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.  

Experience “spirited” Jacksonville evenings when Historic Jacksonville shares tales of woe, sorrow, and regret–not to mention brothels, epidemics, saloons, and hangings–in its monthly Jacksonville Haunted History walking tours.

Plan to join costumed docents between 11am and 4pm, Thursday through Monday from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, when the Beekman Bank Museum, the oldest bank in the Pacific Northwest, is open for “Behind the Counter” tours.

Learn about Victorian Medicine on Saturday, August 19, when the Beekman House Museum‘s Victorian Days features “From Practice to Profession.” Costumed docents discuss the local health care available in the late 1800s when most doctors were still “practitioners” lacking any formal medical education; hospitals were virtually non-existent; epidemics wiped out large numbers of residents; and cocaine, heroin, opium, mercury, and strychnine were the base of many medicines.  

Time travel to Depression Era Jacksonville on Saturday, August 26, with the Beekman House Museum‘s “1932 Living History”!  Meet and interact with Beekman family members and friends as they close up the family home, comment on current affairs, and reminisce about growing up in the late 1800s in Jacksonville’s most prominent pioneer family.

And be sure 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.