We are a non-profit organization dedicated to documenting and sharing the history of the Garden Home area in Washington County, Oregon. If you have stories or photos about Garden Home’s past, we’d love to hear from you. There’s lots of ways to get involved and have fun while promoting the historic community identity of Garden Home.
Become a Subscriber
To become a Subscriber, send us an email at GardenHomeHistory@gmail.com. Include your postal mailing address to receive the printed edition of the Gazette newsletter by US Mail.
It’s free! The cost of printing and postage is met with your generous donations. Thank you very much! Subscribers receive:
- The Gazette is a printed hard-copy newsletter available by both Postal delivery, and PDF by email, 2 or 3 times per year.
- The UPDATE is sent by email 4 or 5 times per year.
Contact us
You can contact us at GardenHomeHistory@gmail.com or call us:
- Mickey Mistler Lindsay at 503-805-5518
- Esta Mapes at 503-246-5758
- Elaine Shreve at 503-246-5879
- Susan Houseman at 503-577-6498
If you have a question or comment about a specific article or photo, you may Leave A Reply in the form at the bottom of most pages. Replies may be displayed to other site visitors.
Attend an Event
Visit our homepage for upcoming events. Visit our Events page for past events.
Our Board of Directors continues their monthly meetings. Current subjects include displays in the Library and bulletin board, Century Homes program, Historic Garden Home street signs, new businesses, our newsletters, Bell Ringing, Garden Home History walking Tours, program planning with the Garden Home Library, and more!
Call Mickey at 503-805-5518 or Esta at 503-246-5758 for meeting details.
Volunteer
We are a diverse and welcoming group that shares an interest in Garden Home’s past. Let us know your interest! Photography, research, event organizing, art design, or whatever talent and time that you can offer. Call us about volunteering. We try to make history fun!
John Pacella, Susan and Stan Houseman, Jan Fredrickson, Kevin Mistler March 2022 crop
Sharon Vedder, Esta Mapes, Elaine Shreve, Marie Pacella March 2022 crop
July 2019 board picnic at Wormwood Manor. Top row: Tom Shreve, Louise Cook Jones, John Pacella. Middle: Kevin Mistler, Patsy VandeVenter, Sharon and Bob Cram. Front row: Jan Fredrickson, Marie Pacella, Susan and Stan Houseman (behind the camera: Elaine Shreve)
2014 Garden Home Advisory Board. Back row: Stan Houseman, Bill Gellatly, Louise Cook Jones, Patsy VandeVenter (in pink), John Pacella, Bob Cram, Sharon Cram (in blue) Front row: Susan Houseman, Elaine Shreve, Louise Pacella, Mildred Stevens, Bob Day, and Carole Vranizan Not shown: Virginia Vanture These are the people who work on the history of Garden Home, maintain the website and present events and publications for you. Historic Garden Home, since 1858. Official Post Office since 1882!
2025 Board of Directors
| Chair | Patsy VandeVenter 971-275-0307 |
| Vice-Chair | Este Mapes 503-246-5758 |
| Treasurer | Susan Houseman 503-577-6498 |
| Secretary | Sharon Vedder |
| Editor | Elaine Shreve 503-246-5879 |
| Other Board Members | Jan Fredrickson Stan Houseman Kevin Mistler John Pacella Marie Pacella Mickey Mistler Lindsay 503-805-5518 |
| Advisory Board | Louise Cook Jones Sharon Cram Bob Cram Tom Shreve (web master) Virginia Vanture Bob Day Delia Day Harold Gjerman Sandy McKiernan Carole Vranizan |
Participate in the CENTURY HOMES program
Century Home plaque on Kaplan Miner home
Our CENTURY HOME program highlights homes that are at least 100 years old in our community. Contact us if your home is 100 years old!
Historic Garden Home street signs
Historic Garden Home street sign
We currently have over 40 of the Historic Garden Home street sign toppers in our community. View photos of the signs and for information about sponsoring a sign.
Special thanks
Our community, former residents, local experts and you!
Garden Home Community Library for selling our calendars, loaning equipment, and hosting our display cabinet and wall displays.
Garden Home Recreation Center for use of facility, meeting rooms, bulletin board and other assistance.
Garden Home Trader Joe’s for hosting the historic church bell and support promoting our events.
Garden Home Starbucks for in-kind donations of refreshments for our events.
Our history
The Garden Home History Project was formed in September of 2009 with a “Bell Ringing” event at Lamb’s Market (now Trader Joe’s). The bell hung in their cupola is from the 1918 Community Church in Garden Home. We were thrilled to meet so many of the older generations and to hear their stories. As we heard stories about our historic community we came together to research and share our history with all of you. Let us hear from you!
Subsequently, we have interviewed people and published 300+ stories and 2000+ photos. We thank you all for the photos, artifacts, stories and consulting which you have so generously shared.
We’ve held several reunion/celebrations in the auditorium of the Garden Home Recreation Center and out back in the playground. We’ve presented slide shows, newsletters, emails, bell ringings, cemetery tours, workshops, ice cream socials, and other activities to share our history. We’re able to do so much only because of the time and talents of our volunteers, thank you!
We hope you’ll enjoy the stories that you read and consider sending us your story. Contact us for a personal or phone interview. Thanks for your interest in historic Garden Home.
GardenHomeHistory.com 
Elaine,
I’ve written before but never really looked at the website much. Today, I had the time available and did as much as I’ve time for, meaning that I went through a lot of the people. It was like a walk down memory lane. Things I didn’t know much about (i.e., the Partlow’s house where I delivered papers to), and other items which I didn’t know a lot about, were satisfied. Needless to say, I appreciate all the work you and the rest of the staff are doing bringing Garden Home’s past to life. Thanks very much.
Thank you for the kind words. Be sure to check out our story on the Dickson family.
My name is Donna (Arndt) Oliver. The photo of the fire in the Throckmorton store has the wrong year that it burned. It actually burned in April of 1956. I was in fourth grade when it burned. We moved to Garden Home in a Sept. of 1953 when I was starting second grade.
Thank you for the correction! We fixed the photo description.