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.
Tra la! Tis May!
And Jacksonville will be kicking off
its summer season Memorial Day weekend!
But in the meantime, don’t miss out on our
final Beekman House
Daily Life Then and Now Tours!
An old song notes “What a difference a day makes!” Well, think about what a difference 126 years can make! Join Historic Jacksonville, Inc. on Saturday, May 16, for our final “Daily Life Then and Now” tours—a 1900 vs. 2026 comparison of a family’s daily lifestyle. Visit the difference in communication, fashion, etiquette, entertainment, chores, household “amenities,” and much more – things we take for granted like electricity, running water, and…bathrooms!
Tours will begin every 30 minutes between 12n and 3pm on Saturday May 16, at the 1870s C.C. Beekman House, located at 470 E. California Street in Jacksonville, Oregon. Tour admission is $8 at the door (cash or check preferred). All proceeds go towards maintenance of Jacksonville’s historic buildings and the programs and events that bring them to life and make them relevant for people today.
https://historicjacksonville.org/then-and-now/
Then plan to experience 19th Century
“Banking with a Personal Touch”
when we open the
1863 Beekman Bank Museum for
“Behind the Counter” Tours
Learn how Cornelius Beekman, Jacksonville’s most prominent pioneer, conducted banking in the late 1800s when Historic Jacksonville opens the Beekman Bank, the first financial institution north of San Francisco, for “Behind the Counter” tours every Saturday and Sunday from May 23 through September 6. Over $40 million in gold crossed the bank’s counters during Jacksonville’s heyday in the second half of the 19th Century (worth over $1 billion today).
Located at 110 W. California at the corner of North 3rd, the bank has been preserved as a museum since 1915! Interact with costumed docents between 11am and 3pm, every weekend as they share stories of late 19th Century banking practices, gold shipping, and handshake deals. Step behind the counter and peer in drawers containing old checks, stage schedules, and paperwork; and enter the vault that stored all those millions in gold!
Spend as much or as little time as you like—although we suggest you allow at least 30 minutes. Tours are FREE, but donations are encouraged since all monies go towards the preservation and maintenance of this historic legacy!
https://www.historicjacksonville.org/behind-the-counter-tours/
Would you like to mix a little exercise
with a little education and entertainment?
Then plan to stretch your legs
in the comfort of morning temperatures
on one of Historic Jacksonville, Inc.’s guided
“Walk through History” Tours!
Learn what 19th Century Jacksonville was like. Hear how gambling money built a church; how the Civil War ended a successful mercantile partnership; how a saloon housed the county’s first museum; how fire reshaped the town; and how a railroad both destroyed and preserved the town.
These guided walking tours leave at 10am from Jacksonville’s New City Hall (the historic Jackson County Courthouse/Jacksonville Museum) at 206 North 5th Street every Saturday from May 30 through September 5. Tours cover about 1 mile and last about 1 hour.
Tours are FREE, but donations are always welcomed—all monies go towards maintaining and preserving historic buildings seen on the tour.
https://www.historicjacksonville.org/walk-through-history/
And then there’s
Jacksonville’s New Museum…
Opening Late Summer 2026!
Jacksonville’s 1881 “Old City Hall” building is becoming
the ADA accessible hub for a “Citywide Museum”
that incorporates the town’s entire
National Historic Landmark District
(the first one on the West Coast)!
And you can make it happen!
Our Old City Hall History Center base will give you an interactive overview of Jacksonville history and share the many ways that you can explore it through walking tours, Haunted History, trolley rides, photo exhibits, programs and presentations, and more!
And we’re adding a new GPS self-guided walking or driving tour that can be downloaded onto your smart phone or tablet. It will let you choose from existing tours, create your own tour based on your interests or available time, or provide you with information about the history of where you are. Every stop includes a photo of your location and its name, a short audio narration of its history with a photo loop of historic images, a text version of the audio, and an opportunity to explore further!
Grants and partnerships with the City of Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Boosters Foundation, the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, foundations and individuals are underwriting the initial design and infrastructure portion of the project. We would welcome your participation as well!
Please consider a donation to Historic Jacksonville, Inc. to help underwrite the project, exhibits, and/or audio tours that will share our town’s storied history. It’s as easy as a click on our Donate button!
In the meantime, you can view illustrations of the new History Center exhibits by visiting our Jacksonville “Citywide Museum” page.
Then join our
when local dogs explore and share historic Jacksonville.
Here’s King, our newest tour guide.
He’s an 11-year-old Black Labrador and former K-9 member
of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency.
He served in the U.S. Virgin Islands until glaucoma forced his retirement. He was adopted through Mission K9 Rescue in 2023. King loves adventures and has been sworn in as an official National Park Bark Ranger at several National Parks. In his free time he loves playing with his Kong ball, going for rides, and investigating all the different aromas at the Feed Store. Of course he loves cookies too!
Historic Jacksonville’s Walkabout Wednesday Club is a tribute to Storm Large, Jacksonville’s Great Dane “history ambassador.” Every Wednesday for over 7 years, Storm shared our town’s historic sites along with their stories. Club members continue her legacy.
We always welcome new club members, so if you are willing to pose and photograph your dog in front of one of Jacksonville’s many historic sites and share that image with the public, please let us know!
Contact info@historicjacksonville.org and we’ll give you some photography “tips.”
In the meantime, click here to check out the exploits of our Walkabout Wednesday Club, members.
And don’t forget 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.