Step back in time on Saturday, May 28, 2016, when Historic Jacksonville, Inc. brings the 1873 Cornelius C. Beekman House to life with Living History Tours at 12 noon, 1:30 pm and 3 pm. The Beekman House is located at 470 E. California Street in Jacksonville.
It’s 1932. The country is deep into the Great Depression. Franklin Roosevelt is running for President. Groucho Marx is on the radio. In Jacksonville, locals are digging up backyards and streets looking for any gold left from the town’s original gold rush. Hobos go house to house looking for hand outs. Julia Beekman has passed away, and daughter Carrie is moving to Portland where her brother Ben has lived for the past 40 years.
Historical interpreters portray Carrie and Ben as they close up the family home, going through years of accumulated belongings. Relatives and friends join them for reminiscences about life in the late 1800s and observations and comments on current events and a depression era town and nation. And the public is invited to be part of the story!
Family patriarch Cornelius Beekman was Jacksonville’s wealthiest and most prominent pioneer. He was banker, investor, entrepreneur and public servant. The Oregonian named him as one of the 100 most influential people in Oregon during the 100 years following statehood. Beekman built the family home in the early 1870s, and the Beekmans were the only family to occupy it. The house remains completely furnished with original family furniture and artifacts, a rarity when most historic homes are furnished with “period pieces.”
Tour admission is $8 for adults; $5 for seniors and students. Tours are not recommended for children under 10. Proceeds benefit Jacksonville historic preservation efforts.
Historic Jacksonville, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, will also offer these 1932 Living History tours on the 4rd Saturday of each month, May through September, as part of its mission to bring Jacksonville’s historic buildings to life through programs, events, and activities.
For additional information about the Beekman House Living History tours and other Historic Jacksonville, Inc. activities, contact 541-245-3650 or info@historicjacksonville.org, or visit HJI’s website at www.historicjacksonville.org.