical Societies, and history focused Media Creators across the United States. In this episode, discover more about one of Lake Oswego's historical gems!
NEW DATE FOR THE WARDROBE WISH LIST!
FEBRUARY 24TH, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Can you see the similarities to the Lake Oswego street, from 1890 to today?
The street was A avenue (E view toward the river and between 1st and 2nd Street)!
Stay tuned to the end of the newsletter to see how the site of the new picnic shelter at George Rogers Park compares to the site in 1867!
The new picnic shelter at George Rogers Park was installed in 2023.
We hope everyone has had a happy and safe holiday season! While we are wrapping up 2023, we are also looking forward to 2024, 2025, and beyond... The OHC Board of Directors is working hard to establish a long-term vision for the Oswego Heritage Council, and we can't plan on the future without you! This plan will encompass the next 3-5 years and allow us to build our organization into a more community-based, forward-thinking museum and archives.
Keep your eye out for opportunities to get involved, and SAVE THE DATE for our annual member meeting on Saturday, February 17th, at 10:00 AM. We'll be reviewing how we did in 2023, share big plans for 2024, and have a special surprise planned for those in attendance.
Looking forward to a great new year!
Kathryn Sinor
Executive Director
OHC in the Press: Lake Oswego group undertakes preservation of Oregon Iron & Steel Company records
Here's how we did during this year's Giving Tuesday!
This year, we launched a Giving Tuesday campaign to encourage people to engage with OHC! If you're wondering how we did, here are our goals and numbers:
GOAL 1 MEMBERSHIP: With a goal of 20 new or renewed memberships, we got halfway there!
GOAL 2 SOCIAL MEDIA: With a goal of having 15 new followers on Instagram and Facebook, we just beat that goal by having 16 new followers!
GOAL 4 ARCHIVAL DONATIONS: While we were not able to complete our entire goal for donations to the Library Project, we're thrilled to announce that the renovation of a recently acquired 1893 painting has been fully funded by donations!
GOAL 5 VOLUNTEERS: With a goal of 5 new volunteers, we were lucky to bring in 3 new volunteers who are currently working on important projects to help make history more accessible.
Still want to participate in the giving season?
Follow us on Facebook or Instagram!
Donate to Archival Projects Today
The Lake Oswego Review and West Linn Tiding papers are hosting a Best of Lake Oswego and West Linn contest! Vote for OHC's nomination today for the Best Place to Bring Out-of-Towners under "Things to Do"!
Voting period is until 01/24/24, with the top three nominees in each category moving onto the voting round.
Vote on the LO Review website today!
Today, the Oswego Heritage Council announced that it has joined Museums for All, a signature access program of the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), administered by the Association of Children’s Museums (ACM), to encourage people of all backgrounds to visit museums regularly and build lifelong museum-going habits.
The program supports those receiving food assistance (SNAP) benefits visiting the Oswego Heritage Council by providing a free museum membership with the presentation of a SNAP Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card. Similar free and reduced admission is available to eligible members of the public at more than 850 museums across the country. Museums for All is part of the Oswego Heritage Council’s broad commitment to seek, include, and welcome all audiences.
Museums for All helps expand access to museums and also raise public awareness about how museums in the U.S. are reaching their entire communities. More than 850 institutions participate in the initiative, including art museums, children’s museums, science centers, botanical gardens, zoos, history museums, and more. Participating museums are located nationwide, representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. Virgin Islands.
Want to learn more? Visit the Museums for All Website.
George Rogers Park, picnic shelter (2023)
Charcoal shed on the north side of Green Street
The iron furnace is on the far right, inside the building with the chimney. This detail of photo was provided by Carleton Watkins, 1867. Thanks to Susanna Kuo for sharing!
We were saddened to receive news on the loss of Bill Warner, someone who was passionate and committed to the preservation of Lake Oswego history, supported endless community endeavors, and left such a positive impact throughout his life. Because of Bill Warner, we were able to make Lake Oswego history more accessible than ever, and we are all the better for his presence.
To quote Dr. Stephen Beckham, "Bill Warner was a marvelous positive thinker and a man committed to his community. He was a stalwart for years in support of the Oswego Heritage Council. He was ever ready to serve on a committee and share his wise advice. He was a businessman who shared his time and resources for the benefit of all of us who live here. He will be missed."
We hope to honor his memory at the Heritage House and are incredibly grateful to have known him.
There's still time to support Oswego Heritage for Giving Tuesday!
Join as a member or renew your membership between now and December 28th for the chance to win a gift certificate to the OHC Gift Shop, where you can find some incredible gifts for the holiday season!
If you want to support us in other ways, consider:
Vote NOW for the theme of our next photo exhibit. This mini-exhibit will pull from historic photographs within our collection and be set-up in our community meeting space.
