May 2015 • FREE
Remembering
Dedicated volunteers clean headstones at the Masonic Cemetary in west Albany.
by Karen Rogers May is Memorial Day month; when we remember and celebrate our past by bedecking cemeteries. The Masonic Cemetery at 700 Broadway St. S.W. in Albany is a hidden treasure. Established in 1866 by the Corinthian Lodge #17, it is one of the oldest in this area and is part of the Harvey Gordon Donation Land Claim Many prominent pioneers, politicians and other leaders are interred here. Delazon Smith, Oregon’s first U.S. Senator, and Rufus and Bessie Hale, long time owners of the Deluxe Shoeshine Parlor in downtown Albany, rest here. Masonic symbols are found throughout the area and the consolidated St. Johns’ Lodge #17 maintains the upkeep. A dedicated group of local volunteers headed up by Kay Burt and Kathy Griffiths have made a great effort to clean, repair and document markers and have installed an informational sign that gives a brief history. On Saturday, May2 from 9AM to noon you are invited to a work party where you can learn to clean a historical marker. Other work parties are Saturday June 13, July 11, and September 12 from 9 to noon. On Memorial Day weekend, the 24 and 25 of May, there will be an informational tent set up. On July 23, a History Through Headstones tour will be given by the Albany Regional Museum. This is a fun and fascinating event! For more information, contact jkgrif@ comcast.net 541-967-1941.
Volunteer leaders Kay Burt (L), John Strong (representing the Masonic Lodge) and Kathy Griffiths (R) display the new interpretive sign in the historic Albany cemetary.
The old Scroggin’s Mill building sits ready for restoration.
Preserving Lebanon’s History
From the outside, it may look like a huge dilapidated wooden building that may be beyond salvage, but that was before the Scroggin’s Mill Heritage Group came along. Now the old mill building and the surrounding grounds are slated to become a refurbished historic site, a museum and surrounding park suitable for hosting all kinds of events from weddings to nighttime movie gatherings during the summer months. The group is a registered non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the mill building while preserving its historic features including signage, and even some of the equipment still in the building. Scroggin’s Mill sits on the property adjacent to the newly refurbished Santiam Railroad Station on Sherman St, east of Main in Lebanon. The railroad station was built in 1880 and the original mill building was erected the following year. The mill was used over the years to process grain and feed, and was even used as a turkey processing plant in the 1930s, putting out as many as 2,000 birds per day.
Two old railroad refrigeration cars were permanently installed inside an addition in the building to store the processed turkeys. The building itself was saved from a massive fire that destroyed the adjacent Lebanon Bag Company building in 1972, and the mill continued to operate as a feed and seed store until eventually closing. During the ensuing years, the building fell into disrepair until the formation of the non-profit group bent on bringing the historic building back to life as a showplace for the benefit of mid-valley residents. The group is now planning a full slate of fund raising events for this summer, and are always seeking volunteers who want to help work on the mill building and grounds. The next major fundraiser will be held on May 23rd at the Santiam Place Event Hall in Lebanon, and will feature a Spaghetti Feed with all the trimmings, as well as a silent auction. Tickets will be $10 per person with all proceeds from the dinner and auction going to help with the Scroggin’s Mill restoration. For tickets and other information about the project, call: 541-258-3237. You can also get more information at their website: www.scrogginsmill.org.
Future plans call for a park on the mill site.
One of the old grain grinders still inside the mill building.
by Rick Rogers