TWELVE MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Sunday, January 19r 193S
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Priceless Historic
Items To Remain
As Remembrances
Records of Family
Found Interesting
Br HARRY NORDWICK
Mail Tribune Staff Wrilar
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With the death of Miss Amalia
(Molly) Britt of Jacksonville last
Oct. 13, the history of one of
southern Oregon's most famous
families was closed.
However, the benevolence of
her will, involving a $250,000
Estate, will leave many material
and incorporeal remembrances
to southern Oregon residents in
the form of priceless historic
items and scholarships for
worthy students.
One of the first' provisions of
the will was the bequest of
what is probably the most
famous residence in the area,
the Britt home and gardens, to
he Southern Oregon Historical
Cociety, Inc., of which she was
a member.
Will Hat Proviso
The bequest was made with
the proviso that the. place be
maintained by the. Historical so
ciety as a museum and histori
cal monument in honor of the
memory of Peter Britt. The will
also provided that if the society
accepted the terms and condi
tions, the sum of $25,000 was to
1 a t m j
oe piacea.in a irusi zuna xo De
used by the society for care and
o display of the property. How-
" ever, only $1,000 could be used
annually for such purpose and
an equal sum ; was to be pro
vided by the society.
In event the society was un
able to maintain the home as
a museum, the will stipulated
thajt the $25,000 should go
ctoward making up a $50,000
trust fund to provide scholar
ships .for graduates of Jackson
ville high school.
After numerous other gifts,
Including $25,000 to the Shrin
ers hospital for crippled chil
dren, and smaller amounts to
various relatives and friends,
the will leaves the remainder of
the considerable estate to the
Oregon state board of ' higher
education to be used exclusively
at Southern Oregon College of
Education, in Ashland.
Society Investigates
After an extensive investiga
tion, the Historical society found
it could not maintain the Britt
home as a public museum on
the money available, even though
some charge be made for admis
sion. Instead, the SOHS sug
gested to Herman L. Land, Port
land, executor of the estate,
that a special display of Britt
items be placed in the Jackson
ville museum. He agreed, and a
selection of relics will be made
by a committee of SOHS mem
bers to be named by the so
ciety's president, Miss Claire
Hanley, the executor and repre
sentatives of the state board of
higher education. The balance
of the items will be sold.'
Also, under interpretation of
the will, it was felt that the. real
property could go to the city as
a memorial park. No action has
been taken yet on this matter.
If such a park were to1 be dedi
cated, the historic ; residence
would probably be removed.
Uncommon Lot , , .
The real property involved is
Lot 5 Block 28. The "lot", how
ever, is not of the common city
variety. In fact, the county as
sessor's office says there's noth
ink quite-like it in all of Jack-
y jfcaSut gums
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PORTRAIT Shown are three of the Britt children Emil is
sead left with the magazine, Amalia (Molly), center, and Jacob.
Jacob was Mrs. Peter Britt's son by a former marriage. He died in
1896. The portrait was taken, probably in the early 1890's, utiliz
ingostudio props. Both Emil and Molly were active in Jacksonville
affairs during their lives. .
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PETER BRITT Shown is one
of Jacksonville's most famous
early citizens, Peter Britt. He ar
rived in the mining camp in 1852
and set up a photographic studio
in a log cabin. -In 1854, he built
a studio of lumber and hung out
his shingle for. a "daguerrean
artist." The picture, a self por
trait is from a stereopticon old
time viewer for four images, ap
parently taken by Peter by using
a mirror.
son : county. Its measurements
are, on the east side (fence),
346.5 feet; south side (barn), 325
feet; west side (old Britt ditch),
376 feet, and north side, 357
feet.
. On the land are many rare
trees and many first plantings in
southern Oregon. On June 23,
1947, the Oregon Federation of
Garden clubs gave a posthumous
award to the heirs of Peter Britt
for planting the first garden in
southern Oregon and for his
life-long interest in promoting
horticulture in the early days.
Many of the plants and shrubs
in his garden are the parents of
those that beautify Jacksonville
today. The plot also provided
seasoning and fruits for the pio
neer settlers.
