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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (June 19, 2014)
The Good Ol ’ Days By Tobie Finzel Museum Notes By the time this issue of Verno- nia’s Voice is published, we should have a new sidewalk started along the front of the museum. We’ll give appropriate ku- dos to our volunteer helpers next month, but for now we’ll express our gratitude in advance to the Vernonia Freewheelers and Alan Hein for offering their needed skills and willingness to help us get this done! We are also grateful to our new volunteer, Julie Prohaska, who held the museum open on a recent Sunday and has committed one shift per month to help us staff our three day per week sum- mer schedule. We are truly in need of additional volunteers to help in this way. You don’t need to know anything about Vernonia history – we have lots of re- source materials and forms that a visitor with specific questions can fill out and leave for us to research. All we ask is a willingness to unlock the doors, turn on the lights and greet guests for one (or more!) three hour shift on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays. Stop by during our open hours, leave a voice message at 503.429.3713 or email vernoniamu- seum@gmail.com if you can help in this way. We would so appreciate the help. Early Community Organizations When Vernonia had a forest products and agriculture-based econo- my, nearly all of its residents were able to work in local lumber mills or the businesses that sold groceries, gasoline, automobiles, hardware, and other sup- plies and services. Without the frenetic schedules that seem to define modern life, evenings were often spent at home or with friends, perhaps playing cards or musical instruments, and dances were a mainstay of Saturday nights. The Vernonia and Natal Grang- es were both established in 1901 to serve farm families for both social activities and community service as well as to be part of the collective voice of farmers nationally. Besides hosting dances and picnics, these granges donated to local and national charities, worked on build- ing roads in the area and helped needy families. The Winema Grange in Birken- feld was established in 1924 but no lon- ger operates. During the Kerry Logging Company days, it was said to be one of the largest granges in the county. Its building in Birkenfeld once served both as the grange hall and the local school and was owned jointly by the two enti- ties. Natal, Vernonia and seven other granges still remain active in Columbia County albeit with much smaller mem- bership rosters than the hundreds each once had. The American Legion Post No. 119 was started in 1924 after a group of World War I (then known as the Great War) veterans were sharing their ser- vice stories at Jack Carkin’s Tailor Shop. They received the charter in 1925 and by then had seventeen charter and new members. By 1927, it had grown to its record high of 308 members. That same year, they built the hall on Adams Street where the post and Vernonia Cares now operate. Over the years, Post No. 119 has performed a variety of services to the community including purchase of an ambulance and inhalator/resuscitator for emergency medical services; hosted dances, picnics and junior and senior gem clubs; built an airfield in Riverview (Mist Drive area); and many other proj- ects for the good of the community, state and nation. As we noted in our March col- umn about the Study Club, the huge population boom brought on by the con- struction of the Oregon-American Lum- ber Mill in the early 1920s also resulted in a growth in civic-oriented fraternal societies. Unlike the Granges, the lodge organizations had exclusively male or SAFE Receives $25,000 Grant in other words june19 2014 female memberships. The Odd Fellows Lodge received its charter in 1921 and its sister organization, the Rebekah Lodge, was instituted in 1924. The Masonic Fraternity and its female counterpart, Eastern Star, were organized in 1924. Their Order of Rainbow for Girls began in 1928. The Knights of Pythias Lodge was chartered in 1923 and by 1926 the Pythian Sisters established their Temple. Until construction of the Masonic Tem- ple on Jefferson Avenue north of Bridge Street in 1928 and the Odd Fellows Hall in 1921 on North Street (currently home of Nehalem Valley Bible Church), meet- ings were held in the Vernonia Grange Hall as were the meetings of Knights of Pythias and the Pythian Sisters. Membership in all of the frater- nal organizations shrank markedly dur- ing the Great Depression, but participa- tion resumed in the 1940s through the 1960s when jobs that required commut- ing and other factors once again led to their decline locally. (Note: The information in this article comes from a special edition of the Vernonia Eagle published in 1966 to commemorate the 75 th anniversary of the City of Vernonia’s official charter in 1891) From Virgil Powell’s Diary Virgil Powell (1887-1963) was a long- time resident whose family had a farm in the Upper Nehalem Valley between Natal and Pittsburg. Each year from 1906 until 1955, he kept a regular diary of his activities. In his younger years he wrote frequently of the dances at the lo- cal Grange halls in Natal and Vernonia and was active in his later years in the Masonic Lodge; his two sons, DeLoss and Melvin, were also Masons and his wife, Inez, was a Rebekah. 