Focus on Hanley Farm – February 2017

Lured by gold and free land in the 1850s, David Clinton and Archibald Welton were the first settlers to establish a farm at the Hanley site. In 1857 Michael Hanley purchased the 636 acre ranch from Clinton and Welton, and so began the remarkable journey of the Hanley family. 2017 marks the 160th anniversary of this historic event!

In 1982, Mary Hanley, third-generation descendent of Michael and Martha Hanley, entrusted the care and maintenance of Hanley Farm to the Southern Oregon Historical Society under a life tenancy, in which she expressed the desire that SOHS engage in “…establishing and maintaining a continuing historical farm.” Over the years, the Society has proudly maintained the Hanley legacy and continues to share the land and its rich history with all of you. And, with your continued support, the Southern Oregon Historical Society will continue to do so!

Events planned for Hanley Farm this year include: April Annual Heritage Plant Sale, late-May Heritage Fair, mid-July Living History Day (taking you back in time to the Civil War era,) October Scarecrow Festival and Haunted Field, Hanley Farmhouse Tours and much more!

Three afternoons a week, the SOHS Research Library offers thousands of photos, original documents, oral histories, maps, information files, books, negatives, and more. This is all available to SOHS members at no cost and to the public for a nominal $5 user fee per afternoon. SOHS membership, which begins at $35/year, offers many benefits, including free unlimited research time. For days and hours of operation, please call 541-773-6536.

The Windows in Time lunchtime series continues, featuring well-known writers and historians. Co-sponsored by the Southern Oregon Historical Society and Jackson County Library Services, lectures are held the first Wednesday of each month at the Medford Branch Library, and the second Wednesday of each month at the Ashland Branch Library.

Windows in Time, Bigotry Unmasked: The Rise of the KKK—On February 1 at the Medford Branch Library & February 8 at the Ashland Branch Library from noon-1:00pm, archaeologist Jeff LaLande speaks about the Klan’s influence in Southern Oregon during the 1920s, the 1923 Alien Property Act prohibiting immigrants from owning or leasing land, and more about this turbulent time in our history. Admission is free.

For more information, please call 541-773-6536, visit HanleyFarm and SouthernOregonHistoricalSociety on Facebook or www.sohs.org.