Page 6 August 23, 2017 Where History Happened c ontinued froM p age 3 c annon ’ s r ib e xpress 5410 NE 33rd Ave, Portland, Or Call to Order: 503-288-3836 Open (hours) Sun-Thurs: 11a-8p Fri-Sat: 11a- 9p Cannon’s, tasty food and friendly neighborhood atmosphere. was affectionately known by his readers as “The Professor.” Black folks from every walk of life were in- terviewed by the Cornerstones team: Barbers, nurses, Pullman porters, doctors, football he- roes, electricians, teachers, spiritual leaders, and early members of civil rights organizations. Cul- tural celebrities provided stories behind the local landmarks. The late Clara Peoples, the mother of Portland’s Juneteenth Celebration and who also helped establish Meals on Wheels in Oregon is thanked for her contribution to the project. When Galbraith and her fellow researchers began the process they expected to find close to 150 buildings with historical roots to the black community, and to their great surprise 1,284 The entries in the index are brief, but tell- ing: 6 N. Tillamook St. was home to the Afri- can American YWCA and the NAACP, and is now the Billy Webb Elks Lodge, named after an important Jazz musician of his day. Some stories are endearing: the black Tigner family was blessed with the unusual gift of quadruplets and local Alpenrose Dairy gifted them a home in the 1950’s after the births. Mrs. M Russell is described as “a splendid cateress and elocution- ist” of the 1930’s who works at Mammy Shack. Other stories are honest and heartbreaking, such as Clara Edler who cooked for the same family for 74 years, she was a slave to Colonel James Crawford and then worked for his daughter. After the latest project to document buildings important to Portland’s African American histo- ry was green lit, 1,000 letters were sent out to I think of all the buildings that were on Martin Luther King in 1998, there was something like 11 or 12 that were in the index, now we’re down to five. A couple were burned in fires, but everything else has been demolished and --Cathy Galbraith, executive director redeveloped. of the Architectural Heritage Center were still standing. But Burt warned Galbraith shortly before his death that this work would be akin to “documenting destruction,” she ex- plained. “I think of all the buildings that were on Mar- tin Luther King in 1998, there was something like 11 or 12 that were in the index, now we’re down to five. A couple were burned in fires, but everything else has been demolished and rede- veloped,” Galbraith said. The 225 pages of Cornerstones is a touching time capsule of the men, women and children who migrated to Portland and established the roots of the African American community. It be- gins with a history of African Americans in Or- egon and ends with an index of historic places. area home and building owners with the poten- tial to be put on the National Register. Meeting the criteria to go on the registry can be a vital piece to any effort to preserve historic memo- ries and landmarks in the face of gentrification for years to come. With a grant from the Oregon state Historic Preservation Office, this continuation of Cor- nerstones will look at the themes, trends and patterns of history related to the African Ameri- can experience in Portland. The Architectural Heritage Center welcomes submission of photos, stories or other docu- mentation that may aid in the preservation of Portland’s African American history. To share, contact Stephanie