Historic Jacksonville, Inc. brings the history of Jacksonville and Southern Oregon to life through tours, events, and activities that share the stories of the pioneers who settled the region following the discovery of gold in 1852.  

For the Victorians, death was an integral part of life, and they created elaborate rituals around the passing of a loved one.  Join us at Jacksonville’s historic Beekman House Museum on October 21st and 22nd for a look at Victorian Mourning Customs. 

The house is decorated as a Victorian house in mourning with wreath on the door, coffin in the parlor, mirrors draped in black, clocks stopped, and more.  Docents will be sharing mourning etiquette, fashion, social behavior, mementos and ways that the Victorians honored their “dearly departed.”  Tours begin every 15 minutes between 11 am and 3 pm.

Then join us again on December weekends when we’ll be celebrating a Victorian Christmas.

The cooler weather also has us back in great grandma’s attic and we’ve found some more 19th Century items that we need help identifying.  Check out our History Mystery here, on our Facebook page, or in the Jacksonville Review.

And don’t forget to “like” Historic Jacksonville, Inc. (historicjville) on Facebook for weekly snippets of local history each History Trivia Tuesday! 

 Jacksonville 1883 (lithograph)

When Oregon was admitted to the Union in 1859, Jacksonville was the largest inland trade center in the new state, and Jacksonville and its residents played a dominant role in early Oregon history and statehood. But when the railroad by-passed Jacksonville in the 1880s, the town slowly sank into oblivion. However, that oblivion also proved to be the town’s salvation, preserving the historic buildings, homes, and character that you see today—Jacksonville’s National Historic Landmark District. Today, these landmarks live again through the efforts of the City of Jacksonville, volunteers, and private owners so that you can again experience Jacksonville in its heyday.