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.
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.
Ed Viesko & Claude Post at Willamette University Fine Arts Bldg. 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.
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.
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