Following the discovery of gold in the winter of 1851-2, Jacksonville, Oregon,
became a melting pot of races, classes, and cultures as ambitious individuals
pursued the promise of riches. The offer of free land brought settlers
seeking opportunity. The influx of miners and settlers attracted merchants
with goods to sell and opportunists of all kinds.
Historic Jacksonville, Inc. brings the history of Jacksonville and
Southern Oregon to life through the stories of the people, places, and things
that have contributed to who we are today.
We’ve just finished our last 2024 Haunted History walking tours,
but you can still experience how the spirits that linger in
Jacksonville’s National Historic Landmark District
were honored in the 19th century at their passing!
Victorian Mourning Customs
at Jacksonville’s 1870s Beekman House Museum!
October 19 & 20 – “Honoring the Dearly Departed”
Victorians created elaborate rituals around the passing of a loved one. The house will be decorated as a Victorian house in mourning— coffin in the parlor, clocks stopped, mirrors draped in black, mourning wreath on the door, and Victorian mourning clothing and hair jewelry and artwork on display. Costumed docents will share how the Victorians honored their “dearly departed” through fashions, home décor, funeral etiquette, and social behavior, as well as superstitions, séances, mementos, and a few popular practices of the time that we would find bizarre today.
Tours are $10 per person and reservations are required. You’ll find tickets and information at https://www.historicjacksonville.org/victorian-theme-tours/.
Then you’re in for some
Holiday History!
With homes and businesses already decorated for
Halloween
Historic Jacksonville, Inc. is sharing documented local pranks.
In 19th Century Jacksonville, Halloween was all tricks, no treats,
and of course, boys were the culprits.
William Puhl, who had a barbershop in the Masonic building, kept a milk cow at his residence. One Halloween, several boys decided to take the cow to the barbershop. Once the Puhl family was asleep, the boys stole “Bossy,” broke into the shop with a skeleton key, lured the cow in with bran, and then skedaddled. When Puhl arrived at his shop the next morning, he found that Bossy had kicked over the barber chair and had generously “painted” the mirror, floor, etc. We would not have wanted to be one of his customers that day!
Click here then click on Halloween to read about 2 more 19th century pranks!
And have you
heard about
Jacksonville’s
New Museum?
Ariel and Caliban, two of our Walkabout Wednesday tour guides, are visiting Jacksonville’s Old City Hall. This 1881 building will become the home base for a “Museum without Walls” that incorporates the town’s entire National Historic Landmark District (the first one on the West Coast)!
Click here to check out Ariel and Caliban’s exploits, as well as those of other members of our Walkabout Wednesday Club, as they provide a preview of
some of our museum “sites.”
Stay tuned for more museum information!
And there are always lots of virtual ways to
Explore Historic Jacksonville!
Want an overview? Watch our 30 minute video.
Want a quick sample? Check out our daily Facebook and Instagram posts.
Want to dig deeper? Visit one of the 50 sites on our Walk through History blog.
Enjoy a visit to the historic C.C. Beekman House when
Mrs. Julia Beekman “Invites You to Call”
for a tour of her 1873 home.
Or visit many of Jacksonville’s original residences through our 45 minute
“Step Back in Time” Historic Home video!
Tour Jacksonville’s pioneer cemetery, one of the oldest cemeteries in the Pacific Northwest that has remained in continuous use through our new 45 minute
Pioneer Cemetery tour.
View Jacksonville through the eyes of local pets as they sniff out the
history and stories of local sites each week in our
Walkabout Wednesday series.
Join us for our on-going “Thirsty Thursday” saloon series featuring early Jacksonville stories of beer, wine, whiskey, saloons, and “entrepreneurs”!
So many ways to see the places and learn about the people who transformed a gold rush town into the 19th Century commercial, governmental, and social hub of Southern Oregon! Enjoy the treasure trove of Jacksonville History on this website plus daily history trivia on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Find out how interesting and fun history can be!
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.