Sequoia Tree -
Of notable interest are several
plantings. A sequoia tree was
planted in 1862 by Peter Britt,
the day his son Emil was born.
Today it is 93 years old and is
16 feet 8 inches in circumference
two feet above the ground.
, Earlier plantings include ' a
pear tree in 1858, which is said
to be "granddaddy" of the Rogue
valley's fruit industry. The tree
still produces a heavy crop at
the age of 96 years. A willow
peach tree, planted in 1856,
bloomed and bore fruit for 56
years, before being felled by a
heavy snow storm, r '
Others, include a ; dwarf Jap
anese maple five feet high, a
dwarf maple 4V feet high and
a Gingo tree 25 feet high.
Seeds From Washington
The esteem of Peter Britt as
a horticulturist is shown by a
letter from Senator Binger Her
mann inl881. It stated he had
sent Peter a package of choice
seeds selected by the superin
tendent of " the U. S. Botanical
gardens in Washington, D. C.
The local history of the Britt
family begins with the story of
a pioneer of the old tradition,
Peter Britt-, who arrived in the
new mining camp of Jackson
ville on November, 1852, accord
ing to information compiled by
Mrs. Myrtle P. Lee, curator of
the Jacksonville museum and
friend of the family since she
was a small child.
Starts With $5
He had only $5 when he ar
rived, after a wagon and oxen
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STUDIO A-portion of Peter Britt's photo
graphic studio is shown. A number of
cameras with lenses for, different size photos
can be seen on the left. A self-portrait is
shown next to the baby's chair, and the center
trip across the plains to Oregon,
accompanied by three others as
far as Portland. His -first sight
of the valley and Mt. McLough-
lin is said to have reminded him
of his native Switzerland'. He
left there and came to America
in 1845 when 26 years old; with
his father and brother. Thev
settled in' Illinois. In 1847 'Peter
took up daguerreotyping, '.after
instruction from J. H. Fritzgi
bons, St. Louis, a leading da
guerreotypist. The process in
volved use of a silver plate.
When Peter arrived in Jack-
sonville, it was a frontier - city
of tents and log cabins. He took
up a donation 1 land . claim ad
joining Jacksonville, later padd
ing 80 acres. . i
Thus began a career .V that
eventually was to include; the
occupations of photographer,
gold miner, painter, freighter,
money lender horticultalist,
weather observer, wine rfiaker
and wholesaler, and proQably
some others. . -
Had Gold Claim
Like many early pioneers, he
was successfuLat almost every
thing he turned a hand to. A
claim on the south fork of Jack
son creek produced for him and
two others about $500 a day
while working a pocket, accord
ing to information from Mrs.
Lee. '
To meet a growing . supply
problem caused by the influx
into the mining camp, he went
into the freighting business to
serve the area in 1853. His pack
train travelled to Crescent City,
via the Applegate, until 1856
when he sold out. Two of the
pack saddles are now at the
museum. '.
First Studio
' The first log cabin built by
him served as a home and studio
until 1854, when he built a sep
arate studio from lumber, with
a skylight for illumination. Liv
ing quarters had been added to
the studio by 1856. The studio
had ; an outdoor sign stating
"daguerrian artist," and did a
prosperous business, according to
his son, Emil. ' -
In 1856, Peter went to San
Francisco, where he purchased
a i larger and more complete
photographic outfit. Among the
equipment was a Harrison lens,
weighing 30 pounds. From then
on, he was actively engaged in
photography in a big way, until
1900, when he retired. ;
Many Portraits
Some of his early photographs
included landscape scenes of the
region and hundreds of pictures
of early day figures such as
Judge P. P. Prim, and Orange
Jacobs, who later-became gov
ernor of the .Washington terri
tory (they were " opposing law
yers in first regular trial at
Jacksonville in 1853); Judge
Deady, Capt W. W. Fovjller,
"A" company, : volunteers, 1853
(who also built first log cabin
there); Henry, Klippel, who sur
veyed the first township in 1852;
U. S. - Hayden, first alcalde
(judge); Mathew G. Kennedy,
first sheriff; B. F. Dowell, law
yer, and many other important
personages of the Oregon terri
tory. : His historic pictures ' and
paintings of the time, including
many types of photography,
daguerreotypes,, melainietypes,
tintypes and others,, are among
the richest items in historical
value left with the estate.. A
large collection of old time pho
tographic equipment, including
several cameras, many lenses,
five large studio backdrops and
other items, is still intact. Peter's
first camera, a -heavy , wooden
box used for making daguerreo
types, is included.
