A Letter to the Future New Owners – August 2022
If this house could talk, I sure would have a lot to say to new owners.
John Orth, Jacksonville’s most successful butcher, had me constructed for his family in 1880. They had formerly occupied a simple wooden home for 15 years before moving in. I must say that I was, and still am, one of the most impressive examples of an early Jacksonville home. Mr. Orth decided to have me built entirely out of brick in the Italian Villa style, one of only five other brick residences in town. It’s a good thing, too, because Jacksonville had its share of fires in those early days. It has been said that I was built as a gift to his wife, Ellen, who had suffered from intense grief after two of their seven children, both sons, died in infancy.
Life was very different in the 1800’s. After gold was discovered near Rich Gulch in Jacksonville in 1852, this town became a boomtown. Businesses and saloons—and there were many—flourished. Oregon was admitted to the Union in 1859, and Jacksonville became the largest inland trade center in the new state. By the 1860’s most of the gold deposits had been worked out and four years after I was built, the railroad had bypassed Jacksonville, running through Medford instead. As a result, the pace of life in our town slowed down. The silver lining was that the beautiful historic buildings, including the Orth House, and the character of Jacksonville have been preserved. That is one reason why Jacksonville, and the Orth House, are on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Orth House is in a perfect location, one block south of our now main street, California Street. It is close and walkable to everything Jacksonville has to offer: fine dining, charming shops, art galleries, live music venues, and wine tasting, not to mention our places of historic interest—the Jacksonville Historic Cemetery and the many original homes and commercial buildings which still house the businesses in town. If you like wine, there are 18+ wineries within 25 miles. Best of all, enjoy the renowned Britt Festival, a summer outdoor concert series which includes famous, popular entertainment as well as performances by a world class symphony orchestra.
Today, the Orth House would be ideal for either a Bed & Breakfast, which it has been in the past, or a lovely personal residence. Although I have been updated over the years, I have been lovingly preserved and still retain many of my original elements, such as the magnificent pocket doors separating the front parlor from the formal parlor. They were shipped all the way from Sacramento by mule train!
Beautiful landscaping and seasonal flowers surround me. I even have a gazebo and a patio which is shaded by a grape vine. If you would love to grow your own vegetables, there are raised flower boxes on my grounds for you.
I know you will enjoy your new home in historic Jacksonville where the quality of life is unsurpassed.
The Orth House is located at 105 W Main Street in historic Jacksonville. For more information on this property or to schedule a showing, please contact Marcy McQuillan at 541-621-2605 or marcymcq@johnlscott.com.