Focus on Hanley Farm – March 2021

This April 24 & 25 is Hanley Farm’s signature spring event—the Annual Heritage Plant Sale. The last group plant sale was in 2019. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we needed to consider another, safer approach to the 2020 plant sale. In 2020, the Hanley Farm Event Planning Committee created an innovative alternative. Plants were sold online and picked up at the Farm. We may need to adopt a similar plan this year. Despite postponing some Hanley Farm events in 2020, we did host successful events, including the August “Carcert,” the October “Scarecrow Festival,” and November “Wreath Making.”

2021 is a very special year for the Southern Oregon Historical Society (SOHS)—we’re celebrating our 75th Anniversary! We began in 1946, establishing the museum in the 1883 Courthouse in Jacksonville, which was home until 2010, when the Society relocated to the historic J.C. Penny Building in downtown Medford.

Over the years, SOHS has acquired and maintained the Beekman House, Beekman Bank, U.S. Hotel and Catholic Rectory in Jacksonville. Today, the City of Jacksonville maintains the old courthouse and owns the Beekman Bank and Beekman House. In 1982, Mary Hanley bequeathed the Hanley Farm to SOHS. Over the years, the Society has transformed the farm into a living-history museum, providing a glimpse into agricultural life from the pioneer days. The historical society continues to bring history to life through its artifacts, collections, digital archives, library, and much more. With your continued support and love of history, we look forward to another 75 years. Thank you!

And if you haven’t already, visit the SOHS website, www.sohs.org. Enjoy Southern Oregon history, safely and comfortably from your home. Virtual activities include a visit to “Our Virtual Museum,” online collection exhibits, reading or hearing stories from, “As It Was,” learning about some of Southern Oregon’s “famous, infamous, and unknown” people, and much more.

Windows in Time: Jacksonville’s German-Speaking Settlers, March 3, noon-1pm, via Zoom, Guest speaker: Carolyn Kingsnorth, President of Historic Jacksonville, Inc.—During the second half of the 19th century, German was Jacksonville’s second language. German-speaking pioneers comprised a quarter of Rogue Valley’s population, making significant contributions to their communities. For instance, think Peter Britt, Kaspar Kubli, William Hoffman, Herman von Helms, John Orth, Max Muller, Joseph Wetterer, John Bilger, Henry Klippe, and many others.

Zoom presentation, March 3, noon-1pm. Registration: https://jcls.libcal.com/event/7299636. Details will be emailed to you when you register.