Quarterly Newsletter Vol. 24 #1— Spring 2012

Siuslaw Pioneer Museum Association, Inc.

a non-profit Corporation

Spring Calendar

Apr 27 - Story Time 7 pm at SPM

John Baker

May 14 - Board Meeting 10 am at SPM

May 25 - Story Time 7 pm at SPM

La Vaughn Kemnow

Jun 11 - Board Meeting 10 am at SPM Jun 29 - Story Time 7 pm at SPM

to be announced

Museum Hours Feb - Apr & Oct - Dec

Tues. through Sun. (Closed Mondays)

May 1 - Sep 30 Mon. through Sun.

(7 days a week) Closed January

12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Phone (541) 997-7884

E-mail - museum@winfinity.com www.SiuslawPioneerMuseum.com

Mark Your CalendarMark Your CalendarMark Your CalendarMark Your Calendar Pioneer Picinic

Saturday, August 11th at 10:00am Lunch at 12:00 noon

Elks Campground/RV Park on Mercer Lake Road.

Check out the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum’s Website

www.SiuslawPioneerMuseum.com

Since the last newsletter, we have added several new sections on the museum’s web page.

♦ The indexes of the 35 volumes of The Siuslaw Pioneer are listed in the Cultural History section. If you are looking for a particular story, this may help you find it.

♦ The From the Past section contains various historical articles including several written by Louis Campbell and Florence Firsts compiled by Adele O’Boyle the museum librarian.

♦ Can’t remember when a museum event is scheduled? Then check the Calendar on the web site where the current schedule is posted as well as future events.

♦ If you have any corrections or suggestions for the web page, you can leave a message for anyone on the Contact Us list.

Siuslaw Pioneer Museum News 2

STORY TIME

April 27 – 7 p.m.

John Baker, author of “Camp Adair” will be sharing memo-ries of Oregon/Florence during

World War II.

May 25 – 7 p.m.

La Vaughn Kemnow, will share her father’s book

“Confessions of a Poacher”.

June 29 – 7 p.m.

To be announced. This slot is still available.

July 27 – 7 p.m.

To be announced. This slot is still available.

August 25

Mark your calendar for a very special event at the museum.

Details coming soon…..

will be served. Please join us for Story Time at 7:00 pm on the last Friday of each month at the Museum.

The public is invited. Admission is free and refresh-

ments will be served.

If you or someone you know has stories to share about growing up in the area, or tidbits to share that

helped share our area into the won-derful place we love, please call

Shirley Hunt 541-991-0419, or e-mail shirley@oregonfast.net

GIFT SHOP NEWS

We have a variety of books, maps and charts. We will also have a mixture of syrups, jams and

honey. We still have the hand towels and scarves. We have sock coin purses, some of

which are Christmas patterns. Some of the totes are holiday patterns also. We have a variety of pot holders, mitts, hand knit dish cloths, and hot pads.

Come see us -- you might find something you or a friend can use.

Take a Tour of the Museum...

Here is a overview of one of the display rooms at the museum.

Moving back to the landing, visitors entering the large room on

the west side of the upper floor will find many artifacts of

Native American origin. They include arrowhead displays,

basketry, mortars & pedestals, clothing, and some

photographs. A large display of photographs of Florence and

surrounding areas are also on display in this area. Other

miscellaneous artifacts, including a large shell collection, are

also to be found in this area. During the annual Rhododendron

Festival this area and the Military Room house a display that

features the history, photographs, stories and remembrances of

the event. This space is also used as a general meeting room.

On the last Friday of each month, February through October,

the Museum presents Story time. Descendants of pioneer

families, authors, and others present stories about the history,

anecdotes and lives of the folks who lived, died, worked, and

played in greater Siuslaw River Basin area.

