In this edition: October 5 bell ringing, Lamb’s Thriftway closure, visit by famed organist and daughter of Dorothy Johnson, Dorothy Papadakos, and more favorite teacher recollections.
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
The annual Garden Home Recreation Center’s annual Holiday Bazaar will be held Saturday, December 7, 2019, 9am to 4pm. Come visit our booth in Room 7 for your holiday gifts.
Recent News
Dorothy Johnson’s famous daughter visits Garden Home
Dorothy Johnson Papadakos
October 25, 2019 – We were pleased to meet Dorothy Papadakos, nationally famous organist and daughter of Garden Home’s Dorothy Johnson (Miss Oregon 1955, Miss America first runner-up 1956). Dorothy is continuing her highly acclaimed Halloween Horror Tour which brings her to 8 famous national pipe organs in 4 weeks, including Portland’s Trinity Cathedral organ. Ward Nelson, Trinity choir, was surprised to learn of her Garden Home connection and was touring Garden Home with her. Wikipedia notes how her tours began:
Papadakos started her annual Halloween Horror Tour, which brings silent film’s classics, such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Phantom of the Opera to life on the world’s pipe organs. Her silent film appearances have included such classics as a rendition of the Hunchback of Notre Dame at a New Year’s Eve 2011 celebration at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, and Nosferatu at Kansas City’s Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts organ in 2014.
Closure of the Garden Home Marketplace grocery store
The Garden Home Marketplace grocery store (formerly Lamb’s Thriftway) will be closing on or before October 19, 2019. The Marketplace store continues its process of closing and disposing of groceries and equipment. The historic church bell, plaques and vintage post office safe will remain in place with property owner Colin Lamb’s approval. The Wells Fargo Bank and the Post Office are closed and may not reopen. The liquor store and the Growlers are awaiting further news. Colin Lamb will retain the historic store photos that were hung on the walls.
We’ll keep you posted as we learn more developments.
October 5th ringing of the historic church bell
We rang the historic 100-year old church bell hanging in the bell tower of the Garden Home Marketplace (formerly Lamb’s Thriftway) on October 5, 2019. This event was bittersweet as it coincides with the imminent closing of the grocery store. We are working with Colin Lamb, the owner of the building, with the hope that the bell will be able to remain where it hangs when a new tenant takes over the space.
Thanks to Store Manager Mike Babbitt and all of the store staff for withstanding two hours of bell ringing.
Leslie Bennett is the artist who put up these wonderful Thank You boards for the closing of Bales Market Place. Leslie’s business: LillyPillyProductions.com. The memories and the kind words have been an excellent way for the community to share their appreciation to the grocery store staff, to Manager Mike Babbitt and to Colin Lamb for the Lamb’s participation in our community for over 60 years. Our thanks to all!
September 9th Show & Tell event celebrating old things
We hosted a Show & Tell event on September 9, 2019. People were invited to bring something old to share with the group. Thank you to everyone!
- Louise Cook Jones shared and donated some early Garden Home memorabilia from the 1950s including a wonderful colored Souvenir Program from the Alpenrose Country Fair, June 1966. These will go into our website story of Alpenrose. See our History of Alpenrose for more pictures of the Alpenrose program and gazette from 1966.
- Jan Fredrickson showed us an interesting Pepsi 6 pac of vintage pop bottles, so different from our current cans.
- Kevin Mistler showed the 1942 bus schedule showing 34 stops in Garden Home on a daily basis.
- Virginia Vanture shared the horse saddlebags used by her physician grandfather way back when!
- Stan Houseman brought one of the donated postal box doors with the fanciful brass décor. Thanks to Elizabeth Harding who donated two doors to the Garden Home History Project. They will be displayed in the glass cabinet in the Library. Please contact us if you are interested to purchase any more of these doors.
- Don Krom graduated from BHS in 1961 and Garden Home Grade School in 1957. He shared his wonderful old scrapbook of the school and his memories.
- Ray Heesaker taught at Garden Home School in 1967 under Don Dunbar. He recalled those days as a young teacher and then followed Don on to the next Beaverton school.
- Elaine Shreve brought an original Morning Oregonian door knob and decorative doorplate. The building in Portland was demolished in 1951.
Share your memories of Garden Home
Via NextDoor, Robin Ariss remembers a stuffed elephant in Lamb’s Thriftway:
I am the shorter one my sister is the taller and I think this was taken in 1962 when I was 5.
