February 1 & 8, 2018 Episodes.

Many of our guests initially say that their lives aren't interesting enough that anyone would want to hear about them. Of course, we do!!  How could the story of someone who commuted by horse over the undeveloped Candelaria Hill to the Rhoten family farm in Roberts not be interesting?  To a one, however, each guest later remarks how much fun it was sharing their stories with us.

Elizabeth (the 7th namesake) Merle Rhoten was born in 1930 and she proudly states her age as 87 years!  Merlie, as she's known by all, is the older sister of David A. Rhoten, our very first Yesterday's Voices subject who strongly suggested we should chat with her. A self-proclaimed tomboy, Merlie shared many stories of her life in Salem, both at the family home at 1845 Church Street SE, across from then-Leslie Junior High-now South Salem High School, and at Grandfather E.A. Rhoten's dairy and poultry farm in the Roberts area of south Salem along the Willamette River, backing up to what is now the Illahee Country Club development. 

Although Merlie was born in a home on 23rd Street, just off State Street, what is considered the Rhoten's family home was built in 1937 on High Street SE on two lots across from Leslie Junior High School--now South Salem High. The house had three stories and a master bedroom en suite bath, very unusual for the time. The home, designed by Clarence Smith and built by Franz Joseph, was even featured in an article in the Oregonian newspaper about designer homes. The home remains in family possession, currently as the residence for the family of Merle's daughter, Christie O'Brien.

Merlie shared her memories of driving the hay truck/trailer on the Farm at age 10, visiting the circus that set up on the field below Leslie Jr. High School (now the football field of South Salem High) where she and friend Beverly Beakey agreed to peel potatoes for admission fees, searching those grounds for coins after the circus left, and collecting bottles with Beverly on "Necker's Lane" behind McKinley School in her red wagon to turn in at the corner market. As did many of our guests, Merlie also has very fond memories of the Mickey Mouse Club meetings at the Elsinore Theater. This weekly event was held Saturdays at 1:00 p.m, and was hosted by her neighbor Holly Wolfsburg. 

The Rhoten family were an integral part of Salem's society at this time. Although she much preferred her tomboy life on The Farm, Merle obediently accompanied her mother, Ruth Ross Rhoten, on her social rounds. Mrs. Rhoten often hosted teas and other social events at their home, as well as working to bring several cultural events to the area. At one time the Rhotens entertained Harry Belafonte and the renowned opera singer Marian Anderson, who was chauffeured back and forth to Portland by Mark Hatfield for each Community Concert Series performance, as no Salem hotel would accept a guest of color.  

During the WWII years, Merlie's father George was a Civil Defense warden, whose duty it was to walk the neighborhood nightly to see that all were in compliance of the Blackout rules. They had a victory garden in the lower lot, and the family often entertained soldiers from nearby Camp Adair. One aunt insisted that the large barn at The Farm should be painted camouflage so it wouldn't be bombed.  As we've found with our previous guests, the internment of the local Japanese residents was very upsetting for Merlie and her classmates, not understanding why longtime citizens and friends were being whisked away. Her father's sister also left to be a teacher at the Tule Lake Internment Camp.

Merlie, playing the flute, met the boy who would become her husband, John Reeves, at  Junior High combined concert events (John attended Parrish Jr. High). John was noted for having the longest delivery route for the Oregon Statesman newspaper. She was a member of the Girls Athletic Association, loved to dance and attended sock hops often. The Rhoten home was centrally located and became the hub of young social life. (Daughter Christie remembers that still being the case in her teen years.) The Cherry City parades were a big deal for them, often riding on a decorated truck advertising the family dairy.  Her memories of the Oregon Centennial were not as fond, as she was made to wear a period costume not of her choice!

John would come home from Korea and attend a fifth year at University of Oregon to obtain his degree in accounting, leading to a career as a certified public accountant. A lifelong Beaver supporter, he tried valiantly to hide his "Duck" times.  Merile and John became engaged at Christmas 1954 and were married July 7, 1956. The local newspapers had wonderful write-ups of the betrothal party and the wedding that you can read if you wish.  The family wedding photos below illustrate the ties that lovingly bind the memories of these special events.

A family where traditions are held dear and encouraged through the generations, three brides wore the wedding dress that began with Merlie.

And because we are suckers for historic wedding portraits, a few more:

Merlie and John shared almost 60 years of marriage before John passed away in 2015. They have two accomplished daughters, Christina O'Brien of Salem and Susan Hino of Seattle. We loved hearing their stories--stories of good times, struggles, world events, hard work, and shared fun. This family with its strong roots in the past, present and future of Salem is typical of the personalities that built our town into the city we know today.  Another great chapter from Yesterday's Voices.