Possible themes include:
Industry (logging, railroad, iron)
Recreational activities
Agriculture
Around town (businesses, houses, streets, etc.)
A brief update on our project with the Lake Oswego Public Library on their historical collection!
This incredible partnership has allowed OHC to work with new volunteers on organizing and cataloguing thousands of photographs, documents, and more. With the bulk of the preservation work accomplished, we are now in our next stage: INDEXING.
Indexing allows us to build a navigable list of what's in a group of items. Instead of researchers digging through thousands of photographs, the index will allow them to understand at a glance what they'll find. This incredibly useful tool means that the LOPL historical collection will soon be easier to navigate!
AND THAT'S NOT ALL...
Once we're done with the LOPL collection, we'll be working on our own! These indexes will be available on our website so that you can see, in depth, the items we have in our archives. A great tool for researchers and the curious alike!
The museum will be closed to the public:
December 7th and 8th
December 27th through January 1st
January 3rd through 5th
We apologize for the inconvenience and look forward to seeing you in the new year!
The peg from Oswego's peg tree has come home!
The Peg Tree is the survivor of a stand of fir trees that once lined Furnace Street down to the Iron Company Furnace. The magnificent row provided a natural park but was mostly cut down by order of the county road supervisor in the late 1800s.
The Peg Tree provided a gathering place for the residents of early Oswego. Hanging a lantern from a wooden peg to provide lighting, community members set up roughhewn benches and conducted business under the branches. Adam Randolph Shipley provided religious instruction at the site from 1852 onwards, and the Oswego Grange #175 would be built there in 1890, serving as a school during the week, a meeting place on Saturdays, and a Methodist Church on Sundays. The Peg Tree has seen generations of Oswego history and remains growing today.
The original peg that hung in the Peg Tree will soon be on permanent display in the Oswego Heritage Museum.
Do you know a teacher?
We have new resources available on our website for educators teaching local history. There is downloadable curriculum, best for 2nd - 4th graders, to discover the ways in which their local community has changed over time. We are also now accepting applications for free classroom visits with a Then & Now program. Get involved today, and share with the educators in your life!
The Oswego Heritage House has been busy!
We have just launched our new exhibit, "THE GOOD DEATH," which explores our changing relationship to death through the eyes of Oswego's early families. Our membership changes have gone live on our website. The Chautauqua lecture series is in full swing, and the Holiday Marketplace is planned. We have some new programming opportunities for classrooms and are beginning to plan out some exciting events for the upcoming year!
In short, we want to thank you for your support, whether that be through a membership, showing up to an event, or expressing interest in what we do. We wouldn't have been able to accomplish all that we have without our amazing supporters, and in this month of being thankful, we can't help but highlight you all!
Stay tuned for more exciting developments as we head into the last two months of 2023.
What does it mean to have "A Good Death"?
Families in early Oswego dealt with the cycle of life on an intimate level, as had every generation prior to them. Birth was at home, as was the gruesome process of dying and death, but the difficulty was ameliorated by community involvement. Following a few key families in Oswego, this exhibit traces the changing customs around death and explores complex questions about grieving, dying, and how we treat our dead.
Join us for the official opening of the exhibit, including an introduction on caring for family photos with The Family Archivists!
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM OSWEGO HERITAGE HOUSE 398 10th St., Lake Oswego, Oregon
Archivist Mark Browne has a new area of interest: Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver, the first women in the Pacific Northwest to own and operate their own landscape architecture firm. He's given several presentations to organizations about their contributions to the area, including a few Lake Oswego gardens that are still in existence today.
If you're interested in his presentation, don't worry! It's coming soon to a Chautauqua lecture near you. In the meantime, learn more about these incredible women on the Lord & Schryver Conservatory website here.
With sprinkling rain and cooling temperatures, fall is settling over Lake Oswego and bringing with it a new exhibit, new events, and new opportunities at the Heritage House!
One of the most exciting items of the season is the announcement that the Oswego Heritage Council was recently accepted to participate in the Clackamas County Nonprofit Capacity Building Recovery Assistance Program (CBRA), in partnership with MercyCorps Northwest. This amazing program comes with cash assistance, as well as technical assistance to ensure the Oswego Heritage Council will remain a vibrant and sustainable organization for generations to come.
After working with OHC Board of Directors and volunteers, we have determined that our capacity building will focus on FINANCE. Our goal is to be increasingly transparent, to build systems that are easy to use, and to engage our wonderful community in the work we do. This program will lead nicely into developing our upcoming strategic vision.
Through this behind-the-scenes work, we aim to build a pathway forward together so that we can serve the needs of our community and be the best version of our organization that we can possibly be.
Come one, come all, to catch a glimpse of Oswego as it was in 1905... A time of turbulent changes, growing pains, and a rise in a movement of spirits, seances, and speaking with the dead.