HouM Described
The main part of the present
Britt residence was erected in
1860. A rear portion, including
another large studio room on
the second floor, was added in
the early 1880's. The house as
it stands now has 14 room's, three
stories, with a large wine cel
lar. There are three .. bedrooms
on the first floor, a dining room,
waiting room for the upstairs
studio, hothouse, personal living
room, parlor and kitchen. A
small bedroom over the kitchen
was also included for extra help.
The hothouse was heated from
the personal living room.Oranges
WINE CELLAR Shown are several of the 15 wine casks still
preserved in the Britt residence cellar. Peter Britt had a 15-acre
vineyard and produced excellent wines for the wholesale trade
under the name Valley View Winery. Records show he gathered
four tons of grapes to the acre. Such wines as claret, zinf andel,
muscat and cabaret were produced. An individual, cask's capacity
was ZOO gallons, allowing a
operation.
and lemons were gfown there,
as well as a number of cactus
and rare potted plants.
The second floor was devoted
entirely- to a studio with two
large skylighted rooms and
printing and developing rooms;
The studio .room walls were
covered by photographs and
paintings, with some 3,500 small
pictures which have been cata
logued by Mrs. Lee, acting for
the executor.
The third story was used for
storage of photographic plates
and painting material.
Wine Casks
. Still in the cellar are 15 wine
casks of 200-gallon capacity
each, plus 13 glass jugs in wood
en cases, and smaller jugs.
These, remnants tell another
successful enterprise . of Peter
Britt, the Valley View winery.
Britt, who was reared in the
grape district of Switzerland, is
credited with bringing in the
first tame grape plant to the
area and starting a vineyard of
15 acres.
; Mrs. Lee reported that his mo
tive for. setting out a vineyard
was to prove that where wild
grapes grew so prolifically, the
tame grape plant would do as
well. He obtained his first vines
from California in .1854-55,
which were of the mission varie
ty . .. .... - '
Notations in his ' records
showed that he gathered about
Shingle Weavers
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Study Wage Boost
Portland (U.R) Portland and
southwest Washington shingle
weavers were to meet here Sat
urday afternoon to consider, a
71i-cent hourly - wage increase
offered by employers. .'-
AFL workers have asked for
a boost of from 25 to 45 cents
and hour, saying they, have not
had an .increase since August,
1950. Shingle . mills ; at Grays
Harbor, i Wash., and. seven in
the Portland area, have been
closed by what operators termed
a "slowdown strategy"" to en
force wage demands. - '
Verne Newcomb, attorney for
the., employers, said "workers
also have been offered any fur
ther benefits worked out by the
joint labor and management
board recommended by the fact
finding- panel which studied is
sues of last summer s lumber
strike.? .. .j 'J- .: ",; ;
Provisions . also were made
for opening wage negotiations
within' the: contract term, New-,
comb said. He said crews from
Portland: Shingle . Mills' opera
tions here and at Ridgefield and
Kelso, Wash., were to attend the
meeting.
male portrait is a painting of Col. Davenport
(Davenport, la., is named after him), which'
was one of Peter's first commissions before
coming west to Oregon from Illinois. Scenes
of earty Jacksonville 'appear below.
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large storage capacity lor the
four tons to the acre, with a ton
of grapes producing 135 gallons
of wine. Entries showed many
types of wine on hand. One
noted in 1893 that he had sold a
blend of claret, which was "very
clear and fine, but very sweet."
The cellar also contained mus
cat, zinfandel and cabaret wines.
; He dealt in wholesale trade,
and it was said that the grapes
produced in the valley gave as
fine a wine as any in Europe.
