May 19, 2018 Episode.
Every few months, the City of Salem's Historic Preservation Officer, Kimberli Fitzgerald, joins us to report on local preservation projects and happenings. This time, Kimberli's report had an international component that reminds us that our local history connects us here as well as around the globe.

Kimberli reported that redevelopment proposals are also anticipated in the coming year for the Marion Car Park on Commercial Street NE, the vacant McMahon's Furniture site on State Street, and the recently demolished Belluschi Building/First National Bank site on Liberty Street NE. As these proposals will all be reviewed by the HLC, public input is welcome. Additionally, she reported on the formation of a Main Street group working on improvements in the Downtown Historic District. They are currently researching the history of the alleyways in the downtown core and hope to showcase them in future projects. If you are interested in being on the mailing list for information on any of these projects, please contact Kimberli at [email protected].

Salem once had a thriving Chinatown, beginning in the 1860s until it was condemned in 1903 following the Chinese Exclusionary Act of 1882. In the photo above, left, George Sun, his daughter Mary Lai, and his son Woo Lai  are pictured in his store. In the photo above, right, Mr. Sun is pictured with Dr. Kum Bow Wo, a prominent physician. George Sun was the "mayor of Chinatown." His headstone was one of those recently discovered at Salem's Pioneer Cemetery as part of the Chinese Shrine public archaeology project. One of the goals of the HLC is to interpret the history of the under-represented or marginalized communities in Salem, and the Chinese community is their first endeavor.

Kimberli and the Chinese Shrine advisory group have been working with researchers at Wuyi University in Jiangmen, Guangdong Province, China, who have a Root Tracing program for Chinese immigrants. These headstones are typically engraved with the family's ancestral heritage which can be traced back to their original villages. Traditionally, the bones were disinterred to be sent back to China within 10 years of death so that families could stay together in eternity. Unfortunately, after the Communist Revolution in 1948-49, the last shipment of bones of 600 people from Salem and Portland was turned away at the Chinese port and languished in a "bone house" for many years. Kimberli will be traveling to China soon to trace these roots as part of the research for her master of archeology thesis, a very interesting, albeit lengthy, document which contains many more photographs. Feel free to contact Kimberli for more information on this document.  

And lest you forget, May is National Historic Preservation month. Salem events include the History Fair at the Capitol Building (including tours up into the Gold Man), the HLC's Historic Photo Contest, and the annual awarding of the Virginia Green and Ben Maxwell awards by the HLC for recognition of individual preservation efforts and the best preservation project. You'll want to check  them all out!

April 5, 2018 Episode.
In this 1895 photograph, the earliest house photo in the collections of Deepwood Museum & Gardens , Deepwood House appears quite stately even before its glorious gardens were installed. 

Yvonne Putze, the Executive Director of Deepwood Museum & Gardens, joined us to share her vision and plans for this long-time Salem treasure.​ Although originally from the midwest where she was involved in nonprofit leadership and then corporate marketing positions, Yvonne moved to Salem fourteen years ago but was hired as the Executive Director here about 1.5 years ago--the perfect position to meld her desire to return to the world of nonprofits with her passion for history and the sharing of that history. She went on to explain that the Friends of Deepwood, a nonprofit organization, operates the five-acre venue which includes the Victorian Queen Anne home, the carriage house, the original gazebo, formal and border gardens, and an extensive natural plant area.  

The house was originally built in 1893-94 for Dr. Luke A. Port on land in the Yew Park Addition east of Pringle Creek. Dr. Port, a pharmacist and speculator, hired young architect W.C. Knighton to design a home "with all the modern conveniences" including all electric light fixtures (the home was located near the electric trolley lines, thus allowing electrical service several years before the majority of Salem homes.) Knighton would later design such landmarks as the Oregon Supreme Court Building (1914), The Governor Hotel (1909) and the (North) Salem High School (1937), and become Oregon's first State Architect. 

Yvonne shared her plans for the future of this resource,  including ensuring their financial stability, both now and in the future; securing a long-term, intergenerational volunteer base; and developing a marketing plan that appeals to all age groups. She continues to strive for doing the best with their collections, and to this end they have opened displays in two previously vacant rooms--a servant's quarters, and another bedroom--that reflect what home life was like in the years in which the home held families.  Deepwood was built to be a family residence and served as hearth and home for four families for more than seven decades. 

Deepwood Museum & Gardens continues to serve families, both those visiting Salem and those who live here. Ongoing events, such as the Erythronium plant sale, Easter Egg hunts, and Mothers' Day teas in the spring, along with garden parties, fashion shows, monthly high teas, Halloween and Christmas open houses, continue to showcase Deepwood's long tradition of opening its doors to host the community.  To learn about upcoming events, checkout their website.  For lots of historic and event photographs, check out their Facebook page.