December 29, 2016 Episode.
In this episode, the last in our series featuring the Viesko/Neahring House, Salem's newest Local Historic Landmark, we had the opportunity to speak with the descendants of Ed and Marie Viesko, Al and Dave Gahlsdorf.  Local historic researcher Christy Van Heukelem located them during her nomination application research and introduced them to the new owner of their grandfather's house, Rick Neahring. They were able to shed even more light on the history of this property and that of their relatives.

Al said they had not been inside their grandparents' home for many years before the evening they met there with Rick and Christy. They said it was like walking into a time capsule as the restoration work Rick had completed was so authentic, breathing life back into the home they remembered so well. They had an opportunity to share old photographs and memories, providing Rick a vivid picture of earlier life in his new home. They shared memories of fishing and crabbing with Grandpa Ed, explaining the job Grandpa bestowed on them of "minding the crabs" so they didn't escape the backyard as they awaited cleaning and cooking--a heavy responsibility for these two.

The Gahlsdorf brothers have lived in the south Salem hills for all their lives, except for time spent at Oregon State University and in the military.  Their parents and grandparents all have long roots in the Salem area.  It was wonderful to hear them describe their memories of special family get-togethers at the home of their grandparents, who according to Dave, were a pretty colorful pair of characters--just the kind we all like. The brothers also shared amusing memories of growing up in Salem through their teen-age years:  schools they attended, driving the Friday-night car loop, adventures in the borrowed limousine belonging to friends whose parents owned and operated a local funeral home and cemetery.

We had such a delightful time listening to stories of earlier Salem from their perspective that we are hoping to seek out other long-time Salem-area folks who'd like to share their memories and stories with us.  If you are such a character, or know someone else who has great memories and stories, please contact us through the Contact Page on this website.  We'll let you know who and what we discover in the coming months.  

December 22, 2016 Episode.
​Rick Neahring, owner of the historic Viesko/Neahring, talked with us about his passion for the history of his home.  He remembers passing this house on his daily commute and thinking how much he liked its style and the surrounding neighborhood.  When he saw the For Sale sign go up, he made a point to tour the home and ended up purchasing it almost immediately.  The longer he has lived in the home, the more passionate he became about knowing more about the former owners.  He became acquainted with Christy Van Heukelem and her research business, and this interest to know more about the former owners took on a life of its own.  

Kimberli Fitzgerald, Salem's Historic Preservation Officer and our former co-host, joined in the discussion to tell us more about the Local Historic Landmark program, the benefits and responsibilities of owning a designated resource, and outlining the designation process. One of the major perks of such designation are the financial incentive programs available to help you maintain the resource.  She advised that a building can be considered historic for one of several criteria: its architectural significance, in that it's a significant example of a particular architectural style; its human significance, in that it's associated historically with people or organizations who contributed to the local community; or it cultural significance, in that it has contributed to the historic character of the neighborhood, district or city.

Christy provided us with a summary of Mr. Viesko's contributions to the public building inventory in Salem. She also described the steps she used to obtain the information need to complete the City's application for designation, and remarked that City staff were always available to help point her in the right direction to obtain whatever documentation was required. She advised that the designation process for Rick's house is very near completion. Within the next few weeks, the Salem City Council will hold a public hearing to gather input on the proposed ordinance that designates the Viesko/Neahring house as a Local Landmark. If approved, the home will be designated in statute.  [Note: The City Council officially approved his nomination application by time of this publication.]

Rick remarked that he did not begin this journey with the goal of designation; it just followed a natural progression.  His hope is that by designating his home as a local historic landmark, other property owners within his neighborhood might begin the research into the stories of their even grander homes. Most likely this research will reveal that their former owners were just as important to Salem's history as was Ed Viesko, the builder and owner of his home. For a list of Mr. Viesko's Salem projects, click here.

Salem was built through the foresight and hard work of many, many people, just working to support their families and building a community that could sustain them. There are those historic figures whom the public has officially recognized for their contributions to this effort, but there are so many other significant contibutions made by everyday folks just doing their jobs that will most likelly never be properly recognized. Let's hope that we discover even more of these everyday heroes as we continue to learn more about those who went before us.  

December 1, 2016 Episode.

Did you ever wonder about the people who lived in your house before you? What did they do for a living? How many kids did they have and what were their ages? Did they use these rooms for the same purposes we do? What family traditions were celebrated in this home?  
​     Today we met Rick Neahring who took that wondering to the next level and decided to research the history of his 1920s house in the Bush's Pasture Park neighborhood.  While performing cataract surgery, Rick, an opthomologic surgeon, realized that his patient, geneaologist Christy Van Heukelem, was willing to do this research...and the rest is, as they say, history.

Christy discovered for Rick that the house was built by Ed Viesko, a major contractor in Salem in the first half of the 20th century. Along with residential houses, Mr. Viesko was involved in the construction of many of our public buildings: the Meier & Frank (now Macy's) building, Marion County Courthouse, Oregon State Correctional Institute, Willamette University's Smith Auditorium and Bishop Medical Center buildings.  Christy was able to locate the local descendants of the Vieskos and arranged a meeting at the newly renovated house. A memorable evening was spent sharing stories and photographs.

If you'd like to research your home, Christy recommends beginning at the Salem Public Library where the reference librarians will help you get started using various resources such as old maps, street address charts, and city directories. From there, you will probably find yourself at the Marion County Assessor's office following the trail of previous property owners through tax and deed records. Who knows where the search may lead you or what treasures you may discover?  Additionally, the State Historic Preservation Office has a list of professional researchers (like Christy) whom you can hire to do more extensive research for you.

Rick told us that learning the history of his home and meeting family members who had lived and interacted within the house made his ownership more of a stewardship of a local legacy. When he originally told his contractors to restore the home to museum quality, he never imagined that he was already living in a museum.
  He suspects that many of the homes in his neighborhood have wonderful family histories that should be explored.  Perhaps you will find, as Rick did, that whatever drew you to the house you purchased was more than just coincidence.