Bill Dixon’s Recollections of Kings Valley, Oregon
One of the many documents in the Benton County Historical Society archive is a write-up of a 2001 interview with Bill Dixon. Dixon, who was born in 1927, was the son of Virgil and Martie Plunkett Dixon, the grandson of Henry Plunkett and the great grandson of Ashna and James Plunkett. Ashna was thought to […]
Featured Artifact: Jim The Fix’r sign
This neon sign is on exhibit in the entry hall of the Corvallis Museum. Originally, the sign indicated the site of the Jim the Fix’r store at 115 NW Second Street in Corvallis. The shape of the sign indicated that owner Lawrence E. “Axel” Howard was a locksmith and sold locks and keys. The “fix’r” […]
Oregon State University Women’s Basketball
On March 2, 2024, the Oregon State Women’s Basketball team played its final game of the regular season. The team’s success over the last decade has attracted many local fans. But the success of women’s basketball at the school began very early. The school’s very first women’s basketball team was formed in 1898 when the […]
Philomath College Campus
At the time Governor Hatfield used the pen described in the previous story, Oregon State University was the only institution in Benton County that awarded bachelors degrees. That was not always the case. In 1865, a group of United Brethren church members in the Marys River Settlement decided that they needed an institution that would […]
Featured Artifact: Oregon Governor Mark Hatfield’s Fountain Pen
There isn’t anything unusual about this fountain pen itself. Its significance comes from when and how it was used. On March 6, 1961, Governor Mark Hatfield used this pen to sign into law the bill raising Oregon State College to university status. Hatfield then gave it to OSU president A. L. Strand who donated it […]
Valentine’s Day Cards
In the United States and many other countries, February is associated with the celebration of Valentine’s Day. There are many legends about how a Catholic celebration of Saint Valentine, a Roman-era martyr, became a day to celebrate romantic love. That transition happened sometime in the 14th or 15th centuries. One legend says the Saint Valentine cured […]
Blackledge Furniture of Corvallis
The last story about Robnett’s Hardware store prompted this look at another Corvallis store that has stayed in the same family for several generations, Blackledge Furniture. This store was founded by Oliver J. Blackledge, who came to Oregon from Iowa in the 1890s and opened the store in 1901. The store was located at 334 […]
Robnett’s Hardware Store
Robnett’s Hardware, which has a long history in Corvallis, will close on February 29, 2024. The story of the hardware store begins when Corvallis founder J. C. Avery returned from the California gold fields and opened a general store. In 1857, he moved the store from 2nd and Washington to a new one-story brick building […]
Featured Artifacts: Escutcheons
In the later part of the 1800s, well-to-do families wanted to impress visitors by their elegant front doors. They did so in part by using elaborate hardware such as this brass escutcheon from the museum’s collection. The term “escutcheon” is derived from the Latin word for shield. The escutcheon is a metal plate that surrounds […]
Cabell Lodge Fire
The fire which destroyed the Cabell Lodge was front-page news on December 15, 2023. The lodge was located about 13 miles south of Corvallis, Oregon, on the Finley Wildlife Refuge. Henry and Emily Failing Cabell built the two-story, wood-framed lodge in 1912 on land they had earlier purchased. Emily Failing Cabell was the daughter of […]