A Haunting History will feature fear-filled activities to learn more about the culture of death in the early 20th century, refreshments of the most spooky order, a sneak peak at our new exhibit on death & dying, and an Edwardian reenactment of a seance. Guests will discover the tricks of the trade, get a behind the scenes look at these spiritual performances, and discover the strange ways our relationship with death has changed.
OHC will also be collecting YOUR ghost stories from around Lake Oswego. Want to submit them early? Fill out our form here!
Guests are invited to dress-up and embrace the experience for its unique engagement of history but to recognize that it is a reenactment meant to educate. No spirits will actually be summoned. This event is best for children over the age of 12, but because of the subject matter, please use your best judgment.
One of our most popular exhibits, Then & Now, will be leaving the Heritage House this month! Then & Now features historic photographs from around Lake Oswego compared to what it looks like today. It is a great way to understand how our town has developed and to spur conversations on what it might look like 100 years from now.
Haven't seen the exhibit yet?
Check it out before it leaves this month!
The museum is open on M, W, Th, and Fri from 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM. We are also open on the first Saturdays of the month.
Remember the 1893 painting of Willamette Falls that we were fundraising for earlier this year? We nearly hit our goal!
$1,200 RAISED OUT OF $1,750
The restoration expert, Sonja, has been hard at work and will return the completed painting by the end of the year. As of this week, the painting has been cleaned, lined, and reattached to its auxiliary support. She is currently working on the filling on the losses and will soon begin the necessary retouching. When we receive the completed work, those who donated will be invited to see it first, where it will hang in the Heritage House.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Thank you to all those who attended the 2023 Collector Car & Classic Boat Show! We had an amazing turnout of volunteers and guests, as well as wonderful support from the Car & Boat Show Committee. The Car & Boat Show is the largest event that OHC hosts and is one of our major fundraisers. Because of the support that goes into the show, we are able to fund new exhibits, archival projects, and education programs.
Did you have a favorite car at the show?
You'll be able to see photos from the event soon on our website, including winners of the sponsor trophies and more information about the booths, sponsors, and participants that made it out to the event.
We'll see you next year on August 25, 2024, for another great show!
We will be open for Chautauqua on Wednesday, Sept. 6th, and rental events, but the museum's normal hours will be closed for a few days. Staff will be attending conferences in order to better the Heritage House's community engagement, educational programs, and exhibit protocol. We look forward to sharing what we've learned!
Something exciting has recently come into the possession of the Heritage House: approximately 150 bound copies of the LO Review, which Archivist Mark Browne calls "the diary of the town." These historic newspapers chronicle a changing Lake Oswego and will be available for research by request.
We would not have been able to accept this donation from Pamplin Media Group without the support of Carissa Barrett, the Technology/Adult Services Librarian at the Lake Oswego Public Library. Carissa is a fervent supporter of the history of Lake Oswego, having contributed to the creation of the Barrett Family Archive Room at the Oswego Heritage House.
THANK YOU!
This project has been made possible thanks to invaluable community members like you!
OHC volunteers have been hard at work scanning and cataloguing over 2,000 photographs as part of our new Vose Family Collection. These photographs chronicle a prominent family through 20th century Oswego. While the family has kept the original photographs, Sharon Gustafson has allowed us to make scans of the historic photographs for our archives.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION TO HISTORY!
Do you have photographs or documents you've considered donating but don't want to let go of yet? We can do the same for you! Preserve a small piece of history by keeping a copy of your historic photographs or documents in our archives.
If YOU have something you would like scanned and preserved, please fill out this form. We'd love to reach out and discuss more with you.
Membership changes coming your way!
If your membership renewal is coming due, you'll soon notice some changes: simplified tiered levels that have new benefits. We hope that these new levels will provide better opportunities to engage with the exciting work being down at the Heritage House and takes into consideration the feedback received on our membership survey earlier this year.
It is a way to show our appreciation of your support every time you hit "renew." These changes will be on our website this month but will not affect our current members until their next renewal.
Thank you!
JOIN US SUNDAY, AUGUST 27th FOR THIS YEAR'S COLLECTOR CAR & CLASSIC BOAT SHOW!
Expect 200 cars, 20 boats, and fun exhibitor booths to keep you and your family entertained. The weather's scheduled to be great, the vehicles will be unique, and the community that you'll find at the event can't be beat.
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM George Rogers Park Sundeleaf Plaza
Proceeds from the event support fulfill the mission of the Oswego Heritage Council to preserve and promote the history of Lake Oswego.
FIND OUT MORE ON OUR WEBSITE
Thank you to all those who attended our annual fundraiser, Rock Your Ribs! Despite the hot weather, we had a great turnout and raised more than $8,000 for special archives projects and general operations to keep the Heritage House flourishing. The Lakeridge High School Jazz Band did an amazing job with stellar music, and we couldn't have done much of the behind-the-scenes work without NCL's mother-daughter teams volunteering and our wonderful Board of Directors.
