Saturday, August 8, 2015

The Dalles #22: Isabella Gray House

200 East Fourth Street

IMG_9543 Isabella Gray House in The Dalles, Oregon on October 20, 2009
Isabella Gray House on October 20, 2009

This American Queen Anne house was built in 1878 as a residential duplex owned by Mrs. Isabella Gray. After her death in 1914, her will stated that a church was to rent her property and to take the income. After a terrible fire burned the church down, the church elders persuaded Mrs. Gray's heirs to rescind that part of the will allowing the house to be sold for funds to build a new church at Fifth and Court Street. It is now Planetree Health Resource Center, a Health and Medical Library of Mid-Columbia Medical Center.

Continue to 23: Caleb Thornbury House

1 comment:

  1. "From: "Earline Wasser"
    Subject: Snippets: #257 Harding House The Dalles
    Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2006 07:16:47 -0700


    Snippets of The Dalles Area Local History
    The Dalles Chronicle, April 17, 2005, Page A5

    By Rodger Nichols of The Chronicle

    Several sharp-eyed history buffs noticed that the building of the far
    left in last week's History Mystery photo was the same as the Harding
    House that holds the Planetree Library and Resource Center. So the view
    on the 1910-era postcard is from the middle of the 200 block of East
    Fourth Street, looking west, and the lighter colored building next to
    the telephone pole is now occupied by Bank of the West.

    J.R., T.H. and J.L. all figured it out, but R.K.V. gets the prize for
    the most detailed answer, a three-page (typed) history of the building,
    as researched by the late Pat May.

    Some highlights: Original owner was Orlando Humason, called "the father
    of Wasco County." He was the one who presented the petition to create
    Wasco County to the Territorial Legislature in Salem. He also served as
    the first Wasco County Judge.

    O.S. Savage, a former mayor of The Dalles, also lived there, for a time,
    eventually selling the house to Isabella Gray. She owned the house from
    1879 to 1914, and left it to the Congregational Church to be used only
    to rent out for income.

    In January 1935, the Congregational Church burned to the ground, and the
    church was able to convince Mrs. Gray's heirs to rescind this part of
    the will, and sell the property. The money from the sale was used to
    help build the stone church building at Fifth and Court Streets. The
    church honored Mrs. Gray by naming a room in the church after her.



    [Taken from the History Mystery Photos in The Dalles Chronicle
    published every Sunday.]

    Permission to reprint given by The Dalles Chronicle

    Earline Wasser"

    ReplyDelete