JACKSONVILLE, OR—Americans were on the move during the second half of the 19th Century! In the span of 50 years, transportation options advanced from horseback, wagon or buggy, stagecoach, and sailing ship, to railroad, steamship and automobile. And Jacksonville’s pioneer Beekman famly experienced them all! View antique cars and learn about the rapid changes in transportation during the late 1800s when the Rogue Valley A’s join Historic Jacksonville, Inc. for “Travel in the Victorian Age” from 12pm to 4 pm on Saturday, July 16, 2016 at Jacksonville’s historic Cornelius C. Beekman House.
Like many ambitious men, Cornelius Beekman was lured west by the promise of gold, sailing in steerage from New York to Panama in 1850, crossing the Isthmus by canoe and mule train, and then finding passage on a San Francisco bound ship. He came to Jacksonville in 1853 as express agent for Cram Rogers & Company and carried gold, papers, and mail over the Siskiyou Mountains to Yreka three times a week on horseback. From that humble beginning, he became one of Jacksonville’s wealthiest pioneers, amassing a business empire that included banking, insurance, mining, and real estate interests. He was also Mayor, gubernatorial candidate, 32nd degree Mason, and University of Oregon Regent, and was named one of the 100 most influential Oregonians of the 19th century.
As was typical of upper class Victorians of wealth and prominence, Beekman family members traveled the West and East Coasts, visited Canada and Alaska, criss-crossed the country, and toured Europe. Beekman’s 1873 “Carpenter Gothic” style home, located at 470 E. California Street in Jacksonville, remains completely furnished with family artifacts, many of them souvenirs from the family’s frequent travels.
Tours of the House will be offered at regular intervals with costumed docents sharing information about the Beekmans’ many trips, the modes of transportation available to them, and how advances in transportation impacted family life and life in Jacksonville. Vintage vehicles including Model Ts, Model As, and a 1910 REO will be displayed on the lawn in a mini “Show and Shine” courtesy of the Rogue Valley A’s Chapter of the Ford Model A Club of America. House tours are $5 for adults; $3 for seniors and students. Lawn activities are free.
“Travel in the Victorian Age” is one in a series of Victorian themed 2016 events that focus on different aspects of life in the late 1800s as viewed through the lens of Jacksonville and its most prominent pioneer family. Upcoming topics include Victorian Etiquette (August 20), Victorian Fashion (September 17), and Victorian Mourning Customs (October 15 & 16).
For additional information, contact 541-245-3650, or info@historicjacksonville.org.