Making the Beekman House More Visitor-Friendly
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Making the Beekman House more visitor-friendly by Amelia Chamberl ain f you've driven by the comer of • provide access to the Laurelwood and California streets summer kitchen; in Jacksonville lately, you've • adjust thresholds in probably noticed something new doorways to allow at the Beekman House. Accessible easier passage by parking and walkways are being built to wheelchairs; make the site available to more people. • create a video to The interior of the "woodshed" has been provide an alternate remodeled to provide an mientation space form of access to for visitors to Beekman House, and the the second floor of bathrooms are being updated. Eventually, the house; we'll connect to the trail system recently • provide a place to developed behind the Beekman House view the video; and by the city of Jacksonville and the • remodel bathrooms Woodlands Association. to current ADA The remodeling project began with standards. a Facility and Program Accessibility All of this is being Evaluation done in November 1995 for done with minimal all Society sites. Several situations were impact to the historic identified and have been corrected at the integrity of the site. History Center. A chair lift was installed During its days as a The Beekman House appears today much as it did in this last year at the U.S . Hotel. (Above A.D. home for Jacksonville 1926 photo. The challenge is to maintain the home's historic A. Compliances made possible through banker C. C. Beekman character while making it more accessible to disabled visitors. theW. E. Thomas bequest.) Other and his family, the lot situations at the museums in Jacksonville consisted of three acres inside a fence and The yard has also undergone a number are being evaluated and addressed as another ten beyond. A two-story barn of changes over the years. The Society resources permit. stood much farther back on the southwest laid a brick sidewalk in 1966, using bricks Early last year, the Society made corner of the lot. The structure appeared fired at a late 1800s Kanaka Flats plans to address the following situations at on Sanborn Insurance maps for the first brickyard just west of Jacksonville to Beekman House: time in 1898. The barn remained on the give the look of an early brick walkway. • create an accessible parking space; lot for many years - well into the (In 1967, the Society began offering • correct the slope of the brick walkways twentieth century. guided tours of the Beekman House, and to make them less steep; The site of the building currently in 1984, the first living history tours being remodeled has had other began.) In 1974 a new fence was placed modifications. From the 1880s through around the property, and in 1978, the back at least 1907, there appears to have yard was terraced and bricked in around been a somewhat primitive wooden the well to correct a drainage problem. structure surrounded first on two sides, You're invited to see the new visitor and then on three, by lean-to awnings facilities and to visit with the Beekman or additions of some kind. In 1913, Mr. House living history family daily from Beekman paid $21.55 for the building 1:00 to 5:00p.m. beginning opening day of a woodshed at the house. of the summer season, Saturday, May 29, through Labor Day. Volunteers are currently being recruited to serve as greeters and act the parts of the Beekman family, friends, and relatives. Call 541-773-6536 for more information Visitors unable to reach the second about this program. I floor of the Beekman House can still take a peek at these nineteenth Amelia Chamberlain is programs century bedrooms on a videotape director for the Southern Oregon shown in a wheelchair accessible Historical Society. outbuilding on the Beekman grounds. 2 VOL . 1, NO. 5 Vol. 1, No. 5 May 1999 SOUTHERN OREGON HERITA<f~ FEATURE Frenchglen the Hard Way .••••••• 8 A road trip to remember in Eastern Oregon by Pat Paeper Our Own Voices: Feature: Frenchglen The Beekman House is getting the Hard Way easier to navigate DEPARTMENTS Our Own Voices . • . • . • • • 2 Making the Beekman House more visitor-friendly by Amelia Chamberlain Sunday Driving • • . • . • . • • • • . • • • 4 Table Rock Challenger by William Alley Sunday Driving: From the Collections: From the Collections. ..... 5 Table Rock Challenger The Beekman House Welcome to the Beekmans' home by Mary Ames Sherret The SOHS News and Notes ...•.. 6 Rooted in Pioneers : Exhibits and program updates and calendar History: Mysterious Manzanita William Rooted in History • . • . • . • • 14 Bybee Manzanita: the "little apple" by Donn L. Todt and Nan Hannon SOUTI-IERN OREGON HERITAGE TODAY Members' and Donors' Corner. 