Spring brings us into summer, lovely flowers everywhere. Our large platted lots feature so many beautiful gardens.
We’ve overhauled the website! We migrated to the WordPress platform with a whole new look and feel. We hope you enjoy the new format. The site features over 130 posts with over 650 photos. We have ceased updating the old website.
Balloon release on the closing day of Garden Home School
Bill Gellatly has written the story of the closing of Garden Home School in 1982, one of the biggest events in Garden Home history.
Thanks to Debbie Bighaus-West for the Simmons, Patton, Oleson family story in a fascinating account of coming West. Garden Home was officially named in a legal document in 1881. We will post the story soon!
We have completed the IRS requirements for non-profit designation. Nathalie Darcy and Colin Lamb at Lamb’s Markets have been our guiding lights. We now have By-Laws for our non-profit association, officers, Board of Directors and formal organization.
Marie Pacella is the new Treasurer. Patsy VandeVenter has done a wonderful job since we started in 2010. Patsy will now be Secretary. Marie will continue keeping the database and mailing out our infrequent emails and newsletters. Thanks to two very dedicated members.
Historic Garden Home street signs are again available. Learn how to order a sign for your street.
Virginia Vanture, Stan Houseman and Nathalie Darcy are developing a program to identify the CENTURY Homes in Garden Home. This promises to be very interesting, probably over a dozen homes were built before 1915. The Hunt Club area has several that were built in the early years of the last century.
Mystery sign found along Fanno Creek Trail.
The January 2015 Gazette (PDF) featured the three lovely signs on the Fanno Creek Trail detailing the history of the trail usage with trains, horses and today. Now a mysterious sign has appeared with directional signs of the last century. No, we didn’t do it.
The Scandinavian Cultural Center is nearing completion, on the southern strip of Oleson Road beside Fogelbo. Huge, will be wonderful!
Louise Cook Jones just finished the new History bulletin board at the Garden Home Recreation Center. This board celebrates the history of SW Oleson up through the road remodel and this spring’s clean-up efforts by over 50 volunteers. Thanks to Stan Houseman for the volunteer photos and thanks to all the volunteers for working on the 13 Oleson gardens, The Garden Home Gardeners.
We’ve updated the story of the 1944 crash of a P-63 Kingcobra fighter plane in Garden Home. We also describe other notable fighter plane crashes in the area.
Historic Garden Home 2015 Calendar and note card sets are available now. These calendars are great just for the historic photos and text. Order by mail for $12 each. We still have some 2013 and 2014 calendars, $5 for the package of two. Calendars are available locally for $8 at Lamb’s Garden Home Thriftway and the Garden Home Library.
Thanks for your comments and memoirs. Your comments at the bottom of each page go directly to our email.
Attend our regular meetings, the second Monday of each month, 3 to 4:30 pm at the Garden Home Recreation Center. We enjoy the 2 minute history lesson from each member and then get on to our business. Please let me know so I can assure seating: Elaine Shreve 503-246-5879.
About Us!
The Garden Home History Project records and preserves the History of this area. Historic Garden Home is a suburb southwest of Portland, Oregon and mostly contained in unincorporated Washington County. It extends roughly one mile out in each direction from the intersection of Garden Home Road and Oleson Road.
This non-profit organization is chaired by Elaine Shreve, 503-246-5879. Special thanks to our Advisory Group of dedicated volunteers.
We encourage you to send us your stories, photos or artifacts. We can scan photos and return them to you.
Join the Club!
Your donations and calendar sales provide our funds for signs, printing, research, postage and other costs. Our emails (and U.S. postage ) will keep you informed.
Garden Home History Project 