Focus on the Farm – June 2022

On behalf of the Jacksonville Review and its readers, we would like to sincerely thank Pam Sasseen for her 10+ years of bringing us “Focus on the Farm.” From day one, Pam has been an ardent supporter of Hanley Farm and the Hanley House and has played a major role in telling their respective stories. We wish Pam well as she retires from contributing this most-appreciated column and we thank her for supporting local history.

Summer fun begins at Hanley Farm! Thursday, June 2, from 4-8pm, is the first “Summer Thursday” at the Farm. Summer Thursdays continue weekly thereafter, up to and including Thursday, September 1. Every week, bring a picnic, relax and enjoy the summer evening. Then stroll about the grounds, take self-guided garden tours, and tour historic Hanley House. There is a modest fee for Hanley House tours. However, admission, barn tours and everything else is free!

There’s something new every Thursday—House tours weekly, “Old Barn” tours on first Thursdays, Wagon Rides on third Thursdays—plus, every Thursday there will be children’s games.

Tour the Hanley home—costumed docents will guide you through the house and share the history of the family and their home. The Hanley’s purchased the farm in 1857 and lived in a log cabin until the first part of their home was built in the 1860s. In 1875, when Michael Hanley was a successful businessman and rancher, the front section was built, completing their two-story home. You’ll also learn some of the farm’s history. Native people lived on this land for centuries before the Europeans arrived, and archeological finds are common.

The first Thursday of each month, take a tour of the Farm’s “old barn,” one of the oldest in Oregon that is still standing. The center portion was built in 1854 at the front of the farm, by Hanley Road. In early 1900, Alice Hanley had it moved to the back of the farm, by Jackson Creek. Made of huge hand-hewn beams with pegs, the barn was built as a stock and threshing barn. When the original second-story hayloft and center threshing floor were removed, a hayfork system was installed. Wagons were driven into the barn, and grains, still on their stalks, were spread on the floor. The heads were knocked from the stalks by beating with a flail. Bill Hanley, in his biography “Feelin’ Fine,” remembers doing this when he was a boy.

Windows in Time, June 1, noon-1pm—“The Seamy Side of Medford: 1884-1935.” Ben Truwe, Author and Historian, will provide stories from the poorly documented underworld of Medford and readings from Medford’s vice surveys of the 1950s. Windows in Time is a free in-person and on-line event. Registration is required. To register, go to https://jcls.libcal.com/event/9021689. Zoom meeting details will be emailed to you when you register.