7 arrested. Saturday, June 20: Went over to El- liotts in the morning and Jim and I thought we would go down to the doings at the Grange Hall. Went down in the buggy. Went down as far as Fishhawk after the doings. Got home about 8:30. Rained most all day. Sunday, June 21: Started down to Mist to the ball game between Vernonia and Mist at 8:30. Went down in the buggy. Got to Mist about 10:30. The score was 10 to 16 in favor of Vernonia. We played a little bit after the game. Got home at 6:30. Sprinkled a little. Tuesday, June 23: Went out to Clats- kanie in the buggy. Started out at 4:25 and got to Clatskanie at 8. Started back at 12:15 and got home at 6 P.M. Pret- ty warm day. Received a dandy postal from Francis. Wednesday, June 24: Washed the bug- gy. Went up on East Fork and got Daisy. Took the team down in the afternoon and graded road for Emery Mills. Pretty warm day. Got home at 6:45. Received a postal from Francis. The Vernonia Pioneer Museum is located at 511 E. Bridge Street and is open from 1 to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays (ex- cluding holidays) all year. From June through mid-September, the museum is also open on Fridays from 1 – 4 pm. There is no charge for admission but do- nations are always welcome. Become a member of the museum for an annual $5 fee to receive the periodic newsletter, and if you are a Facebook user, check out the Vernonia Pioneer Museum page created by Bill Langmaid. The museum volunteers are always pleased to enlist additional volunteers to help hold the Thursday, June 18, 1908: Went down museum open and assist in other ways. to Fishhawk in the buggy. Started down Please stop by and let one of the volun- at 8 and got down there at 12. Got back teers know of your interest in helping home at 3:45. Rained most all day. Re- out. ceived a postal from Francis. A.E. was SAFE of Columbia County is the recipient establishing a fund may contact the Portland office interested in volunteering can contact Katie Troha, of a $25,000 grant from The Oregon Community at 1221 SW Yamhill, Suite 100, Portland OR 97205, DVSA Advocate and Volunteer Coordinator: (503) Foundation to further its development and outreach 503.227.6846 or visit www.oregoncf.org 397-7110. efforts. This award enables SAFE to continue its SAFE relies heavily on the support of donations For more information about the organization, mission: We empower our community to live safe, from community partners like The Oregon Community contact Naaman Cordova-Muenzberg, Executive healthy lives free from abuse. Foundation as well as individual local donors and Director: (503) 397-7110. SAFE stands for Support, Advocacy, Freedom volunteers. New Volunteer Advocate Training will If you or someone you know is seeking services and Empowerment. The agency meets the needs of those begin June 20th. This 40 hour training meets statewide related to domestic violence, sexual assault or stalking, affected by domestic and sexual violence by providing requirements for anyone in direct service advocacy call the 24/7 Crisis Line: 503-397-6161 or (toll free) 24 hour crisis response, ongoing advocacy, counseling for survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Those 1-866-397-6161. and safety planning for survivors as well as prevention education throughout the community. SAFE recently changed its Insurance sending you in the wrong direction? name from Columbia County Women’s Let us send you in the right direction. Resource Center and has been serving Columbia County since 1979. The mission of The Oregon Community Foundation is to improve life in Oregon and promote effective philanthropy. OCF works with individuals, families, businesses, and organizations to create charitable funds to support the community causes they care about. Through these funds OCF awards more than $60 million annually in grants and scholarships. The foundation makes grants through an application process that involves local citizens in the review and evaluation of requests for funds. Application materials are available 503-901-1705 through the foundation’s Portland office. Meyer’s Auto Body • 493 Bridge St • 503-429-0248 16720 Noakes Rd. Vernonia Individuals or businesses interested in Terry’s Gym JOIN THE TEAM!
