PlacesPages

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Lebanon #6: Andrews & Hackleman Building

780-796 South Main Street

Andrews & Hackleman Building on October 21, 2006

This Italianate building was built in 1886 by Andrews and C.C. Hackleman, general merchandisers. When it opened, the building was also occupied by a printing shop, drug store, doctor’s office, grocery and men’s furniture store. In August 1887 a Masonic Hall with a capacity of 300 persons was set up on the second floor. The Masons were the first fraternal organization in Lebanon, receiving its charter from the Grand Lodge of Oregon on June 24, 1864 and originally meeting at the city hall. The upper floor features a kitchen, banquet hall & auditorium. The Freemasons are still active in Lebanon, as Lebanon-Brownsville Lodge #44, though their lodge is currently at 725 Second Street. However, a second floor window of this building still features the symbol of the Freemasons. Today, most of the main floor is occupied by Stainthorpe’s Music.

Detail of Andrews & Hackleman Building on October 21, 2006

Continue to 7: John & Lottie Ralston House…

Lebanon #5: Elkins Flour Mill

Olive & Eaton Streets

Elkins Flour Mill on November 22, 2006

The Elkins Flour Mill was built between 1871 and 1878 by millwright Thomas J. Hannah. It is one of the oldest industrial buildings remaining in the Willamette Valley.

Elkins Flour Mill on November 22, 2006

The three-story building features heavy timber framing, shiplap siding and mortise & tenon construction: handhewn timbers fastened together without nails. The mille was operated by William and Joseph Elkins.

Elkins Flour Mill on November 22, 2006

The Elkins Mill sits on 6.03 acres that were eventually owned by the James River Corporation. In 1994, the Linn-Benton Community College acquired the property, and passage of a bond measure in 2000 provided for the restoration of the Elkins Mill and construction of the adjacent 44,000-square-foot East Linn Workforce Development Center.

Elkins Flour Mill on November 22, 2006

The restoration was completed in 2003, and included a 2,500-square-foot annex next door to the mill to serve as a visitor’s center. The Elkins Mill was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 9, 1995.

Elkins Flour Mill Annex on November 22, 2006

Millpictures.com has pre-restoration photos here.

Continue to 6: Andrews & Hackleman Building…

Lebanon #4: Academy Square Park

65 Academy Street

Academy Square on October 21, 2006

Academy Square is part of the 10 acres donated to the Santiam Academy by Jeremiah Ralston and Morgan Kees in 1857.

Academy Square on October 21, 2006

The plaques that commemorate the land donations and the establishment of Santiam Academy are located here.

Jeremiah Ralston Academy Square Plaque on October 21, 2006

Morgan Kees Academy Square Plaque on October 21, 2006

Santiam Academy Plaque on October 21, 2006

After Santiam Academy closed, the Methodist Episcopal Church turned the land over to the Lebanon School District in 1904 with a 99-year lease. In 1909, the school district built a new school on what is now Academy Square. The new Lebanon School opened on September 6, 1909. A large brick building on a concrete foundation, with electric lighting, running water and central heating, the new school was considered modern in every way.

Old Lebanon High School Gym on October 21, 2006

Lebanon grew quickly, and the new school ended up becoming only a high school by the 1940s as new elementary schools were built around the city.

Old Lebanon High School Gym on October 21, 2006

South and North Wings of classrooms were added in 1947 and 1948 respectively, and the exterior was dramatically changed to match the modern additions.

Old Lebanon High School Gym on October 21, 2006

A gymnasium was added on the back of the building in 1950, and an outdoor swimming pool was built in 1951.

Old Lebanon Middle School Gym on October 21, 2006

A new high school was built in 1959, and the old high school became Lebanon Junior High School in 1959 and was renamed Lebanon Middle School in 1974.

Old Lebanon School Gyms on October 21, 2006

Another gymnasium was built next the old gym in 1976, and a new building with a cafeteria, kitchen and music rooms was built in 1977 (according to the district's website. It may have been later.) and the outdoor pool was removed.

