Pioneer Profiles
EARLY JACKSONVILLE SALOONS – by Carolyn Kingsnorth
Pioneer Profiles – Dec 2024/Jan 2025
HISTORIC JACKSONVILLE, INC. is in the holiday spirit, which does tend to include some holiday spirits, so stories of beer, whiskey, and early Jacksonville saloons is the subject of this […]
MADAME JEANNE DEROBOAM LAUGIER GUILFOYLE HOLT: HOTEL PROPRIETRESS – by Carolyn Kingsnorth
Pioneer Profiles – June 2024
WITH THE PENDING SALE OF JACKSONVILLE’S U.S. HOTEL, a cornerstone of the town’s National Historic Landmark District and the first building to undergo major restoration in the 1960s, it seems appropriate […]
William Green Hamilton T’Vault – Part 4 – “Saint or Sinner?” – by Carolyn Kingsnorth
Pioneer Profiles – August 2023
Our saga of William T’Vault (or Tevault, or Teevault, depending on his current persona) is drawing to a close. An individual who regularly reinvented himself, we’ve traced T’Vault through legal and […]
William Green Hamilton T’Vault – Part 3 “Opportunist” – by Carolyn Kingsnorth
Pioneer Profiles – July 2023
It’s been nine months since we parted company with William Green Hamilton T’Vault, aka TeVault or TeeVault, but that hasn’t prevented him from getting in trouble or reinventing himself. We’ll encourage […]
William Green T’Vault – Part 2 – “Opportunist” – by Carolyn Kingsnorth
Pioneer Profiles – September 2022
Last month we introduced you to William T’Vault, or Tevault, or Teevault—depending on the when and where—inasmuch as this pioneer regularly reinvented himself. We traced him through an early legal career; […]
William Green T’Vault – Part 1 – “A Controversial Figure” – by Carolyn Kingsnorth
Pioneer Profiles – August 2022
Prior to 1859, individuals seeking the opportunity, riches, and promise of the Oregon Territory were literally leaving the United States. They were also leaving behind their former lives, providing them with […]
Grace Wick – From Actress to Political Theater – by Carolyn Kingsnorth
Pioneer Profiles – July 2022
When we left the “George and Gracie show” last month, George Merritt had his divorce; Grace Wick Merritt had $30 a month in alimony and custody of three cats.
To bring readers […]
Let the Tongues Wag – A Juicy Divorce! – by Carolyn Kingsnorth
Pioneer Profiles – June 2022
“Merritt Divorce Case Testimony Thrills J’ville” read the 1924 Medford Mail Tribune headline.
June may be a traditional time for weddings and all the accompanying pageantry, but there’s nothing like a juicy […]
The Fathers of Jacksonville – by Carolyn Kingsnorth
Pioneer Profiles – May 2022
The Jacksonville Boosters Club and the City are exploring a project that would refurbish one of Jacksonville’s Historic Landmarks, the “Gold First Found Here” marker on Applegate Street where it crosses […]
John Swan Love: Tinsmith, Public Servant – by Carolyn Kingsnorth
Pioneer Profiles – March 2022
It’s March and spring is in the air! The daffodils and forsythia are blooming, and the birds have on their “mating colors,” so Love seems an appropriate topic for this month’s […]