January 18, 2018 Episode.
We can count on it being a good day when we are joined by our friend and colleague Kimberi Fitzgerald, Salem's Historic Preservation Officer.  Kimberli always has her finger on the pulse of current and upcoming projects, things the Historic Landmarks Commission (HLC) may be working on, as well as various educational opportunities for those with an interest in our history.  And did we say, she loves to share all kinds of information with our listeners?  We asked Kimberli to look back on the historic preservation projects of 2017, and to then look forward to what might be anticipated in 2018.

Focusing first on the work of the HLC, Kimberli said that new members had been appointed to replace two retiring commissioners.  Carroll Cottingham has a Masters in Historic Preservation and has worked with the National Park Service, the keeper of the National Register of Historic Places. Carroll currently works with ODOT.  Lindsey Kerr also has a Masters in Historic Preservation, along with one in public horticulture, and is the curator and director of the Lord & Schryver Garden-Gaiety Hollow. Kimberli said that the HLC is at full capacity for the first time in several years.

The HLC reviews its work plan each year as it develops the plan for the coming year. This report is then presented to the City Council. You can access the full 2018 work plan report here. 

Some of the highlighted accomplishments from 2017 included the designation of the SESNA neighborhood as a Heritage Neighborhood. In this program, city staff worked with neighborhood members to review their historic resources and develop ways to enhance the awareness of this heritage within its own community and the city.  A photo calendar was created, as were several walking tours. "History Wrappers" are planned for four utility vault installations. Learn more at SESNA's website.

May is nationally designated as Historic Preservation Month. In 2017, the HLC sponsored another hands-on window workshop, along with one on seismic retrofitting. These two highly demanded workshops are again being offered in 2018.  SHPO also hosts their Historic Preservation Fair, which had 27 historic/heritage organizations participating in 2017. The "This Place Matters" photo contest had 33 entries in 2017, with even more anticipated for this year's event. This is the time of year, too, that the HLC announces it's winners for the Ben Maxwell Award, for the best historic preservation project, and the Virginia Green Award, which recognizes an individual who demonstrates exemplary service in historic preservation. 

Speaking of projects, the HLC awarded almost $12,000 in Toolbox grants in 2017, and over $60,000 since the program's inception in 2011. This public/private partnership grant program helps private homeowners maintain their historic resources. This program will continue in 2018, with two grant cycles being available. The program now adds seismic retrofitting projects to the list of eligible work.  The City is also looking at a developing a similar program to help owners of the large brick buildings in the Downtown area with retrofitting these vulnerable buildings. As all our historic resources provide a benefit to the public, it is seemly that the public should help with their maintenance. 

In the 2018 Work Plan, the HLC identified a desire to educate and further honor the diverse heritage within our community by including their commemorations within the HLC calendar. These will include African American History in February, Asian Pacific Heritage in May, Hispanic Heritage in September, Native American Heritage in November, and National Archaeology Month in October. In order to improve public outreach and education to the Native American community, the HLC will work with the Legislative Commission on Indian Services (LCIS) to identify the tribes with deep historic and cultural ties to the City of Salem.  At the request of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a Memorandum of Understanding is being developed to further enhance communication and cooperation between the two entities.  

Other goals for 2018 include working with a new Heritage Neighborhood, NESCA-Lansing, updating the survey information on the Downtown Historic District formed in 2001, and producing another interactive GIS map which adds an archaeology layer. The GIS staff at the City continually develop and upload maps on a number of topics. There is one map that I use often that identifies our historic resources just by clicking on any location.  Find other maps on the City's website, although you may have to click through the different pages to locate what you want. It's not the most user-friendly site.

There are a number of opportunities for you to become involved in planning for the future in several areas. There will be a review of the city's Comprehensive Plan and its historic preservation component beginning this Spring. An advisory committee on public archaeology/Chinese Shrine project has also been formed and desires public input. Check out the websites we highlighted above or contact Kimberli by email or phone at 503.540.2397.  Our community is ever so much better when we are involved in making it so.

January 4, 2018 Episode.
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As we enter into our fourth year of this broadcast adventure, Christy, Jim and I were reminiscing about the great opportunities we had in 2017 through our new Yesterday's Voices series to share the stories of some very wonderful folks who have lived in our area for many years.
 
2017 was the year Christy joined us as co-host and brought forth this idea to do a series of personal interviews with some of the "living legends" who helped shape the personality of our town and its environs. As you recall, Christy is an avid genealogist and loves to discover family connections through the years. She views history as it affects families, so she fits right in with our philosophy of making history meaningful in our contemporary lives.