PlacesPages: Historic Salem #2A: Jason Lee House at the Mission Mill Museum

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Historic Salem #2A: Jason Lee House at the Mission Mill Museum

Jason Lee House on November 11, 2006

The Jason Lee House was built in 1841. This house with its simple federal-style architecture was the first house in Salem and is the oldest frame house still standing in the Pacific Northwest. It originally stood at 960 Broadway NE, the current site of the Grier Building.

Artist’s Depiction of the Jason Lee House at it once looked

A large house for its time, it housed three other missionary families in addition to Jason Lee's family. It went on to serve as Salem's second store, its first post office and the treasury of the Oregon Territory.

Jason Lee House on November 11, 2006

Over the next century, it became a private home, and various additions and changes made the house almost unrecognizable.

Jason Lee House on November 11, 2006

In 1963, the house was stripped to the original structure and temporarily moved to a vacant lot on Front Street. On July 23, 1965, it was moved again to its current location at the Mission Mill Museum. During this last move, the house briefly got stuck under the Center Street Bridge, and air had to be let out of the tires of the trailer it rode on for it to complete its journey.

Jason Lee House on November 11, 2006

The Jason Lee House has been restored to its original appearance from when it was built in 1841. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 23, 1973.

Rose Bush at the Mission Mill Museum on November 11, 2006

Next to the Jason Lee House is this rose bush. Adelia Judson Leslie brought this rose with her aboard the Lausanne on her way to Oregon with her brother, Lewis Hubbel Judson in 1840. She married Reverend David Leslie, who came to Oregon with Jason Lee in 1837, and was in charge of the mission when Lee was away. This rose was donated in 1989 by C. Felix & Dorothy French.

Rose Bush Plaque on November 11, 2006