Siuslaw Pioneer Museum News 3

Siuslaw Pioneer Museum (541) 997-7884

2nd & Maple Streets P.O. Box 2637

Florence, OR 97439

e-mail: museum@winfinity.com

Siuslaw Pioneer Museum Board of Trustees 2012

Board Officers

President: Del Phelps Vice President: Steve Skidmore

Treasurer: Lonnie Iholts Secretary: Tina Shoys

Regular Trustees Virginia Carroll

Shirley Hunt Pete Shoys

Stu Johnston

Ex-Officio Trustees Jean Chapman Fred Jensen

Marteen Wick Robert Richardson

Harry Zinn Dorie Miles Jeff Williams

Adele O’Boyle

Board Meetings are held

the 2nd Monday of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the museum

meeting room, upstairs, 2nd & Maple Streets.

These meetings are open to all members.

The Siuslaw Pioneer Museum News is published quarterly by the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum Editor: Dianna Kramer dkramer@presys.com

News items may be submitted for the next issue Jun 15, 2012

We reserve the right to edit or reject any article.

Legacy Fund Checks

Those that wish to pledge, or have already pledged, to the

“S.P.M. Legacy Fund”

for the purpose of “Paying down the

building debt”,

please make checks payable to:

“S.P.M. Legacy Fund Drive”

Mail check to: Siuslaw Pioneer

Museum PO Box 2637

Florence, OR 97439

ENDOWMENT FUND

An Endowment Fund in the Museum’s name has been

established with many financial gifts from our members.

Donors who wish to contribute to this

fund should make the check payable to:

“Western Lane Community Foundation”

and specify “Siuslaw Pioneer

Museum Endowment” on the check.

Mail check to: Siuslaw Pioneer Museum

P. O. BOX 2637 FLORENCE, OR 97439

Please keep in mind that checks speci-fied to the endowment are to be used as specified by the endowment maker

for special projects or the general endowment

held by the foundation.

Jean Chapman “The Lady With a Heart of Gold”

This is about a wonderful lady who gives to the Museum in so many ways! She bakes cookies (really good ones) for just about everything that happens at the museum, board meetings, story times, every special

event and on and on. She makes coffee too and serves it. She helps manage the gift shop. She serves on the board, currently as secretary. She tenaciously and faithfully records every hour that all who volunteer at the museum work. She has been doing this for many years with a heart of gold, a smile for everyone, and she tells it like it is! The fact that she is so honest and willing to be up-front makes her an excellent board member. She works with the displays and the clothing and mannequins for the various seasons. She has been very generous with our legacy program as well, which is very much appreciated. So, won’t all of you please join us with congratulations to Jean Chapman and help me shine the Spotlight on her for being the

special person that she is.

Del Phelps - Board President

Spotlight on Board Member

Siuslaw Pioneer Museum News 4

THE LITTLE TOWN THAT WAS In 1884 Captain W.A. Cox and Dr. John Frederick William Saubert arrived aboard a 24’ schooner named “Escape”. They had a load of household goods, which they took off the boat up the Siuslaw River about 3 miles above Florence.

Captain Cox retired from the sea and built a home on the north shore of the river, not far from the present site of Cushman. His wife and two children joined him and were the first residents of the little town they called Acme.

Dr. Saubert built his home just a little west of the Cox home, up on a hill. He also built the first permanent sawmill on the river. Lumber was plentiful, and ships were needed to carry the loads to other ports. Acme because just as important as Florence for shipping and boat building, with Dr. Saubert having his own schooner named after the town. She was the first ship built on the Siuslaw, launched September 15, 1887. Dr. Saubert also took over a salmon cannery in addition to his sawmill and his duties as a doctor. In addition to all of those duties, he also served as the postmaster for Acme.

A plat for the town of Acme was approved by the Lane County Clerk in June of 1890, and the little town began to grow, along with its neighbor, Florence.

In 1895, Kyle & Cushman sold shares to build a three master schooner. She was launched at Acme in January of 1897 and christened the “Bella”. Her total construction cost was $15,000. In July of 1896, a new wharf was completed on the river just above Acme. It was 40’ x 60’ with a 20’ x 40’ saltery, which was described as the best on the river. This was completed by Christensen Brothers.