15 Editorial Guidelines ature articles average 3.000 to 4,000 (pre-ed ited) words. Olher materials range from 500 to I ,000 words. RElectronic submissions are accepted on 3-1/4-inch disks The Pioneers • . •• • •• 16 and should be accompanied by a hard-copy printouL Cite all sources and construct endnotes and cutlines using the Chicago Manual of Style. The author is responsible for verification of Bybee of bridge fame cited facts. A selection of professional, unscreencd photographs and/or line rut should accompany submission byJamee Rae black-and-white or color. The Southern Oregon Hi storical Society reserves the right to use Society images in place of submiued material. All material should be labeled with author's name, mailing address, and telephone number. Manuscripts will be returned if accompanied by a self· addressed envelope stamped wilh sufficient postage. Authors ON THE COVER should provide a brief autobiographical note at lhe end of manuscripts. The Southern Oregon Historical Society secures rights to Society living history volunteers David Rishell full and final editing of all manuscripts, layout design, and one·time North American serial rights. Aulhors wi ll be and Jean Ayers portray Cornelius and Julia notified of acceptance of manuscripts within ninety days of receiving materials. ln most cases, payment is upon publication. Somhem Oregon Heritage Today takes great care Beekman, giving visitors a warm welcome at with all submitted material, but is not responsible for damage or loss. Only photocopies of irreplaceable original historical the Beekman House and adding a personal documents should be submitted. Facts, views, and opinions expressed in signed submissions are lhose of lhe author and do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints or opinions of dimension to this historic home. See articles Sowht m Oregon Heritage Today or the Southern Oregon HistoricaJ Society. on pages 2 and 5. Southern Oregan Historical Society Ann Moore, Medford, ~KOND \1CE.WESo;DfNr Magazine StaH Southern Oregan Heritage Today is produced Board af Trustees Alice Mullaly, Central Point, TREASuRER Cynthia Wicklund, mcurr.1 AKJSIANI/CO.'MUNGJIONS using Quark XPress on Macintosh computers and is Stuart Allan, Medford Marjorie Overland, Medford ((X)I;:DHAIOR printed by Rom Offset lithographer!. Allen Alsing, Ashland, 11Rsr VlCE.f'I<LSIOfNT Bill Powell, <:.vEST WITOR Vernon Arnold, Medford, PRESIC£NT Administrative StaH Dana Hedrick-Earp, rHorcx:;>'APHH Copyright 1999 by Southern Oregon Historical Cheryl Breeden, Medford Brad Linder, D:rcvrM ~~EcroR Maggie James, INHPN PHO T CG~ER ASSIS !At'oll Society, ISSN #1082·2003. All rights reserved. No Chuck Eccle•ton, Medford Maureen Smith, FI NANn/of'I:~.Al lONS ~H c r m port of this publication may be printed or electronically f'IKXj.Vo.1& duplicated without the written permission of the H. Wolter Emori, M.D., Jacksonvi ll e Amelia Chamberlain, DI RECTOR ARr D.RE CHCN p,y Daeryl lewis Joyce Hail icko , BuHe Falls Susan Cox·Smith, M.EMBE ~ SHIP COORDINAJ OR Southern Oregon Historical Society. Nancy Hamlin , Medford Collections/Research Library StaH SOLITIIERN Reeve Henn ion, Jacksonville Southern Oregon Heritage Today is published Mary Ames Sheret, cuPAJOR OF cou rcnor--~s At~o fxHMS tt.!~ lawson lnado, Ashland monthly by the Southern Oregon Historical Society. Jacque Sundstrand, usRARY/A.I1CHMS coo~oiNATOR IIII l )REl;l )N lono McGraw Boldt, Ashla nd Editorial offices ore at the Southern Oregon History Carol Harbison-Samuelsen, UBPAitY 1-.\AJ'.IAGER/FK:lro ARCHrv1sr IIII HISTORICAL Nancy McGrew, Jacksonville, SECR£IAAY Center, 106 N. Central Ave., Medford, OR 97501 ·5926. William Alley, AACH\1Sr/HtS TOR!At\l .!!!!. SOCII·TY Table oc Cha enger by William Alley At left, Medford photographer Burhl Harwood recorded Hugo Lange's progress as he climbed Table Rock in his 1929 Essex Challenger. The route to the top of Lower Table Rock is now a popular hiking trail (see map below). he usual tranquility of Table At 7:30 in the morning of June 25, actual elapsed running time of a mere Rock was disrupted early in Lange, at the wheel of the Essex, left thirty-five minutes. At no time, it was the morning of June 25, 1929, Medford for Table Rock. Upon reaching reported, had the water temperature in the by the unfamiliar sound of an the base of Table Rock, final preparations radiator exceeded 108 degrees. internal combustion engine. were made for the ascent up the steep and Once on top, Lange drove his car to the TThe cause of this raucous intrusion on the difficult track, little more than a rutted trail rim, crossing 100 yards ofrock-strewn butte's usual serenity was a 1929 model in some spots. Among those along to ground "while the COPCO movie camera Essex Challenger stock sedan climbing the witness "the greatest test on motor ground out foot after foot of hair raising steep trail in an effort to become the first stamina ever accomplished in southern action pictures." At the rim the Essex was automobile to reach the summit of the Oregon," were Ernest White, shop parked and Lange and the others posed for locallandrnark.