In 1996, it was discovered that the original 1909 building could no longer be used. The building was closed, including the two wings of classrooms, and portable modular classrooms were brought in to make up for the lost space. By 2002, a new middle school had been built and the old building was demolished. During the demolition, a time capsule from 1909 was discovered within the cornerstone of the old building. The two gymnasiums and the cafeteria building were left in place. The property was traded to the city as part of a three-way swap that also included the Lebanon Hospital.

New Lebanon Senior Center on October 21, 2006

The building that housed the cafeteria and music rooms was renovated into a new home for the Lebanon Senior Center, which opened on March 28, 2005.

New Lebanon Senior Center on October 21, 2006

The gymnasiums remained in limbo, as they suffered moisture and mold damage due to leaks in the roof. The city claimed that there was too much damage to save the gyms, but members of the community believed they could be repaired. In 2004, they began trying to raise the money to repair the gyms, but this effort eventually failed and they were demolished in April and May 2008 to make way for a 20,000-square-foot public library & justice center to replace the existing library building, which was dedicated on Saturday, July 11, 2009.

Continue to 5: Elkins Flour Mill…

Lebanon #3: Santiam School Park

50 North Third Street

Santiam School Gymnasium on October 21, 2006

Lebanon’s first school was started in 1852 in a log cabin on Main Street, across from what is now Academy Square. A small wood-frame structure was built in 1853, leading to the establishment of Santiam Academy by the Methodist Episcopal Church on January 18, 1854 by an act of Oregon’s territorial legislature. The school grew quickly, leading to the need for a larger school building. Jeremiah Ralston, an original trustee of the Santiam Academy, donated five acres of land on August 6, 1857. Morgan Kees, another original trustee, donated another five acres on November 4, 1857. Before the land was donated, a two-story school building had been built on the site.

Notable graduates of Santiam Academy include Oregon congressman Judge M.C. George, Surveyor-General of Oregon General W.H. Odel, and Judge Owen Denny, Consul-General to China and later a legal advisor to the Emperor of Korea. In the early 1870s, Santiam Academy had an enrollment of over 150 students.

Santiam Academy operated until 1904, by which time public schools had made the Santiam Academy unnecessary. The Methodist Church sold the building to the Lebanon School District, and it remained standing until it was demolished in 1936. Some of the materials were used to build a Girl Scout building at Queen Anne Elementary (closed in 2002), and the bell was hung in the cupola of the high school.

In 1944, the Lebanon School District built a new elementary school on the site of the old Santiam Academy. The new school was called Santiam Grade School. When the school opened in January, 1945, it consisted of four classrooms, an office and a restroom. Two more classrooms were added later in the year, a multipurpose room in 1952, four more classrooms and a restroom in 1953, and a gymnasium in 1978.

Santiam School Gymnasium on October 21, 2006

Santiam School closed in June, 1982 as the population of Lebanon declined. The school was used for daycare and preschool, and the gym was rented out for use by the Boy Scouts and Boys & Girls Club. In 2002, the school was demolished and the grounds turned into a 5.37 acre park. The gymnasium remained for use by community organizations.

Due to the city's plans to build a 25,000 square foot Emergency Operations Center on this site to house the police department, city courts and information systems, the gymnasium was demolished in April 2008.

Continue to 4: Academy Square Park…

Lebanon #2: Lebanon Pioneer Cemetery

200 Dodge Street

Lebanon Pioneer Cemetery on October 21, 2006

Lebanon Pioneer Cemetery was established on 2.5 acres of land donated by Jeremiah Ralston to the First Methodist Church in 1850, when thirteen-year-old Sarah Settle became the first to be buried here, after dying on August 7, 1850. Ralston and his wife Jemima were later buried here as well. The earliest birth recorded here is that of Jacob Kees, born in 1783 and died October 8, 1850. The oldest person buried here was Marcy Simons, wife of Daniel Simons; she was born October 20, 1794 and died February 1, 1899 at the age of 105 years and 11 days. The cemetery contains the remain of 310 people, though only 79 markers remain. Around 1912 the cemetery stopped being used as an active burial ground, though Adda C. Howard were buried here in 1934.