By 1900, Acme had a population of 59, compared to about 300 for Florence. All of the businesses that developed in Acme were dependent upon shipping schedules, and the economy felt the effects of the dangerous bar conditions at the mouth of the Siuslaw River. The railroad from Eugene to Coos Bay crossed the river at Acme in 1915, and the town of Acme became known as Cushman. Eventually the canneries closed as the fish supply dwindled. When the coast highway links were completed in 1938, the old town of Acme was remembered only by the local old timers.

THE GLENADA ODD FELLOWS HISTORIC CEMETERY The cemetery was established in 1892 by Heceta Lodge #111 of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. There are 135 known burials, with other undocumented ones suspected. As of 2003, it was determined that only about half of the burials originally had headstones.

Among the first documented burials were August Olsen (1893) and Lucy Johnson (1893). The last burial there was Dustin Eichelberger in 2000. One person who has a headstone there (Abner Miner) is actually buried in the Mapleton IOOF Cemetery.

The majority of the people buried were born in the United States, but there were also many immigrants: Germany (9), Canada (7), Norway (5), Italy (3), Sweden (3), Austria-Hungary (1), China (1), Denmark (1), England (1), and Mexico (1). There are also five Civil War veterans buried in the cemetery.

The Siuslaw Genealogical Society researched all of the individuals buried in the cemetery in 2003, and their research was written up by Kevin Mittge. It was published as a book entitled “Tangled Grass: The Story of Those Buried in the Glenada, Oregon Odd Fellows Cemetery”.

In 2001 the Glenada Odd Fellows Cemetery Association was formed to help restore, preserve, maintain and interpret the cemetery and its history. Ownership of the cemetery was transferred from the Odd Fellows Lodge to the Association. With the help of grants and fundraisers, the Association is now in the process of installing gravestones for all of the unmarked graves. For further information, please contact the Association thru their website at http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~orgofca or thru their mailing address of P.O. Box 1162, Florence, Oregon 97439.

Siuslaw Pioneer Museum News 5

President’s Message Delbert Phelps, SPM President

I am happy to report that so far this year that we have opened on schedule on the first of February and all systems are in “Go Mode”. Our preventative maintenance by Bob Richardson “Modest Amount each year” is paying off. With all of the wind and rain this year, we had virtually no leaks on walls or windows. We did have to remove a tree at the corner of the parking lot that had roots lifting the pavement. The tilting information Kiosk out front has been rebuilt with new treated material and is looking good. Our visitor numbers have been a little off so far this year but I think the weather may have been a factor. Our Heritage players are making costumes and gearing up to attend events and walk the streets as weather permits. This could be a fun thing to do, so if you have an interest just call Betty Johnson the group coordinator at 997-4258.

I am very pleased to announce that Steve Skidmore has joined our Board of Directors in the Vice President position. Steve has served as the Director at our public Library for many years and will bring new prospective and skills to our leadership team. So, when you see Steve, have a chat with him about the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum and let him know what your desires for the museum are. I do know that he desires to create a higher level of interaction be-tween the museum and the library at all levels. This could increase user ship and membership in both entities.

