The Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce has cooked up another delightful inaugural event for the merry month of May. Celebrate spring with the “Parade of Inns: A Walking Tour of the Charming Inns of Jacksonville,” on Sunday, May 21, from 1-5pm. Ticketholders can enjoy a self-guided walking tour of five of Jacksonville’s prominent historic inns plus […]
If you happened to be driving north on Fifth Street in Jacksonville in mid-December, you may have seen a lot of activity on the sidewalk in front of Jacksonville’s City Hall. The sidewalk from C Street to D Street was removed in front of City Hall and a new sidewalk was poured. Fourteen granite blocks […]
Step behind the counter of the oldest bank in the Pacific Northwest this summer when Historic Jacksonville opens the 1863 Beekman Bank for public tours from 11:00am to 4:00pm, Thursday through Monday, through Labor Day. Over $40 million in gold crossed the bank’s counters during Jacksonville’s heyday in the second half of the 19th Century—worth […]
JACKSONVILLE, OR – Jacksonville Haunted History walking tours continue on Friday, July 7, 2017, with a new tour route that takes in Jacksonville’s historic courthouse and jail. At 7, 7:15, 7:30, and 7:45 pm, costumed docents will lead 1-hour walks that include stories of brothels, epidemics, and hangings. These tales of woe, sorrow, and regret […]
The entire community is invited to join Mayor Paul Becker in a July 4th celebration on the Courthouse lawn. The festivities will take place from noon-3:00pm. As in year’s past, plenty of seating and tables will be provided and the city will be serving complimentary hot dogs, water, chips, etc. Families are encourage to bring […]
At the February 7, 2017, City Council meeting, Mayor Paul Becker honored city resident Linda Kestner as the 2016 Person of the Year. Linda donates her time to numerous city and regional organizations including, Jackson County Master Recyclers, Jacksonville’s Citizen Emergency Response Team, Jacksonville Boosters Club, Friends of Jacksonville’s Historic Cemetery, Historic Jacksonville Inc., Jacksonville […]
From Whitman Parker, Publisher Jacksonville Review and Southern Oregon Wine Scene
The case for re-electing Paul Becker is simple: For six years, Paul Becker has been an excellent mayor, demonstrating a keen ability to listen to residents, work with staff and collaborate with committees, commissions as well as civic and business groups. He strives to reach […]
Steve Casaleggio – Candidate for City Council
To introduce: I’m Steve Casaleggio, candidate for City Councilor. My wife Susan and I made our commitment to Jacksonville by building our home here in 2005. We […]
Before telling you about this month’s events and activities, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the passing of a very special lady and friend, Dee Moore, who died on June 26. Dee was a very strong supporter of our Pioneer Cemetery and of everything historic in Jacksonville. She served on the Board […]
The Jacksonville dam and reservoir was built in 1911, one mile west of town along Jackson Creek. It was built to provide a source of drinking water to the town via a wooden transmission line emanating from the city reservoir. In 1926, the wooden pipeline was replaced by a six-inch steel […]
Join Historic Jacksonville, Inc. at 7 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 8, for Jacksonville Haunted History walking tours. These approximately one-hour docent-led tours leave from the Jacksonville Visitors Center at the corner of North Oregon and C streets and include some moderate elevations. Tours are limited to the first 15 people. The cost is […]
Ok. So you’re a first-time visitor to Jacksonville’s Forest Park. Yes, you’ve heard the talk about Jacksonville’s claim to being the “Hiking Capital of Southern Oregon,” and you want to experience the trails in the Jackson Creek Watershed. Where to start?
As you drive up Reservoir Road […]
My wife kept reminding me about how I talked of writing a column on aging, in other words, growing older. I kept putting it off but finally came to the conclusion that I’d better write this now before she forgets to remind me. (She’s getting older, too.)
This […]
Join us for a guided hike in Jacksonville’s Forest Park to be held on Monday, June 20, 2016 beginning at 8:30 am. This is the second hike in a series of 5 this season, all held on the third Monday of the month and sponsored by the Jacksonville Parks and Recreation Committee. Take a right […]
Hello Everybody…
Well… here is the information on the next Movie night at Old City Hall. The movie is Make Way For Tomorrow. I chose this film because, though having a sad story, it is a brilliant piece of film making. Make Way For Tomorrow, is a generational story concerning the plight of an aged couple […]
Most of our Jacksonville citizens have never been to one of our City Council meetings. They don’t know what they are missing. It’s true each meeting has an agenda, but that doesn’t always foretell what might happen since human behavior is quite often unpredictable. This was certainly […]
The city’s delay to expand its Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) has resulted in an unintended consequence with a marijuana farm being established just east of the city limits. This photo, taken the week of April 20, shows a fence being erected around a one-acre section of a larger, 30-acre parcel of […]
As the weather begins to warm up and things start to dry out a bit, our work in the cemetery is just beginning. Grounds clean-up and maintenance, marker restoration, and marker cleaning are but a few of our spring and summer chores. Thank you to all who were able to join us on Saturday, March […]
Plans to increase the number of Jacksonville neighborhoods whose residents have chosen to work with each other to create safer environments for all, during fire season, by establishing defensible space around their homes are coming to fruition.