Stuffed elephant in Lambs Thriftway – Robin Ariss – I am the shorter one my sister is the taller and I think this was taken in 1962 when I was 5
A reader wishing not to be named wrote:
Hello Elaine, I don’t write much, I’ve just lived in the area all my life.
I used to walk to the Post Office/Rexall with my grandmother as a child. We lived on Canby St just inside the Multnomah County line. I went to Maplewood/Wilson schools.
I recall Garden Home as it was back then. In our walks, I remember seeing the ladies with hair nets working a conveyor table of fruit from the south side door of Whitney’s Cannery. Lamb’s had a big Alpenrose milk carton that turned over the main entrance. Lamb’s also had wooden sidewalks on the south side, as well as street parking. As I got older, I would use the “tube tester” (in Lamb’s) when our radio or TV would act up. Also, I would buy my model glue and supplies there too.
There was a cashier named Bob Metcalf. Nice guy. Back then smokers smoked everywhere, even while they worked, even Bob. Irv was the druggist. Nice guy.
My barber was Ray Wilson. He was across the street from Lamb’s in the old BPOE building, and next door was Namitz TV & repair (owned by Harry & Mary Namitz). Now it’s a sports bar (The Dugout).
I liked Terry’s Homemade Ice Cream Parlor/Burger joint. I think a cone was 10c? Burgers maybe 20c? That was a time when Garden Home had three service stations and a school on the corners. I worked for Everett Wright at the Texaco for a while in ‘73, and then in ‘74 went to work for Gray Clark at the Standard station (where DQ is today). He moved his location to Allen & Lombard in Beaverton (ARCO).
I met people in the Garden Home area that I still am connected with today. Like most places today, it’s changed a lot. No more empty lots like there were long ago. None of the apartments were built, and a lot fewer houses when I started to frequent Garden Home. Multnomah Blvd had one house on it and a church. No convalescent home.
I have a cousin that graduated from Garden Home school as well. He is older than I am and still alive. Think he is 70? He grew up on SW 68th by Zolling’s Nursery.
Oh…when I worked at Knauss Chevrolet in Tigard, I used to take care of Bob Lamb’s car. He was getting pretty old and Mrs L would always be the driver. I think she was the accountant/bookkeeper for the store too.
Always nice to remember the past. Hope you enjoy reading my memories of Garden Home.
In an email, Randy DeHaan remembered Virgil Pearce, one of his favorite teachers at Garden Home School in the 1970s.
I just wanted to give you a quick little bit of possibly interesting Garden Home Elementary history. I don’t know if Mr. Virgil Pearce (6th grade teacher 1972/73 and following) is still around, but I thought y’all might want to know what an impact he made. I’m sure many of my classmates would agree. Mr. Pearce was a new 6th grade teacher and he really had us interacting with math/logic/outdoors. I remember we played a lot of chess, many many math quizes, his well trained Golden Retriever came for a visit, etc.
On September 2, 2019, in an email, Bill Gellatly remembered teacher Carole Lintner, Bill Winthers and Don Dunbar:
I enjoyed seeing the ’71-‘72 staff picture, and seeing Carole Lintner’s picture with her then appropriate bouffant hair. I think all three of my kids may have had her as their teacher. All of them thought well of her. Bill Winthers had already taken over as principal when Erik started 1st grade, but I got to know Don Dunbar when I worked on the study group to look at shifting enrollment. He looks energetic as ever!
On September 6, 2019, in a comment on a post, Joyce Economus remembered Alpenrose and the Dignan family:
Our parents John and Eugenia Economus built their home in 1956 on Peyton Road, and our mom continues to live there. We would spend many hours in the Cherry tree orchard that is now Aaronmore neighborhood. When Alpenrose Dairy would have the fireworks for the 4th of July celebration we would all go into that orchard and watch those fireworks. My eldest brother and I attended Garden Home Grade School, and Todd Dignan was in my first grade class and possibly more after that, I just need to take a look at the grade school class pictures. Once think I recall about Todd’s mom was that she was absolutely the most beautiful mom and woman I had ever seen. She had a gracefulness that has never been forgotten. . So much more to write. . . would love to catch up with Todd some day.
We love hearing your memories about Garden Home! Let us know yours. You can contact us at gardenhomehistory@gmail.com
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 