July 30, 2015 Episode 

Located in an area settled by some of our very first settlers, Lee Mission Cemetery in the 2100 Block of D Street in northeast Salem holds the remains of many early Methodist missionaries, including Reverend Jason Lee of the original 1834 Willamette Mission.  The president of their board of directors, Stephenie Flora, joined us today and shared some of her vast knowledge of this historic site as well as other aspects of Oregon history.  The cemetery was first developed in 1838, and by 1842 held the remains of Jason Lee's first and second wives and infant children.  Due to swampy, unhealthy conditions, in 1841 the Mission and Indian Manual Training School were moved further south to a location on Mill Creek (960 Broadway Street NE, currently) where a lumber mill and grist mill were soon constructed.  Some of the original buildings from this site were relocated to the Willamette Heritage Center complex in more recent times. 

Stephenie's family came to Oregon in 1847 and never left; one branch, the Rev. W.R. Pattys, even donated the land for the northern part of this cemetery.  She has been compiling vast libraries of family geneaology over the years.  She has developed a website, Oregonpioneers.com, where she shares with the public a broad database of Oregon pioneer history.   She and a network of fellow history enthusiasts continue to research and expand this database.

As is the case with so many of our historic sites, Lee Mission Cemetery is a private non-profit and receives no support from the City or County.  They have recently opened up an area for new burials to help with the maintenance costs, and have received a grant to rebuild the front entrance.  They are always looking for volunteers to help them maintain and preserve this wonderful resource.  If you'd like more information on ways to help, or help with locating the burial site of a family member, please check out their website: LeeMissionCemetery.org.

July 23, 2015 Episode

Elisabeth Walton Potter, long-time Salem area historian and preservationist, regaled us with the history of this early Salem cemetery located south of the Downtown Historic District at Commercial and Hoyt Streets SE. 

Known originally as the Odd Fellows Rural Cemetery, the cemetery was opened in 1854 by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a fraternal organization.  In September of 2013, the cemetery was  listed on the National Register of Historic Places under this original name.  The 17-acre park has been owned by the City of Salem since 1954.  The Salem Pioneer Cemetery website describes its significance as being an outstanding cultural landscape in the 19th century Rural Cemetery tradition and as the final resting place of founders and leaders of Oregon government, institutions, commerce, and industry.

The public is always welcome to visit the cemetery to enjoy its beauty, history, and serenity.   Maps of the cemetery and burial records are available at the cemetery and on their website, should you be interested in locating a specific grave.

The cemetery has been maintained by the City of Salem with major assistance from the Friends of Pioneer Cemetery.  They are always looking for more volunteers to help them care for the beautiful grounds as well as the headstones, and are happy to provide you the training to do this properly.  You can contact the Friends through the Cemetery website, or contact Tibby Larson at the Park Operations division of the City's Public Works Department.

July 9, 2015 Episode

What does the history of Silverton and the story of the Davenport Family have in common?  You will be happy to learn it's a man with a passion for learning more about them both, Gus Frederick, author of Images of America: Silverton by Arcadia Publishing.  Gus's long involvement with the Silverton Country Historical Society lead to his taking on this project about his adopted hometown and learning about the stories behind the photographs--stories of its early years, its growth into a city, and its cadre of characters.  Silverton was the home of the first college west of the Rockies not supported by a religious institution, Liberal University, which garnered countrywide interest for its broad array of programs.

Gus has also long been researching local celebrity cartoonist Homer Davenport and his family.  Homer worked for the William Randolph Hearst newspapers and was the highest-paid cartoonist of his time.  He was also instrumental in bringing the first Arabian horses to the United States, gifts from the king of Arabia in the Ottoman Empire, and the Davenport line of Arabian horses remains famous and viable to this day.  His father T.W. Davenport also had a long and active history in early Oregon, known both for his service to Oregon nationally in many roles and the many journals he wrote documenting his experiences of those years which give us great insight into those times.  Gus will be doing a presentation on Homer Davenport during Silverton's annual "Homer Davenport Community Celebration" August 8 at 1:30 and 3:00 p.m. at the Silver Falls Public Library.  We're sure you'll enjoy this as much as we will!

You can find Images of America: Silverton as well as  Gus's other book, The Annotated Cartoons by Davenport, available at the Willamette Heritage Center, Books & Time in Silverton, the Silverton Country Historical Society, and at his website: liberaluniversity.org.