One prominent' customer was
Father Francis X. Blanche t, for
mer Jacksonville priest, who
purchased wine for religious pur
poses : for his Catholic parish
after he had moved to St. Paul,
Ore. Other leading persons of
the day were on "his customer
lists. ' v
Another contribution to the
history of the area was weather
reporting by both Peter and his
son, Emil. Peter . kept private
weather records in a diary from
1852 until January, 1891, when
Emil took the task over. The lat
ter began work as a cooperative
observer for the U. S. weather
bureau, on Aug. 1, 1891 and
served for 58V4 years. He died
six months before being awarded
a medal by : the U. S. Depart
ment of Commerce.
; ' Random - items from their
weather records show that Feb
ruary, 1894, was the year of a
big snow, with 14 inches falling.
The city's highest recorded tem-
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RESIDENCE Pictured is the historic Britt residence at Jackson
ville sometime prior to 1912. The main portion of the 14-room
house, was erected in 1860, with a rear addition in the early 1880's.
An elaborate photographic studio covered the entire second floor
of the' building. .The gardens surrounding the home contain many
first plantings in the valley and rare trees and shrubs.
PARLOR One of the showpoints of the Britt
residence in Jacksonville is the ornate parlor.
The floral-design carpet, which was purchased
in 1884 by Molly Britt, is extremely well pre
served. The ceiling .fixture has been con
perature was 106 in August,
1901, and lowest was 5 degrees
above zero on .Feb. 4, 1899. The
average number of. days each
year that the temperature rose
above '90 was 20, and average
for under 32 degrees was 75 days
a year.. Average annual precipi
tation was 27.74 inches
One of the most consistent
weather beacons was the croak
ing of frogs in the lily pond be
fore each storm, a . common
weather report . entry.
; Besides the bustle of activity
during the -'50s, and '60s, Peter
Atomic Sub Scheduled To Start Trials on
Monday; Extensive Sea Tests to Be Held
Washington (U.R) The
atomic-powered submarine Nau
tilus, first vehicle, of any, kind
having nuclear power, will be
gin sea trials .Monday.
The Navy announced Friday
night that the 2,800-ton vessel,
built at a cost of more than
$40,000,000, will leave the dock
at Gro ton, Conn., and head down
the Thames river for builder s
trials.
Trials Delayed
Its tests at sea were delayed
for three months - when it was
discovered last fall that the
wrong kind of piping had been
installed. . ..
The Navy announced that fin-
itial . trials at sea will . be held
on the surface to conduct under
way tests of the propulsion plant
and the other systems common
to conventional submarines." In
formed sources disclosed that
the Nautilus' atomic reactor has
been producing heat for several
days. ... . .
Last Dec. 30 it was learned
that the Nautilus was scheduled
to begin sea trials in mid-Janu
ary. Later that same day, the
Navy announced that the trials
would not begin until, early
March. '
Extensive Tests .
The Navy said that exact tim
ing of trials during early stages
cannot- be predicted because of
the "developmental nature of
this submarine." Tests and ad
justments at dockside and at sea
will be more extensive than -in
previous submarines. ;
Tests of the reactor and steam
propulsion equipment now are
near completion at the General
Dynamics . Corporation Electric
Boat division, . which . built the
sub and is building a sister ship,
the Sea Wolf. The other atomic
powered subs . are now . in the
Navy's building program. . ,
"When the Nautilus casts her
lines off the dock and heads
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sr Psit;
found time to marry Amalia
Grob in 1861 at the old Henry
Kubli home on the Applegate.
His wife was a former childhood
sweetheart whose first husband
had died,, leaving' her with one
child,- Jacob. She arrived; here
by stage after a steamer trip
from San Francisco to Crescent
City. The Kubli home where
they were married was a night
stop on the stage line.
Children born to Peter and
Amalia were Emil, 1862 (died
January, 1950), Arnold, 1863
(died August, 1864), and Amalia
down the Thames river," the
Navy said, .; "it. will represent
the results of years of develop
ment of nuclear" power by the
Atomic Energy Commission and
the Navy." . -
U.M. Secretary Elleete
Rh Formosan Envoy
UnUed Nations, N. Y-0J.
Secretary General Dag Hammar-
skjold plunged Saturday into, a
round of diplomatic appoint
ments, informing U.N. chief, dele
gates of his free-the-fliers mis
sion to Red China. -
: Hammarskjold's first caller
Civil Service Week
.