The cemetery’s history includes a lot of ups and downs. As early as 1889, letters were written to the local newspaper, the Lebanon Express, about the condition of the cemetery. Improvements were made in 1898, but in 1931 the cemetery was again in poor condition and there was talk of making it a public park. In the early 1950s, an attempt was made to condemn the cemetery property in order to extend Park Street north through the cemetery. It was determined that existing Oregon State Law would prohibit the plan, and the attempt was given up in 1954.

Eventually, with the plan to condemn the cemetery having failed, the First Methodist Church sold the cemetery property to the City of Lebanon for one dollar. In 1966, the Lebanon Junior Women’s Club took over a project to refurbish the cemetery, and students from Lebanon Middle School made the wooden signs at the northeast and northwest corners of the cemetery. Today, the cemetery is maintained by volunteers and the City Parks Department. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1998.

Continue to 3: Santiam School Park…

Lebanon #1: Ralston Square Park

925 Park Street

Jeremiah Ralston was born in Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1797 and learned the carpentry trade in Cincinnati, Ohio. He later sold general merchandise in Burlington, Iowa, until 1847 when he set out for Oregon with his family. After arriving in September 1847, Jeremiah and Jemima Ralston built a home at the corner of Park and Maple Streets. The house was demolished in the 1950s. This block also became the site of the Lebanon Creamery Company at the corner of Oak & Grove Streets in 1911. The creamery was operated by Fredric August Bohle and his sons William Edward Bohle and Edwin Henry Bohle. The creamery building moved in to a larger building in 1928 and the 1912 building went on to house, among other things, a bowling alley, dancing arena and the home of the Lebanon Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 3572. The old creamery building was demolished in 1978.

Ralston Square Park on October 21, 2006

Today this block is a 2.49 acre city park called Ralston Square, dedicated December 23, 1974 in memory of Hugh Kirkpatrick, civic leader and Mayor of Lebanon from 1927 to 1932.

Ralston Square Park Plaque on October 21, 2006

The dedication plaque bears the names of Richard H. Renn, Mayor of Lebanon in 1973 & 1974, Lebanon City Council Members Betty M. Collins, Dr. Arthur G. Denker, Eldon B. McClain, Kenneth O. Swanson, Lyle R. Winters and Charles D. Zeek, City Attorney Warren C. Gill and City Administrator Robert E. Noren.

Ralston Square Park Gazebo on October 21, 2006

The park contains a gazebo dedicated in remembrance of Stephen William South. South was born February 6, 1945 and became the City of Lebanon’s Community & Economic Development Director. He passed away on September 3, 1987.

Ralston Square Park Gazebo Plaque on October 21, 2006

This gazebo was dedicated to him “for exemplary dedication to the enhancement of economic development in the community.”

Outdoor Theater Monument on October 21, 2006

Ralston Square serves as Lebanon’s Outdoor Theater for Youth and the Arts. A monument in the park, dedicated in May 1988, lists those who contributed to the theater movement.

Ralston Square Park Flagpole on October 21, 2006

A flagpole in the park was presented by the American Legion Santiam Post #51 and the Linn County Voiture 891 of the 40/8.

Ralston Square Park Flagpole Plaque on October 21, 2006

The flagpole was dedicated on October 6, 1991, in honor of Frank W. Groves, 94 years old at the time, for his “lifelong contributions to our country and the city of Lebanon in the promotion of Americanism and community service.

DAR Plaque in Ralston Square Park on October 21, 2006

Another plaque in the park, placed by the Linn and Santiam Chapters of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Linn Historical Society in 1998, is “dedicated to the pioneers who blazed the Oregon Trail.”

Ralston Square Park Rose Garden on October 21, 2006

The park also contains a rose garden, which is cared for by the Lebanon Garden Club as part of the City of Lebanon’s Adopt-A-Park Program.

