Electron Microscope
When the Benton County Historical Society acquired the Horner Collection, it received a number of scientific equipment. The largest of these instruments is the RCA EMU-2B TEM, an electron microscope. Oregon State University acquired the microscope in 1951 for $180,000 (equivalent to over $2 million in today’s dollars) for use in research in the colleges […]
Eyeglasses
As I recently needed new eyeglasses, I was curious about the styles that were popular in the past. The Benton County Historical Society’s collection contains numerous pairs. I was surprised that many of the older eyeglasses had much in common with my new ones. The eyeglasses in the photograph above have gold tone metal frames and […]
Candle Histories
December 21 is the shortest day of the year. For many years, candles were one of the few sources of light during these dark days. Today, candles retain an important role in many wintertime holiday celebrations. The Benton County Historical Society’s collection includes a few such candles. Honeybees are not native to the Americas so the missions […]
Children’s Farm Home, Corvallis, Oregon
One hundred years ago, the Oregon Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) purchased 245 acres north of Corvallis from Harry Ashbahr in order to build the Children’s Farm Home. Mary Powers of Shedd initiated the project. The oldest of nine children, she had to find homes for her siblings after her parents died. The memory of the sorrow […]
Colonial Maryland Currency Printed by Anne Catharine Hoof Green
Benton County Historical Society Exhibitions Curator Mark Tolonen suggested the item below as the subject for the blog saying, “there are probably a lot of stories that could be learned from this one note.” He was certainly correct. This tattered paper is a two-thirds dollar note issued by the colonial assembly of Maryland. British policy […]
More of Edna Finley’s Irish Bend Memories
The last post contained Edna Finley Buchanan’s memories of childhood in the Irish Bend area. This post will continue those recollections with her descriptions of the operation of the warehouse owned by her father, Hugh McNary Finley.
Edna Finley’s Irish Bend Memories
The last post contained Edna Finley Buchanan’s memories of childhood in the Irish Bend area. This post will continue those recollections with her descriptions of the operation of the warehouse owned by her father, Hugh McNary Finley.
It’s Apple Season!
The apple trees in this photograph from the collection of the Benton County Historical Society look to be loaded down with ripe apples. Fruit-laden apples trees are not rare: over 1500 farms in Oregon have apples trees. The 2021 harvest totaled 154 million pounds of apples. What to do with all those apples? One option is […]