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PRESERVING THE PAST T dent. “They knew that it would be much easier in the future for others to look back and see what made the Nehalem Valley what it is.” Mock recalled that interest had grown to a point where the society felt it needed a perma- nent address. A proposal was RQFHÀRDWHGWKDW19+6VKDUHD small space within the then-de- veloping Hoffman Center for the Arts. “We’d probably have end- ed up with about 48 feet of wall space,” Mock laughed. About seven years ago, 19+6 ¿QDOO\ IRXQG D SODFH WR call home when the downstairs area of the Pine Grove became available. ³,WPDGHVHQVHEHFDXVHKHUH you have the gathering place for this town since 1928,” he said. Mock credits longtime Manzanita resident and NVHS volunteer Owen Nicholson for generating a $50,000 grant from Tillamook County to develop the brick-and-mortar operation. 19+6 DGYLVHU 0DUN %HDFK FDOOHG WKH ORFDWLRQ D SHUIHFW ¿W “The building is a very historic structure and has meant so much to the community for 80 years now,” he said. Though not technically a mu- seum, NVHS displays a number of rotating items and storyboards highlighting the area’s past. Mock holds degrees in anthro- pology, history and sociology and 4 | September 10, 2015 | coastweekend.com Story by DAN HAAG The Nehalem Valley His- torical Society is located at 225 Laneda Ave. in Manzanita. Visit www. nehalemvalleyhistory. org to view the online archive, or email info@ nehalemvalleyhistory.org to schedule an appoint- ment to learn more. The Nehalem Valley Historical Society works to collect and share area history The Oregon Coast is a liv- ing, breathing history class. On any trailhead or beach, it’s easy to imagine you are following in the footsteps of the area’s natives and settlers. What came before the shops, hotels and restaurants? :KRZDONHGWKHWUDLOVDQG¿VKHG the rivers when it was for work rather than recreation? Thanks to the volunteers at Nehalem Valley Historical So- ciety, the answers to those ques- tions and more are right at your ¿QJHUWLSV %H ZDUQHG ,I \RX walk through their doors at 225 Laneda Ave. in Manzanita, you risk losing a whole day stepping back in time. The space, housed beneath the Pine Grove Community House, boasts an impressive ar- ray of items and an ever-growing document collection. The his- torical society also maintains an online archive to make materials available to anyone, anywhere. The society’s original itera- WLRQZDVIDUPRUHFDVXDO,WEH gan in the 1980s as a group of residents who shared a love for area history. They met once a month for a potluck at each oth- ers’ homes to share stories and discuss how best to preserve lo- cal history. “They started coming up with plans to acquire as many docu- ments as they could,” recalled Tom Mock, NVHS board presi- Coastal Life want to show what made the ‘We Nehalem Valley a special place.’ Photo courtesy Nehalem Valley Historical Society The Glenesslin wrecked on Manzanita Beach at the foot of Neahkahnie Mountain in 1913. mer Glenesslin on the rocks sur- URXQGLQJ1HDKNDKQLH0RXQWDLQ DSRVVLEOHYLVLWWR1HKDOHP%D\ E\ H[SORUHU 6LU )UDQFLV 'UDNH beeswax from a shipwreck. Of course, with all the nearby shipwrecks over the centuries, visitors are always eager to ask about lost gold. ³(YHU\ERG\ ORYHV WDONLQJ DERXW EXULHG WUHDVXUH´ %HDFK laughed. The quest to acquire and pre- Photo by Dan Haag serve these stories can be daunt- Tom Mock, left, and Mark Beach help guide the Nehalem Valley Historical Society in its ing. An ongoing project to ac- preservation goals. quire oral histories has been met with some roadblocks. has a passion for ancient history. WLPEHU¿VKLQJGDLU\´ “Gathering oral histories and He most enjoys items relating to Mock pointed out that while transferring them from old cas- area Native Americans and sto- some things change, others re- settes is very time consuming,” ULHVDERXW¿UVWFRQWDFWZLWK(XUR main constant. As today, the %HDFKVDLG pean settlers. He sees those stories Manzanita beach drew inland %HDFK ZKR KROGV D 3K' as the foundations for the area’s tourists from the very early days in history, works to identify and 21st century existence. RI WKH WRZQ %\ FRQWUDVW WKH scan old photos for a research “We want to show what Wheeler Lumber Mill, once one website he maintains. His ef- made the Nehalem Valley a spe- of the largest in the country, has forts, which he calls “an exten- cial place,” he said. “What the faded into history. sive hobby,” have yielded over economy was like, what made 6WRULHV¿OOWKH19+6VSDFH 2,500 photos. people originally come here — the grounding of the windjam- ³,W QHYHU HQGV´ 0RFN VDLG “There is still so much out there in people’s garages, attics or hidden in closets than we’ll ever know.” The task is made WKDWPXFKPRUHGLI¿FXOWE\WKH fact that many older residents have either moved away or have passed on. Still, Mock believes that the more NVHS grows and estab- lishes credibility, the more peo- ple will feel comfortable bring- ing such items to them. Though they don’t maintain regular hours, they keep the doors open as often as possible, despite sometimes falling short of volunteer hours. “The one thing we need to do is keep this place open, even for a couple hours during busy times,” Mock said. He added that people often wander through, not knowing what to expect, and leave with a greater appreciation of area history. “Once you tap into a person’s interest, there’s something here for everybody,” Mock said.