Marks Anniversary
Of Merit System
National Civil Service Wck,
Jan. 16 through 22, marks the
72nd anniversary of the civil
service merit system, according
to Eldon Humphries, president,
Lodge 1089, American Federa
tion of Government Employees.
He stated that it is a tribute
to the merit system that mis
conduct or dishonesty on the
part of government employees is
headline-making news.
During the years preceding
the passage of the1 civil service
act of : 1883, when government
office was obtained either in re
ward for political services or in
a straight cash sale, it was ex
pected that the officeholder
would attempt to enrich himself
at the public expense until four
years later a new administration,
even of the same. party, would
replace him, he continued. ,
Now, however, the picture is
far different, Humphries noted.
First of all, to gain entrance to
the career civil service, one must
be appointed through open, com
petitive; examination. A . pro
bationary period follows for; a
year, before permanent appoint
ment. The latter can be revoked
after a hearing. j
The AFGE annually sponsors
National Civil Service week to
tell the ; story of the merit sys
tem to the American people, he
concluded. ; . . . .
Other local lodge officers, be
sides Humphries,' are Clyde Wil
liams,... vice.,- president; Doris
Oakes, secretary, : and Walter
Wills, treasurer. r-
park uiEiv nonsnG ncr.iE
906 WEST MAIN STREET
Msdford, Oregon
-' Pest operatives, chronics and convalescents
Specialized car with kindness -
Under Registered Nurse. Supervision
NURSES ON DUTY
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verted to electricity from gas. The picture on
the left is a scene painted of Mill Creek falls, ,;
near Prospect. An unscratched Steinway
grand panio is just out of sight on the left
D. (Molly), 1865 (died October,
1954). Jacob, son of Mrs. Britt
from her former marriage, died '
in July, 1896. Mrs. Britt died in
1871 and Peter died in 1905.
The Britts were active in com
munity affairs. Peter ' served' in
various capacities throughout his
life, and Emil served on the city
council for 15 years and: was .
mayor for six years. Amalia
(Molly) was worthy matron of
Adarel chapter, Eastern Star, '
1903-5, 1913-14 and in 1922. She
held office in the chapter for 50
years straight, a record equalled
by few. . , c
The submarine, w h i e n was
commissioned last September, .
will be able to cruise at unprec-'
edented speeds and distances
under the surface.
was Nationalist China's Dr. Ting- ;
M 1 m.5 . T . A -
learn the reaction expressed by
Red Chinese Premier Chou En-i
shek's Formosa stronghold :
Everyone Afraid
In his first public disclosure :
of details of his mission, Ham-
marskjold was asked Friday
whether Chou .had expressed,
fear nf invasion from Formosa.
"One of the most curious and
upsetting features about the pres- .
ent world situation in the East ;
is that everybody is afraid of ;
everybody," Hammarskjold re-.
plied. ; :
Others expected to see Ham
marskjold during the day were
Selim Sarper of Turkey and Ar- ,
thur S. Iall of India. - ;
First to receive a full report 1
was U. S. Ambassador Henry ..
Cabot Lodge Jr.; who was closet-.
ed . with Hammarskjold shortly
after his arrival Thursday night
from Peiping.
Ruptured Men
Get $3.50 Gift
For Trying This
Kansas City. Mo. Hera Is in
improved means of holdinff run-
ture that has benefitted thou
sands of ruptured men and wo
men in the last year.
Inconspicuous, with o u t le
straps, elastic belts, body en
circling springs or harsh pads,
it has caused many to say, "I
don't see how it holds so easv.
I would not have believed,-had
I not tried it"
So comfortable so easy to
wear it would show . you the
way to , joyous freedom 'from
your rupture trouble. - - : -
You can't lose by tryinftV lt la ?
sent to you on 30 days trial. You -'.
receive a $3.50 special truss as a A
gut tor making this trial.
Write for descriptive circular.
It's free. Just address Physician's j
Appliance Company, 1666 Koch
Jtsiag., zbub mam, jumsas uij p, -j.
Missouri. : -' ,
But do it today before you lose;
the address, t (Paid Adv.)
Phone 2-o93t
24 HOURS DAI V