 Methodist Mission (V. Green Coll.) |  1889 Thomas Kay Woolen Mill c1905 (V. Green Coll.) |
September 30, 2015 Episode.
Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. We read this everyday...America needs more jobs! It was no different in the 1800s and probably will always be a national hue and cry. When Jason Lee and the early Methodist Mission and the resident Hudson Bay trappers were trying to tame this frontier area, they needed to attract and keep more settlers to help with this great endeavor. Missionaries were necessary, of course, but so were ranchers, farmers, and merchants to support the new community. Flooding required relocating the mission further south to an area called "Chemeketa" by the Kalapuyas at the confluence of Mill Creek and the Willamette River, an area now know as North Broadway, where a lumber mill was built to utilize the abundant water power. A second parsonage was built south of the Mission's training school on the site that Thomas Kay would later build a woolen mill in 1889.
Jobs. Jobs. Jobs. We read this everyday...America needs more jobs! It was no different in the 1800s and probably will always be a national hue and cry. When Jason Lee and the early Methodist Mission and the resident Hudson Bay trappers were trying to tame this frontier area, they needed to attract and keep more settlers to help with this great endeavor. Missionaries were necessary, of course, but so were ranchers, farmers, and merchants to support the new community. Flooding required relocating the mission further south to an area called "Chemeketa" by the Kalapuyas at the confluence of Mill Creek and the Willamette River, an area now know as North Broadway, where a lumber mill was built to utilize the abundant water power. A second parsonage was built south of the Mission's training school on the site that Thomas Kay would later build a woolen mill in 1889.
 (Contemporary Photos by T.N. Green) |  |
Kay's woolen mill and its supporting structures served the Salem area well for many, many years--seeing us through two World Wars and beyond. It "retired" in 1962 and was resurrected as Mission Mill Museum in 1964, and continues to serve our community today. In 2010, Mission Mill Museum joined with Marion County Historical Society to form the Willamette Heritage Center to provide a hub for historic preservation and education for the area. The five-acre complex contains five National Register properties, two of which are the oldest existing wooden structures west of the Mississippi: the 1841 Jason Lee House, the 1841 Methodist Parsonage, the 1849 John D. Boon House, the 1858 Pleasant Grove (Condit) Church, and the 1889 Thomas Kay Woolen Mill.
Bob H. Reinhardt, former History professor at Western Oregon University and new executive director at WHC, joined us today to share his enthusiasm about the Center's board of directors' adoption of their updated strategic plan. Bob said that their goal was to make their historical information more relevant to us in the contemporary world, and to encourage continued interaction for all age groups. They plan to expand their already-popular youth programs, develop more interactive exhibits attractive to all generations, and provide even more informational and entertaining programs and exhibits to keep us all coming again and again.
This fall their focus will be on Textiles, as would befit the mill's history. One that particularly interests me is "What I Wore", an exhibit of rarely displayed clothing and accessories from WHC's collection, which is open through December 23, 2015. You can check out this exhibit and find about other events at their website.
I wanted to be sure you knew about their Fall Gala: Swingin' on a Star which is set for October 9, 5:30-9:30 p.m. This 1940s-themed fundraiser will feature cocktails and appetizers, a gourmet dinner, silent and live auctions, and dancing to the Bobwhite Big Band. So get out your glitzy gowns, gloves and fascinators, top hats and Fedoras, and your dancing shoes! What a fun way to support another Local Treasure!
This fall their focus will be on Textiles, as would befit the mill's history. One that particularly interests me is "What I Wore", an exhibit of rarely displayed clothing and accessories from WHC's collection, which is open through December 23, 2015. You can check out this exhibit and find about other events at their website.
I wanted to be sure you knew about their Fall Gala: Swingin' on a Star which is set for October 9, 5:30-9:30 p.m. This 1940s-themed fundraiser will feature cocktails and appetizers, a gourmet dinner, silent and live auctions, and dancing to the Bobwhite Big Band. So get out your glitzy gowns, gloves and fascinators, top hats and Fedoras, and your dancing shoes! What a fun way to support another Local Treasure!
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