Via horseback, stagecoach, sailing ship, steamship, railway, and “horseless carriage,” Americans were on the move during the second half of the 19th Century! View antique cars and learn about the rapid changes in transportation during the late 1800s when the Rogue Valley A’s join Historic Jacksonville for “Travel in the Victorian Age” from 12 noon to 4 pm on Saturday, September 13, at Jacksonville’s historic Cornelius C. Beekman House.
Like many ambitious men, Cornelius Beekman was lured west by the promise of gold, sailing in steerage from New York to Panama in 1850, crossing the Isthmus by canoe and mule train, and then finding passage on a San Francisco bound ship. He came to Jacksonville in 1853 as express agent for Cram Rogers & Company and carried gold, papers, and mail over the Siskiyous to Yreka three times a week on horseback. From that humble beginning, he became one of Jacksonville’s wealthiest pioneers, amassing a business empire that included banking, insurance, mining, and real estate interests. He was also Mayor, gubernatorial candidate, 32nd degree Mason, and University of Oregon Regent, and was named one of the 100 most influential Oregonians of the 19th century.
As was typical of upper class Victorians of wealth and prominence, Beekman family members traveled the West and East Coasts, visited Canada and Alaska, criss-crossed the country, and toured Europe. Beekman’s 1873 “Carpenter Gothic” style home, located at 470 E. California Street in Jacksonville, remains completely furnished with family artifacts, many of them souvenirs from the family’s frequent travels.
Tours of the House will be offered at regular intervals with costumed docents sharing information about the Beekmans’ many trips and the modes of transportation available to them, while pointing out family souvenirs. Vintage vehicles including Model Ts, Model As, and a 1910 REO will be displayed on the lawn in a mini “Show and Shine” courtesy of the Rogue Valley A’s Chapter of the Ford Model A Club of America.
House tours are $5 for adults; $3 for seniors and students. Lawn activities are free.
Travel in the Victorian Age is one in a series of Victorian themed events that focus on different aspects of life in the late 1800s as viewed through the lens of Jacksonville and its most prominent pioneer family. 19th Century Christmas traditions will be the theme when the Beekman House opens again in December for Jacksonville’s Victorian Christmas.
For additional information, contact 541-245-3650, or info@historicjacksonville.org.