By Melissa Wagoner The Silverton Country Historical Society is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2024 with banners, exhibits, promotional materials and events throughout the year including a Homer Davenport Community Festival parade float and a celebration in the fall. “We especially want to honor and thank our members, donors, supporters, and volunteers who have helped along the way,” Director Jeff […]
By Melissa Wagoner Silverton’s Christmas festivities are a tradition that goes back over 100 years, according to the information Silverton Country Historical Society member Chris Schwab found in back issues of The Silverton Appeal. “Some are blurry, some don’t have dates,” Schwab said of the articles, but all depict Christmas in Silverton as the most wonderful time of the year. […]
By Melissa Wagoner The Fischer Flouring Mill was once one of the most eye-catching pieces of architecture in Silverton. Located along Silver Creek – where Silver Falls Library and Old Mill Park are situated today – the mill utilized state of the art turbine-powered electricity to process various grains for farmers in the Silverton area for over 30 years before […]
By Melissa Wagoner When Homer Davenport expert, Gus Frederick, learned that the original of one of Davenport’s most famous cartoons was for sale by a private seller out of South Carolina he immediately made an offer. The deal took several months but eventually “Look Who’s Coming” made its way to Silverton. “It showed a barren tree, filled up with a multitude of different […]
At the Silverton Country Historical Society’s annual meeting vice president Fred Parkinson will present a talk about historic Silverton architecture, specifically a building that recently turned 100 years old. Now serving as the local branch of Citizens Bank, 217 E. Main St. started out in 1923 as the new building for Coolidge & McClaine Bank. Additionally, the meeting will showcase […]
By Melissa Wagoner A stroll through Mount Angel or Silverton can feel like a walk through the past – if you know where to look. Kennedy High, the Mount Angel Abbey, Coolidge McClaine Park, even Silver Creek – all of these landmarks are rooted in the past, their stories are sometimes obscured but not forgotten by the men and women […]
By Fred A. Parkinson Sometimes, things just work out. Through a serendipitous chain of events, a long-forgotten artifact has found its way back to its original neighborhood. As a member of the Silverton Country Historical Society with an avid interest Silverton’s architectural history, I was asked to compile the story of the former Silverton Flower Shop building at 311 N. […]
The Silverton Country Historical Society will hold its annual meeting at the Silverton Senior Center Saturday, Jan. 22, 1 p.m. All are welcome to attend. The meeting will begin with reports on membership, finances and election of new board members. There will also be a recap of the many activities the historical society is working on. This year’s program will […]
By Melissa Wagoner Norman English didn’t set out to become a writer. But when he retired from a career as a Field Officer working for Workman’s Comp of Oregon 13 years ago, writing found him. “I’ve always liked the process of writing,” English said. Recalling, “The first thing I printed was – we had a family reunion 20 years ago […]
By Fred A. Parkinson The Silverton Country Historical Society members recently installed new signage for the aerial observation post located in the front yard of the historical society museum, 428 S Water St. A small group of members were on hand on Friday, July 17 to remove the old weather-beaten unit from its support stand and install the new, updated […]
By Don Murtha Seaman First Class Carrol Gale (Ted) Greenfield of Silverton was serving aboard the USS Arizona when a Japanese aircraft bombed the battleship on Dec. 7, 1941 at Pearl Harbor. Greenfield is now entombed in the hull of the ship along with more than 1,000 other American servicemen. Father Richard Carberry of Silverton was an Army Chaplain in […]
By Kristine Thomas and Brenna Wiegand Community isn’t a “like” on Facebook, Cate Tennyson said. And, it’s more than homes clustered in a neighborhood. A member of the Silverton Grange, Tennyson believes “community is joining with other people to accomplish something.” “It’s feeling good about working together with others and making a difference,” she added. “Community is knowing your […]
Silverton residents have been robbed of two priceless pieces of history. Sometime between Feb. 1 and March 17, a thief took watches that once belonged to two men who played important roles in Silverton’s history – Homer Davenport and Bill McGinnis – from the Silverton Country Historical Society Museum, 428 S. Main St.
Carolyn Hutton’s heart belongs to Silverton, although she resides with her husband, Marlin, in Salem. “I’m a third-generation Silvertonian, and so is Marlin,” said Hutton, adding she and Marlin graduated from Silverton High School. As she prepares to retire as the volunteer curator for the Silverton Country Historical Museum, Hutton reflected on what she’s learned and contributed to the museum in the last decade.
Silverton Country Historical Society members invite community members to discover the historical treasures at the museum and see the addition to its 100-year-old building.
StoryCorps’ message is “Don’t wait.” The national oral-history project urges people to record true stories – memories, actually – of their favorite relatives, mentors, neighbors and friends, keeping history alive for future generations. It is all too common for those who remain behind to wonder after someone dies what life held for them, only to realize there’s no longer a way of knowing. Their curiosity will never be satisfied, because the only one who can answer is gone. Without written genealogies or written memoirs the stories vanish.
Silverton Country Historical Society is conducting a drawing for a limited-edition Oregon Sesquicentennial Pendleton blanket.
By Kathy Cook Hunter Outside the Silverton Country Historical Society museum sits a small, white structure, its many windows indicating what it once was – an aircraft observation post dating to 1942. Recently placed on South Water Street and renovated, it is a constant reminder to newcomers and old-timers alike of a different, less technological time in our history. […]
Oak Street Church is the setting of the Silverton Country Historical Society’s annual meeting, which will take place Saturday, Jan. 17, 2 p.m.
At the next meeting of Silverton Country Historical Society, Judy Lowery will talk about a statewide project, Oregon 150, which celebrates Oregon’s admission as a state 150 years ago. The public presentation takes place at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 20, in the SCHS museum, 428 S. Water St., Silverton. Lowery, an educator, will talk about sesquicentennial activities, which will run […]
By Linda Whitmore
Owners of old houses often wonder about the lives of the people who tread the stairs before them. Passers-by might be curious about how current residents live in a vintage home.
On Saturday, July 19, Silverton Country Historical Society’s “Within These Walls” home tour offers a peek into the parlors and porches of homes and businesses built before 1940 – and a couple of well-done recreations of vintage houses.
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