Recently, the neighborhoods of “Gold Terrace” and “Vineyard View” were recently recognized as nationally-certified Firewise communities. Chief Devin Hull […]
Our grown daughter sent me this the other day. She said it reminded her of me…Love you, Dad! That’s pretty funny but not really. Her teen years were foggy days for me. I was sick as a dog for that particular time in space
We were blessed with a very beautiful daughter although I could make […]
Downton Abbey has ended. We knew it must. One of the most watched series in television history, it carved out a special niche in the hearts of its audience… one that will be difficult to ever duplicate. Even its cast may never again see a production as […]
8 AM “Monkey Around” 5K Fun Run – Our ninth annual race is a fast and easy, family-friendly run. The race starts promptly at the Bigham Knoll Campus (525 Bigham Knoll Drive). Top 3 male and female winners will […]
Last month, a friend complained to me about reading newspaper headlines declaring what a bad year 2016 will be. Her reaction was to avoid reading these columns all together… and who could blame her? We seem to get enough bad news without some writer trying to tell […]
When William Hoffman arrived in Jacksonville in the fall of 1853, he brought his own gold—six marriageable daughters, a treasure indeed to the many bachelors who had been lured to the Rogue Valley by its promised riches of mining and free land. Unlike these young adventurers, Hoffman was not a fortune […]
Almost everyone I meet seems to be talking about the soon-to-be-seen final season of Downton Abbey. It struck me that this might be a fine time to show some earlier British performers who dominated our film entertainment… so for the next few months we’ll concentrate our efforts in that direction.
In January our “night at the […]
Year end approaches and so does Christmas. For some, it is a time of giving and perhaps not much more. This act of giving, which most of us engage in, began a long time ago when the Magi brought gifts to celebrate the birth of the […]
December’s film at Old City Hall is a heart-warming redemption story of two men…one a hobo who occupies a mansion on Fifth Avenue during the winter when the owner is gone…the other, the owner who is unaware of his uninvited guest. Add to that a mixture of the owner’s divorced wife, their daughter, a GI […]
Every day through Christmas 2015, kids of all ages are encouraged to mail a letter to Santa and help another kid in the process. Santa’s Mailbox will be on the front porch outside Eléglance Home Décor at 110 N. 5th Street during normal business hours.
Eléglance owner Carmen Whitlock will transport the letters to the Post […]
At holiday times, the scent of fresh greens stimulates memories of holidays past and of tranquil moments in the woods. The Jacksonville Garden Club’s Holiday Greens Sale, with its beautiful arrangements, is a familiar event in downtown Jacksonville during Victorian Christmas. Less well known is the impact […]
Experience a Victorian Christmas this holiday season at the historic Beekman House, located at 470 E. California Street in Jacksonville, Oregon. This 1873 residence, home to Jacksonville’s wealthiest pioneer family, is decorated for a 19th Century Christmas celebration, and you’re invited to visit. Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday in December, […]
Jacksonville, Oregon celebrates the holidays and our past with Victorian Christmas. The celebration begins with a Merchant Open House& Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, November 28 and continues weekends from December 5 through December 20. Some activities continue the weekend after Christmas – December 27 & 28 to create wonderful memory making activities for when […]
If you were thinking that winter would bring your cycling season to an end, you may want to reconsider! Jacksonville’s Forest Park offers miles of trails to be explored, and opportunities to keep your level of fitness maintained until next spring!
Now, keep in mind that the following information is recommended for […]
I remember, as a child, being struck by the Greek mythological fable of Persephone, daughter of the goddess Demetra, who was abducted by Hades and brought into the underworld. Demetra, whose task was to bring fertility to the land, became so depressed she renounced her divine duties, […]
On a bright Monday morning, Whit asked if I would write an article on gratitude for the November Jacksonville Review. My reply, “Not feeling grateful right now. Check back with me on Thursday.” I was having a difficult day. People were behaving badly. I was not high on humanity. I needed more time to grumble […]
Jacksonville’s Chamber of Commerce is once again sponsoring a special Veterans Day service on Wednesday, November 11 at 2:00pm, 2015 at the Historic Courthouse.