Old Gas Station next to Ralston Square Park on November 30, 2006

In the fall of 2005, the City of Lebanon purchased a former gas station at the corner of Oak & Park Streets. This property was the only remaining part of the city block that was not yet part of the park. The service station building will be renovated into a covered picnic structure or visitors center for the city. Much of the paved area will remain to serve as a parking area for the park. In the summer of 2006, the city purchased a vacant lot at the northeast corner of Park & Maple Streets, just north of Ralston Square. This property will eventually be used to expand the park.

Continue to 2: Lebanon Pioneer Cemetery…

Lebanon, Oregon

I originally posted the Lebanon, Oregon PLACES page on my website on March 16, 2007, and last updated it on May 16, 2010. I have added information I did not have at that time.

The town of Lebanon is a perfect example of why I made these PLACES pages a major part of my website. I had never been to Lebanon before 2006, and I discovered that much of its history had disappeared in the last few years. The 1909 Lebanon High School, Santiam Elementary, and the Motor-Vu Drive-In were already gone. While I was working in Lebanon, the Hasty Freez was demolished almost before I realized it and I realized a PLACES page about Lebanon had to be done. I caught the old Lebanon Supermarket just in time, and soon the old Grant Street Bridge will undoubtedly come down once its replacement is finished.

The Lebanon I saw was quite different from the Lebanon of a few years ago, and not all the changes were bad. The restorations of the Elkins Flour Mill and Santiam Travel Station were completed and the Kuhn Theatre had reopened. Lebanon will surely see even more changes in the years to come. This page serves as a snapshot of Lebanon in the year 2006.

I used a number of resources in putting together this page. Perhaps the most important was the Lebanon Express newspaper, especially its periodic Historic Lebanon sections and special Lebanon at the Crossroads feature, along with its sister newspaper, the Albany Democrat-Herald, two of Lee Enterprises' Mid-Valley Newspapers. Also significant were the websites of the City of Lebanon, the Linn County Assessor & the Lebanon Community School District. Other sources included the Linn-Benton Community College website, the Lebanon Genealogical Society website, Cast Iron Storefronts of Oregon by Bernadette Niederer and the History of Lebanon from the Ixtapa Mexican Restaurant's menu. Special thanks to readers Tony Hayden, who notified me about the demolition of the Park Theater, Tim Russell, who provided some information about Lebanon when he was growing up there in the 1960s and 70s, and Robin Stalcup, who provided information about the old Lebanon Middle School.

Lebanon History

The area now known as Lebanon was initially called Peterson’s Gap, named after Asa Peterson, one of the earliest settlers in Oregon who took a land claim a few miles southwest of where the town is today. Jeremiah Ralston and his wife Jemima arrived here in September 1847 and Jeremiah opened the first store in the county at what is now the corner of Main & Oak Streets. Ralston began platting the town and named it Lebanon after his birthplace, Lebanon, Tennessee, and because the cedar trees along the South Santiam River reminded him of the cedars of Lebanon in the Bible. The name was initially controversial, and for a time the town was also referred to as Pinhook, but by the time the post office was established in 1851, the name of Lebanon had been accepted. Ralston had the first seven blocks platted in 1855, and platted all additions to the town until 1887. The town was incorporated in 1878.

Excavation of the Albany-Santiam Canal from the South Santiam River at Lebanon to Albany began in 1872. It did not connect directly to Lebanon initially. The Lebanon-Santiam Canal, originally called the Lebanon Ditch, was excavated in 1891 and 1892, winding through the town to make use of existing sloughs as much as possible.

Lebanon’s first newspaper, the Lebanon Express, was established in 1887. It remains in print today. Lebanon had two other early newspapers as well. Lebanon first gained electricity in 1889 and telephone service in 1890. The first paper mill began operating in 1891 and the first water system, using wood water mains, was built in the 1890s. The wood water mains were replaced by cast iron in 1937. Gas service came to Lebanon in 1930. The Lebanon State Airport was built in 1941. The Linn-Benton Community College was established in 1966.

Lebanon is now the home to the largest single-story building in Oregon. The new Lowe’s distribution center, scheduled to open in 2007, will take up 34 acres and contain 1.4 million square feet of floor space.