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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 2021)
COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL | AUGUST 12, 2021 | 3A Nuggets of History Washing up Cottage Grove: The Nesmith Washer On April 9, 1909, The 1910, Lane Contributed by the The Cottage Grove County Directory Cottage Grove Museum Researcher: Joanne Skelton Leader newspaper lists Mr. Beagle’s oc- reported that How- cupation as “wash- ard Beagle, Oregon ing machine man- manufacturer and general agent for the ufacturer.” His place of business was Nesmith Washer, had an expert work- on the east side of 4th St, one building man employed at his washing machine south on what was Tennessee Avenue. company. Mr. Beagle claimed his wash- These street names seem strange to er was the best and cheapest on the today’s residents because Cottage Grove market and he declared every purchas- did not have house numbers until 1912, er was delighted with the machine. Two when most of the street names were of the machine’s features were ease of changed to those we recognize today. operation and preservation of clothing. In our estimation, Mr. Beagle’s house Mr. Beagle even held a patent for the was at present day 610 Adams St, and washer design. his Nesmith Washing Machine factory was probably the building on the east Who Was A.H. Beagle? side of what is now 6th Street, but was According to the 1900 Census, How- then 4th Street. ard Beagle was born in October 1871 in Illinois, where he worked as a butcher Why the name Nesmith? along with his father. By October 1900, At the time Mr. Beagle was starting Howard, whose full name was Arthur his washing machine company, Cottage Howard Beagle, had come west to Cot- Grove was involved in an effort to cre- tage Grove where he married Annie ate a new county called Nesmith Coun- Harms at the home of J.W. Harms. The ty. Cottage Grove was to be the county couple was married by minister W.V. seat. This effort was ultimately unsuc- McGee. cessful, but Mr. Beagle was apparently Ten years later, according to the 1910 confident enough of success to use the Census, Arthur Beagle was living on name for his washing machine manu- Tennessee Avenue with Annie and their facturing company. three sons, Claire, John and Bernard. Selling the Nesmith Washer Where was the Nesmith Washing An article from the May 14, 1909 Cot- Machine Factory? tage Grove Leader goes into detail about Piecing together the exact location the features of the Nesmith Washer and of buildings from Cottage Grove’s past how it was marketed to Cottage Grove requires specialized knowledge and a housewives. Mr. Beagle claimed his fair amount of sleuthing. According to washer was unique because, “you can the Eugene Guard, in March 1909, Mr. sit down and wash with perfect ease.” Beagle was erecting a building on his He said you could do a load of laun- residential lot on the northeast corner dry in 2 – 4 minutes and claimed the of what was then Locust Street and East shortened washing time helped clothes 4th Street. last longer because the clothes were in PHOTO COURTESY OF COTTAGE GROVE MUSEUM The Nesmith Washer, developed by patent holder Howard Beagle, was touted as cheaper, easier to use and better at preserving clothing. A surviving washer can be found on display as part of the Cottage Grove Museum’s “Spring Cleaning” exhibit. hot water for less time. Mr. Beagle went further, offering to come to your house on washing day and do your washing for you “free of charge”. He continued, “What we want is the candid opinion of the housewives as to the value of our washers. You will not be solicited to buy a machine unless you are interested after seeing its work. All we ask is a trial, and if you have any neighbors that are interested, that you will kindly invite them over to see the washer work and criticise (sic) it.” Did any Nesmith Washers Survive? Yes! While we do not know how many Nesmith Washers were ultimate- ly sold, a surviving Nesmith Washer is part of the Cottage Grove Museum’s “Spring Cleaning” exhibit in the muse- um’s main building. Take the opportunity to visit the mu- seum to see the Nesmith Washer along with hundreds of other interesting items from Cottage Grove’s past. The Cottage Grove Museum is locat- ed at the corner of Birch and H St., in the historic Northwest Neighborhood. The museum is open Saturday and Sunday from 1 – 4 p.m. or by special arrangement. For more information about the Cot- tage Grove Museum, see the museum’s website at www.cottagegrovemuseum. com. The Cottage Grove Sentinel is ac- cepting history articles as part of its “Nuggets of History” series, a month- ly snapshot into the colorful history of the Cottage Grove area. If you have an idea for a story or would like to submit one, contact the editor at dsherwood@ cgsentinel.com or call The Sentinel of- fice at 541-942-3328. Submissions in Word document form are preferred. Deadline for submissions is every Monday by noon. Email: DSHERWOOD @ CGSENTINEL . COM . Are you ready? D ISASTER P REPAREDNESS 3 steps to creating a family communication emergency plan Chaos can quickly set in when natural disasters strike. People who are in the eye of the storm or those with loved ones who are potentially in danger may spend hours, if not days, trying to get in touch with friends and family to determine if everyone is alright. However temporary it may be, the peri- od between a storm touching down and speaking with loved ones can be agonizing. But there is a way to facilitate communication with loved ones during a natural disaster, and all it takes is some simple planning. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, often referred to as FEMA, notes that people need to send and receive information from their families during disasters. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that communication networks like mobile phones and computers will be reliable during disas- ters, when electricity may be interrupted and mobile towers might be com- promised. As a result, it’s imperative that people develop communication plans with their families so they can reach one another in the wake of nat- ural disasters. Three simple steps can help families as they begin devising their emergency communication plans. Keep a copy of the list in a central location in your home as well, such as on the refrigerator. 3. Practice your plan. FEMA advises holding regular household meetings where families can go over their contact information and practice what to do should they need to communicate with one another during an emergency. Planning is an essential component of disaster preparedness that can save lives and help families fi nd one another in the wake of emergencies. 1. Collect all necessary information. Gather and jot down the names and contact information of all family mem- bers, making sure to create a paper copy that will be accessible whether the electricity or mobile tower goes out or not. Include names, phone numbers and addresses of nearby friends and family members, as well as anyone who lives close enough to potentially offer temporary shelter should your home be damaged or pose a threat. Include the names, phone numbers and addresses of medical facilities, doctors, schools, or service providers on the list as well. Elderly men and women can include the names of all medi- cations they take next to the names of the doctors who prescribed them. 2. Distribute the copies. Make copies of your list and distribute them to everyone in your family, including people who do not live close. Faraway relatives can use the list to try to fi nd you should they be unable to communicate with you in the wake of a disaster. Make sure everyone in your home keeps a printed copy of the list on them at all times, whether it’s in a backpack, purse or wallet. FEMA notes that those who complete their family communication plan online can print their plans onto wallet-sized cards by visiting ready.gov/make-a-plan. Make sure all the pieces are in place to render you and your family prepared in the event of a natural disaster. • Listen to radio or television newscasts for the latest weather information, and follow all evacuation directions and suggestions. • Keep a stock of non-perishable food items as well as bottled water on hand inside your home. • Keep a 72 Hour Kit on hand inside your home that is easy to get to in the event of a disaster. For more information and tips on disaster response and preparedness, contact your local emergency services center. South Lane Fire & Rescue • 233 Harrison Ave, Cottage Grove 541-942-4493 • 55 South 1st Street, Creswell 541-895-2506 Twitter: @southlanefi re Facebook: southlanecountyfi reandrescue