June 15, 2018 | Cannon Beach Gazette | cannonbeachgazette.com • 5A
The legendary Hug Point House
of the area.”
After some back and
forth, it appears that the state
allowed the Cooks to live in
Hug Point House for another
two years before it became
vacant. Over the years, many
stories have been shared with
me about this home. I’ve
heard tale of it being a hippie
commune at one point. The
family of the Fashers that I
spoke with didn’t recall that
happening and it sounds like
they kept tabs on their old
family home until it was razed
in the late 1970s, or even early
1980s.
Other articles from the
1980s indicate that the home
was donated by the state to the
Cannon Beach Fire Depart-
ment to be used in a controlled
burn training activity.
It is too bad that not much
survives of this home. A few
photos here, some beautiful
sketches by Donald Osborne,
and some remembrances of
family and friends. I grew up
without ever seeing a home
there and it is difficult for me
to imagine that one, once stood
just above the falls. Many of
us have probably noticed the
beautiful giant rhododendron
that once framed the garden or
driveway of the home.
I would love to learn more
about this property. I was sur-
prised at how few articles and
information exist about this
home. If anyone out there has
more information, please feel
free to contact me at elaine@
cbhistory.org or 503-436-9301.
REFLECTIONS
ELAINE TRUCKE
The Hug
Point
House
was an
attrac-
tion for
visitors
and locals
alike.
T
he house that once sat
atop the fall at Hug
Point has become
something of a legend. As
someone who enjoys finding
fact from fiction, I have
spent the last several months
researching this home. Articles
from the 1960s and 1980s
indicate that Hug Point caught
the eye of a theater magnate
in the 1800s. Who this theater
magnate was, escaped my
research.
During the late 1800s and
early 1900s Hug Point was a
popular portrait and sunbath-
ing spot. It was also part of the
Oregon Highway.
The road wasn’t dynamited
until sometime in the 1910s.
Prior to this, the road was only
accessible at low tide. In the
1930s, a family by the name
of Fashers purchased the land
and constructed their family
home.
When I spoke with some of
the Fashers last summer, they
shared fond memories of visit-
ing their grandparents there in
the summer and watching their
grandfather paint and sketch
from a particular window with
a rather stunning view of the
Pacific Ocean. The home was
the kind that caught the eye,
not only for the breathtaking
location and view, but for its
remoteness, and coastal feel;
constructed from cedar shake,
ship lap, and other locally
sourced materials, this home
was truly an Oregon Coast
home.
In an article for “The Ore-
gon Story” long-time resident
CANNON BEACH
MUSEUM AND HIS-
TORY CENTER
Donald Osborne writes, “The
Hug Point House has been a
unique attraction for locals and
passers-by with an eye for the
Oregon North Coast’s rugged
history. Tucked in between
points with the falls below, the
house has become an epitome
of the way things were in:
those days” in Oregon. People
— a family — living alone
nestled by the ocean, yet pro-
tected — a wood fire burning
with smoke rising from the
chimney. Long winter storms
subdued just enough by plans,
cedar shakes, and stone. And
large, small-paned windows
giving just enough view of the
rain and wind outside.” The
article was dated 1980.
According to the very same
article, Oregon State Parks and
Recreation Department was
leasing the home and property
from the heirs of the Fash-
ers. This was also indicated
in another article in Coastal
Tidings from the 1960s. This
article indicates that the land
and home were taken over by
the parks department in June
of 1968. The family, whom I
met randomly last summer, in-
dicated that the home and land
was donated to the state at that
time. They believed that the
parks department then leased
out the property.
This chain-of-events
appears to be true, because a
letter was sent from the depart-
ment to “the Cooks” tenants
of the home at the time. The
letter was dated June 3, 1980,
and indicated that the depart-
ment was terminating their
month-to-month lease. The
Cooks learned that Hug Point
House was to be torn down
by the state and they were
shocked.
“For years, this home has
been considered as the most
lovely in the area … it seems
ridiculous to tear down a
house as beautiful and aesthet-
ically appealing as this one,”
the Cooks wrote to the state
parks recreation division.
The department responded
to the Cooks on July 19, 1968,
explaining that the home had
no public value and that it had,
“an adverse impact on the
recreational and scenic values
L
ocated downtown for
90 years, the Cannon
Beach Library became
the “heart of Cannon Beach,”
rather than merely a “beach
read” source. Acting six days
a week as an information
hub, the library welcomes
residents and visitors,
answering questions about
shops, restaurants, events
and services. Visitors access
Wi-Fi, the internet, computers
and printers, and are as
likely to ask directions to
the library’s book-sale room,
Haystack Rock or the ocean
as to the library catalog.
During the past month,
the critical importance to the
library of fundraising and
volunteers, particularly those
who prepared and staffed
the recent Second Annual
Memorial Weekend Rare and
Old Book Sale, impressed
this columnist. Last month’s
special book sale succeeded
beyond expectations, raising
$2,447.
More recently, volunteers
are preparing for the tsunami
of book sales, the library’s
traditional Fourth of July
Book Sale, this year sched-
uled for Wednesday, July
4, through Saturday, July 7,
from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the
Cannon Beach Library, 131
N. Hemlock.
Last year, this sale saw
book lovers, coffee in hand,
queue before doors opened.
Only the community’s ar-
chetypal Independence Day
Parade, passing the library
on Hemlock, momentarily
slowed the buying frenzy that
raised nearly 10 percent of the
library’s annual budget.
Cannon Beach and Arch
Cape residents and visitors
generously contribute their
books to expand library hold-
ings or stock fundraisers and
the library’s book-sale room.
However, without dedicated
volunteers to staff the library,
organize fundraising events
and serve the information-
al needs of residents and
visitors, Cannon Beach could
not maintain this rare library
still operating as a private,
member-owned, nonprofit
organization.
During three days of the
Rare and Old Book Sale, 10
volunteers—library board
secretary Janet Bates; library
president Phyllis Bernt;
library board members Rance
JOSEPH BERNT
Babb, Claire Landrum, Lynne
Murray and Ken Quarles;
and Library Members Marc
Bates, Kathe Leduc, Jane
Swynenburg and Judy Wood
— moved hundreds of books,
organized sale tables, priced
late-arriving books, helped
hundreds of customers,
served as cashiers, bagged
purchases and managed the
desk to ensure library services
continued uninterrupted.
With the Fourth of July
book sale in sight, seven vol-
unteers on the library pricing
committee — Janet Bates,
Joseph Bernt, Amy Jones,
Mary Kerwin, Tom Landrum,
Nancy McCarthy and Ellen
Miller, assisted by Marc Bates
and Doug Wood — spent
Tuesday mornings this past
year pricing, categorizing,
boxing and storing thousands
of donated books.
Finally, note that Cannon
Beach Reads will discuss
Kenneth Miller’s “Only a
Theory: Evolution and the
Battle for America’s Soul” at
7 p.m., Wednesday, June 20,
at the Cannon Beach Library.
This book promises an an-
imated conversation stimu-
lated by homemade cookies
and coffee. Anyone interested
is encouraged to participate.
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TIMBERLANDS
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Permit Public Notice
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503.436.2235
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To acquire a permit (available 5/21/18): Go
online to greenwoodresources.com and click
on Recreation Access, or Scan the QR code
using your smartphone at one of our access
gate signs. Call 503.755.6655 for recorded
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Our goal is to provide a quality recreational
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PLAN FOR TODAY.
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