If you weren't able to make it to the festivities, there are other ways to support the Oswego Heritage House that we hope you'll consider:
Thank you,
There are many opportunities to get involved on Sunday, August 27th! We need help in the following areas:
If you've got a free day and are looking to give back to a local non-profit, volunteering for this massive community event is a great place to do so! Once you sign-up as a volunteer, our Car & Boat Show Committee will get back to you ASAP.
WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!
Have you seen our volunteers hard at work upstairs at the Lake Oswego Public Library? Been wondering what they're up to?
OHC Archivist Mark Browne has trained several library volunteers in the important work of cataloguing, archiving, storing, and organizing LOPL's historical collection. This extensive work will make it easier to locate items within the library's collection, with the end goal to digitize both the LOPL historical collection AND the OHC historical collection. New photos, documents, and other artifacts will be brought to the light for the first time in our town's history.
Working together, we are able to build on past work by both organizations to create a new, thriving historical hub in Lake Oswego! This will be a resource that will be accessible to anyone, anywhere.
This project has been made possible thanks to the generous donations of invaluable community members like you!
This July, OHC Archivist Mark Browne led a group from Mary's Woods to Gaiety Hollow, the home, garden, and studio of Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver, the first all-female landscape architecture firm in the Pacific Northwest. Lord and Schyver designed over 200 landscapes and gardens in the region between 1929 and 1969. These influential landscape architects operated across the Pacific Northwest, with some of their gardens still surviving in Lake Oswego today!
If you remember our "Children of Oswego" exhibit from a few years ago, you aren't the only one! We recently received a donation from someone who attended that exhibit and wanted to add to our collection. The donation is an American Flyer 1921-1922 wind-up locomotive set, and we're so grateful to add it to our archives. You'll see it on display soon!
If YOU have something you are considering donating, please fill out this form. We'd love to reach out and discuss more with you.
It is a way to show our appreciation of your support every time you hit "renew." These changes will be on our website in September but will not affect our current members until their next renewal.
THANK YOU TO THESE SPONSORSFOR THEIR SUPPORT OF OUR ANNUAL CAR & BOAT SHOW
The Historic Rose Garden is in bloom, and so are exciting things at OHC!
Our new website has launched (more about that below), and some exciting projects are taking root at the Heritage House!
We have begun Phase One of a multi-year project with the Lake Oswego Public Library. Archivist Mark Browne is leading a team to properly preserve, organize, catalogue, and eventually digitize the library's vast historical collection. The new cataloguing system builds on the one already in place at the library but will make it more effective for people wanting to view the archives from anywhere in the world.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT, KATHRYN?
With this project's completion, you'll be able to browse the library's website and find an online archives of 7,000 photographs -- some of which our team at OHC have never seen before, and most of which are currently unavailable. We will be able to add our own collection to this database, meaning that we are increasing access to two important community hubs for history.
This is one important step on making sure that the history of Lake Oswego is accessible to anyone, anywhere, any time. We are incredibly grateful to be able to do this work and would be unable to provided these services if it wasn't for our wonderful members supporting us!
NEW WEBSITE HAS ARRIVED!
If you haven't gotten the opportunity, go check out our new website! It's at the same URL as the previous one (www.oswegoheritage.org), but you may notice it has a completely new look. Explore information on exhibits and programs, event pages, and our blog.
We have an additional feature available just for members! Members can login to the website using the red square at the top right, above the banner, on any page. Use the email address this has been sent to, and if you can't access it, please reset your password.
Members gain additional access to past exhibits and our quarterly historic journals, which will continue in August. We're excited to provide some new benefits to those who have supported our organization!
The Lake Oswego Arts Council wants your feedback!
Please take a few minutes to complete a short survey about the future of public art in Lake Oswego. They want to hear from the people that support OHC, so let's make sure they hear our voice on important topics like:
What kinds of art? Where to place it?
This survey closes July 1st. Please provide your feedback here:
WE STILL NEED YOUR SUPPORT!
For only $1,750, a preservation specialist has agreed to restore the 1893 painting of Willamette Falls, where it will hang in the Heritage House as an important piece of local history. Please consider donating today, as it is only with your support that we can protect these historical treasures.
You can learn more about the history of the artist and its connection to Oswego families HERE in May's Hello LO on Historic Preservation Month.
MAKE A GIFT TODAY:
We would be deeply grateful!
Oswego Heritage House and Museum398 10th St.Lake Oswego, OR 97034(503) 635-6373
Hours of Operation:Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Copyright © 2024, Oswego Heritage Council. All rights reserved.
