Building a bridge between our rich historic legacy and our contemporary lives...
We are passionate about history--especially the local history of the mid-Willamette Valley region! Don't you want to know just what those old walls could tell us about the trials and triumphs of those folks who lived and worked within them? We sure do!! Although our radio show, Salem History Matters, no longer airs, you can find our archived episode summaries, along with some more recent content, on our Blog Page. You can also follow us on Facebook! We want to assure you, our readers, that we continue to have our eyes on the the historic preservation scene in the area, and take seriously our mission of preserving and sharing Salem's rich heritage with you.
To read the summaries, which include informative photographs, of each of interview over our six years, read down through the Episode List tab on our Blog Page and then locate the month/year of publication on the sidebar Archives List on the Blog Page. Any links to the actual recordings/podcasts of our shows are active at time of publishing, but continued access is managed by the Website Manager at KMUZ.org. You should contact them if you are unable to locate a specific episode podcast. If you are still unable to locate the desired podcast, please contact us through our Contact Form. Note: I am attempting to upload the podcasts to this site to make things easier for our readers, a time-consuming project at best.
We've captured personal stories about our rich mid-Willamette Valley history from authors who've been elbow-deep in researching various communities and characters, memories and stories of many of our long-term residents--both the "movers and shakers" and the "everyday folks"--who have helped mold Salem's character, as well as the communities in the surrounding Willamette Valley. We've also talked with the folks who own, live, and work in our historic treasures; they've taken on the responsibility of preserving this historic legacy for future generations. We highlighted the history of our special buildings and institutions, some still standing, some removed. We introduced you to some of our unique cultural and heritage organizations throughout the mid-Willamette valley, and spent some time touring heritage neighborhoods.
The "We" began with Deb Meaghers, a local historian and author as the show host and lead producer, and Kimberli Fitzgerald, also an historian and author and current Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Salem's Historic Preservation program. Kimberli left the show to pursue an additional degree in archaeology, a much needed expertise for the City of Salem. In 2017, we were pleased to add Christy Van Heukelem to our crew as co-host. Retired from the Salem Public Library and also an author, Christy brought another aspect of history into play for our listeners. She now pursues her genealogical and historic research skills at the professional level.
To read the summaries, which include informative photographs, of each of interview over our six years, read down through the Episode List tab on our Blog Page and then locate the month/year of publication on the sidebar Archives List on the Blog Page. Any links to the actual recordings/podcasts of our shows are active at time of publishing, but continued access is managed by the Website Manager at KMUZ.org. You should contact them if you are unable to locate a specific episode podcast. If you are still unable to locate the desired podcast, please contact us through our Contact Form. Note: I am attempting to upload the podcasts to this site to make things easier for our readers, a time-consuming project at best.
We've captured personal stories about our rich mid-Willamette Valley history from authors who've been elbow-deep in researching various communities and characters, memories and stories of many of our long-term residents--both the "movers and shakers" and the "everyday folks"--who have helped mold Salem's character, as well as the communities in the surrounding Willamette Valley. We've also talked with the folks who own, live, and work in our historic treasures; they've taken on the responsibility of preserving this historic legacy for future generations. We highlighted the history of our special buildings and institutions, some still standing, some removed. We introduced you to some of our unique cultural and heritage organizations throughout the mid-Willamette valley, and spent some time touring heritage neighborhoods.
The "We" began with Deb Meaghers, a local historian and author as the show host and lead producer, and Kimberli Fitzgerald, also an historian and author and current Historic Preservation Officer for the City of Salem's Historic Preservation program. Kimberli left the show to pursue an additional degree in archaeology, a much needed expertise for the City of Salem. In 2017, we were pleased to add Christy Van Heukelem to our crew as co-host. Retired from the Salem Public Library and also an author, Christy brought another aspect of history into play for our listeners. She now pursues her genealogical and historic research skills at the professional level.
Deb
[Photo: 4th of July Parade at Court & Chemeketa Streets, 1894; Salem Online History, Ben Maxwell collection].