We are blessed with Board members and volunteers who give what they can in many different ways. I spoke about one such person elsewhere in this newsletter. But I did not tell the whole story. I spoke with her recently and dis-cussed with her the idea that telling her whole story may encourage someone else out there who learns about what she has done. It may be something they would feel good about doing in some way that fits them in their own cir-cumstances, and benefit the museum short and/or long term. She thought about it a bit and concluded that if it will benefit the museum, go for it. So here it is…The rest of the story… about… “The Lady With a Heart of Gold” Earl and Jean Chapman moved to Florence around 1970 and after they had gotten settled in Jean became involved with Eileen Huntington in her quest to have a museum in our community. We all know the story of how that came out and the acquiring of the church building south of town. Jean has volunteered in just about every capacity at the mu-seum since that opening day in 1971. So, forty one years of service, wow that is impressive! But it did not end there, and I have no idea of what or how much Jean has donated to the museum along the way in the way of funds or goods for projects or furnishings, or you name it, but I am sure it is substantial. Jean’s husband Earl, passed away a few years ago and Jean then redoubled her efforts at our museum and for other organizations as well. Then we fast forward to 2007, the museum’s first Legacy Dinner fund raiser to pay down our mortgage, and Jean stepped forward with a $5,000.00 pledge and paid it off in about three years. Then last year at our Legacy Dinner Jean gave a check for $10,000.00, the anonymous gift I spoke of at the dinner. And now this year just after the first of April she has given ahead of time for our legacy 2012 dinner a check for $25,000.00. Her legacy giving now totals $40,000.00, by far the largest of any individual level of giving to date. Still in addition to that Jean has made other arrangements for events down the road (hopefully a long time down the road) that will benefit the museum for many years to come. This is truly an amazing story of Jean Chapman’s love and generosity to our pioneer museum over time. I want all to know that Jean has resisted public recognition for any of this over the years. She is hopeful however, that others will, in their own way, follow in her footsteps. That my friends is the story of the “Lady with the Heart of Gold”

Please respect her shyness if any of you want to say thank or discuss this with Jean. If anyone wishes to discuss with me, ways in which you can help the pioneer museum, I will respect your confidentiality to the level that you desire.

~ Respectfully, Del Phelps

Building Report

The north and west side of the museum has been sealed and Painted also the pine tree on the north east corner of the parking lot has been removed, will be planting a small Rhododendron in that spot.

We will be washing off the moss on all railings and painting the parking lanes and curbing as soon as the weather improves. No major damage was done by the storms lost some shingles but these have

been replaced. ~ Bob Richardson, building maintenance

Siuslaw Pioneer Museum News 6

It is with extreme gratitude that we acknowledge our Sponsoring Businesses

Siuslaw News is another of our supporting members. Watch the news twice a week for articles on other activities that the museum may be

sponsoring.

Siuslaw Pioneer Museum News 7

Ada Grange #570

Burch’s Roofing, Inc.

Coastal Woman Vetrans

Davidson Industries

Florence Area Chamber Of Commerce

Florence Mini Storage, Inc.

Florence True Value

Goodman’s Floor Coverings

Hair, Etc.

Heceta Oddfellows Lodge #111

Honeyman Nursery and Landscaping

KCST Radio

Kitchen Klutter

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION : Name: ………………………………………………………………………………………………... Street Address or PO Box Number: ………………………………………………………………... City: ………………………………………………………... State: ……………….Zip:………….. Make checks payable to: Siuslaw Pioneer Museum, and mail to: Siuslaw Pioneer Museum, P.O. Box 2637, Florence, OR 97439 Individual:…………………$15.00 Friend ………………….$50.00 Family………….. ………... $20.00 Supporting:…………...$100.00 Organization ………. …….$25.00 Patron:……………….. $150.00 Business:……………….…..$30.00 Benefactor:……………$500.00 Sponsoring Business ….…..$50.00 Lifetime:…………….$1,000.00 (with business card display)

It is with extreme gratitude that we acknowledge our Sponsoring Businesses

Thanks to all our members! Although we cannot list individual members,

we’re proud to list the businesses and civic groups that have joined the Museum.

Koning & Cooper

Ladies of The Elks

Merchants Of Old Town

Miles Oil Company

Pier Point Inn

Pro Lumber, Inc.

Prudential Pacific Properties

R & R King Logging

River House Inn

Sea Lion Caves

Silver Lining Boutique

Three River’s Casino

Tony’s Garage

Siuslaw Pioneer Museum News 8

P. O. BOX 2637 FLORENCE, OR 97439

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Florence, Oregon

Published quarterly by the Siuslaw Pioneer Museum Association Inc., a non-profit corporation

The Siuslaw Pioneer Museum is now at 2nd and Maple Streets in Old Town, Florence. Call us at 997-7884

Your dues are due On this date.