The event starts at 2:00pm sharp and will last approximately one hour on the Courthouse grounds near the corner of California and 5th Streets. Plenty of chairs will be provided for seating […]
Good Evening Everyone… I promised to follow up with our last announcement and give you a little background on November’s film, Shanghai Express. It stars Marlene Dietrich in her third film directed by Joseph von Sternberg, a director under whom she became a world renowned celebrity actress. I love train movies, and this ranks as […]
As fall colors abound, much of our attention now turns toward celebrating the holidays, making this a good time to express my gratitude for those who make the Jacksonville Review possible. With an incredible team of volunteer contributors, Andrea and I are able to produce a magazine reflective of everyday life […]
Join Art Presence for a special Halloween reception on Saturday, October 31, 2015 from noon–3pm. Meet Pioneer Spirits, here from beyond the grave to share their stories, as four groups of Players from this year’s Meet the Pioneers perform from 2–3pm!
On Saturday, November 7, 2015 – kick-off the holiday season in downtown Jacksonville at the Victorian Holiday Ball at the U.S. Hotel Ballroom. The seasonal event is sponsored by the Belles & Beaus Old West/Victorian Society. Food for the evening will be catered by the Jacksonville Inn. The ball runs from 6:00-10:30pm. The evening includes […]
I’ve never met Roger Whipple, even though I heard he lives just around the corner. I’ve never even seen a picture of him. But I love him.
Roger Whipple is a designer and builder of artful, craftsman-style houses and cabins and magical barnlike structures that look for all the world like they were created a hundred […]
September’s movie night at Old City Hall features the last of nine films made at RKO starring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire… The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle.
Castle is a reasonably accurate biography of the two dancers who set the dance world on fire in the Edwardian Age until World War I. They were […]
You may have heard a story on the news, received a phone call or email, or, worse, had a loved one fall victim to an online or telephone scam. Every day across the country, millions of people are targeted by scam artists trying to take their money.
The Jacksonville Police Department is well aware of these […]
Because of the monumental fires in our area, all of us in the Rogue Valley have been exposed to toxins from smoke. Some of the symptoms of smoke inhalation are headaches, dry, scratchy throat, irritated sinuses, runny nose, post-nasal drip or increased mucous in the throat. Most common is coughing, which […]
Enjoy the last opportunity this year to step into the interior of the second oldest bank in the Pacific Northwest when Historic Jacksonville, Inc. opens the 1863 Beekman Bank on August 8th for rare “Behind the Counter Tours.” Located at the corner of California and North 3rd streets in Jacksonville, the Beekman Bank saw over […]
Learn about doctors, medicine, and health concerns in late 1800s Jacksonville when Historic Jacksonville, Inc. hosts “Victorian Medical Practices” from 12 noon to 4 pm on Saturday, August 8, at Jacksonville’s 1873 Beekman House. Located at 470 E. California Street, in Jacksonville, the Beekman House was home to one of Southern Oregon’s most prominent pioneers, […]
The City of Jacksonville has always had a strong commitment to providing a well-constructed and maintained city parks system for residents and visitors alike. The Parks, Recreation, and Visitors Services Committee is aptly named. From Doc Griffin Park with its spray-park and playground equipment, Cottage Street Park, to the Pheasant Meadows […]
The idea crossed my mind the other day that many who read this column haven’t met many of the dedicated people responsible for making our City work as well as it does. And dedicated is the word. I realize this sentiment runs counter to much of what […]
Cornelius C. Beekman was arguably the wealthiest and most prominent of the pioneers who settled Jacksonville. Although most closely associated today with banking and the bank that bears his name, banking was only one of his many enterprises.
Early in his career, after saving $3,000, Beekman looked for other investment opportunities. On […]
Our film for July is Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake, a 1942 adventure film directed by John Cromwell, starring Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney. It was the last film with the tragic actress, Frances Farmer, before her legal problems and eventual commitments to psychiatric hospitals until 1950. It also features a powerful […]
Jacksonville Mayor Paul Becker and the City of Jacksonville invite everyone to come-out and celebrate Saturday, July 4th on the Courthouse grounds from noon until 3:00pm and enjoy complimentary hot dogs, chips and bottled water. Picnickers may opt to bring their own food and drinks if they so desire. Once again, the Fire Department will […]