In this edition: upcoming April 8 Korean Society presentation (at the Recreation Center), April 18 Historic Post Office Safe presentation (at Garden Home Growlers).
Welcome to our website about historic Garden Home. In the People and Places pages, you’ll find almost two hundred stories, and over fifteen hundred photos of vintage Garden Home and residents attending our events. Contact us at GardenHomeHistory@gmail.com.
Upcoming Events
Join us Monday, April 8 at 6:30 PM at the Garden Home Recreation Center for a presentation by the Korean Society. John K. Lim and Jenny Kim will present the story of the very busy Korean Society of Oregon. This Society purchased the former Garden Home United Methodist Church property on SW 81st avenue off of SW Garden Home Road, after the Church closed in 1994. Several groups who use the building include the Society, the Korean language school for children on Fridays and Saturdays and the older Koreans for social and cultural activities. These groups are identified in the Korean language at the front door. They have gifted us with a wonderful book relating the 50 years of the Korean Society of Oregon. This book will be on display in our historical display in the new Library expansion this spring. John K. Lim served for 5 terms in the Oregon Legislature, both as a Representative and a Senator. Our Korean war veterans are honored by this Society.
Join us Thursday, April 18 at 6:30 PM at Garden Home Growlers (inside Garden Home Market Place) for a presenation about early Garden Home history and the historic Post Office safe that we recently moved into their space.
Recent News
Rep. Schouten February 2019 newsletter excerpt
Oregon State Representative Sheri Schouten featured the Garden Home History Project in her February newsletter. Thank you Rep. Schouten for your interest in our project!
Garden Home History was offered the historic safe from the old Garden Home Post Office location prior to the Post Office moving to its current location inside the Garden Home Market Place (formerly Lamb’s Thriftway). Huge, ugly, locked, no combination, 500+ pound block of painted iron, about 2 foot square and 3 foot tall on old steel wheels. We felt an obligation to find a home for this piece of our history.
Adam Martinez from the Garden Home Growlers offered a home for it, but we were at a loss on how to move a hunk of iron weighing over 500 pounds. Denny Parent answered a Nextdoor post from Stan. Denny owns a large crane truck! Tom and Stan coordinated the plan, Susan and I took photos, and my grandson Eric helped. We were all amazed with the arrival of this huge beautiful truck and our hero Denny Parent who managed the whole process perfectly. Friend Brian Fuller arrives at the store for broccoli, lends muscle to the final push and dashed back to his car for his floorjack, the last perfect tool to complete the job.
Come visit the safe at Garden Home Growlers, and have a cool one from the Growler!
We’d like to also thank Mike Babbitt of Garden Home Market Place and Shelly Bagley of the Old Market Pub & Brewery for their interest and support for finding a home for this historic Garden Home artifact.
On January 8, Reenactors from historical groups in Beaverton, Forest Grove, and Garden Home introduced the Denney family, A.T. “God Almighty” Smith, and Margaret Simmons from Patton Valley (the mother of Polly Philena Oleson). PatsyVandeVenter and Elaine Shreve presented as Margaret Simmons and her granddaughter Reta Welch. View the photos and read more about the event.
Get Involved
Historic Garden Home street sign
Historic Garden Home street signs: We currently have about 35 of the Historic Garden Home street sign toppers in our community. Each sign was purchased by a friend or family member to honor their loved one. Click here to view photos of the signs and for information about sponsoring a sign.
Our generous donors permit us to print and mail this newsletter ($140) for our non-e-mail people and for the Garden Home Recreation Center. We also replace the Historic Garden Home street signs once for signs that disappear, current cost for each sign, $60. With our latest order, we’ll have about 35 signs out in our neighborhoods. We also have website costs, printing, paper, plaques and many other costs of an organization. Donor names are listed on our History Bulletin Board at the Recreation Center. Thank you to all of our donors and to all of our volunteers for their time and skills.
Garden Home History Project 