Have you ever wondered about the stone foundation you see in the lower Britt Gardens as you head up to the festival grounds? It’s a 1976 reconstruction of the footprint of Peter Britt’s home that burned in 1960. As pioneer photographer Peter Britt’s enterprises expanded over the years, his Jacksonville home on Britt hill became a reflection of his growing prosperity.
When Britt arrived in Jacksonville in 1852, he staked a donation land claim on the area that now encompasses both Britt Festival Grounds and Jacksonville’s Lower Britt Gardens and built a dugout log cabin that served as both both living quarters and daguerreotype studio. By 1854, his initial structure seemed crude and confining. He cleared ground for a new one-story studio and residence which he constructed in front of the old cabin.
This small studio remained the core of Britt’s home as numerous additions were made over the years. In the late-1850s, its original Classic Revival style was transformed into one of the first Victorian Cottage Gothic dwellings in Southern Oregon complete with elaborate “gingerbread” elements. By the mid-1860s, Britt built a second story addition, gaining more living space and moving his photography studio to his now skylit loft.
When Nunan Square was being developed, one of the property owners chose this version of Britt’s house as the model for his own home. You can see the “then and now” versions in photos above