Welcome to the Southern Oregon Historical Society!
Volunteers needed for 2010
SOHS will reopen both its Research Library and Hanley Farm this spring -- and volunteers are needed.
LIBRARY: If you're interested in helping us document our amazing Collection, please attend our Volunteer Open House at 3 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 10, at the History Center in Medford.
Hear about what positions are needed, and our plans to reopen the library with a volunteer staff. For more information, contact Librarian Kathy Enright at library@sohs.org or 541-858-1724.
COLLECTION: We also need volunteers to help us with an inventory of the paintings in our Collection warehouse. Contact Michael Golino at 541-282-6112.
HANLEY FARM: We will also need volunteers at Hanley Farm beginning in May. Events range from a "Meet The Farmer Barn Dance" in May to an "Eating Locally Celebration" in September. Volunteers are needed to take admissions; staff the Hanley Mercantile Store; give house, barn and garden tours; offer children's games; set-up tables and chairs; prepare the grounds and house; and help with publicity.
If you are interested, please contact Alice Mullaly at 541-664-2079 or lmullaly@jeffnet.org.
New items for sale in the on-line store!
The Smith Family Cookbook
More than a cookbook! The Stan Smith family history as told by their ancestors' stories, pictures and recipes from 1872 in Eagle Point to
Jacksonville, Sterlingville, the Applegate, and places in between.
Oh Oregon, Songs of Oregon
Original songs by singer/song writer Christina Duane, celebrating the
150th Anniversary and the Majesty of Oregon.
SOHS presents Chinese New Years Lectures
SOHS will present two lectures in celebration of Chinese New Years in Jacksonville. Archeologists Christopher Ruiz and Chelsea Rose will speak at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at South Stage Cellars, 125 S. Third Street.
Ruiz will speak on "The Archaeology of the Jacksonville Chinese Quarters," and Rose will speak about "Chasing The Dragon: Realities and Myths of Opium."
Admission is $10 for SOHS members, $15 for non-members -- or free with purchase of an SOHS membership at the door. Seating is limited. Advance tickets are available at South Stage Cellars, 541-890-9120.
Southern Oregon Historical Society -- in transition
As you may know, SOHS has temporarily closed most of its public operations Sept. 7, 2009. The goal is restructure the organization and reopen in six months as a historical society that is more sustainable and relevant to the Community.
Hanley Farm continued to operate through fall and will soon announce plans for spring. Our history talk series has been renewed with the Jackson County Library -- every first Wednesday in Medford, and every second Wednesday in Ashland. But all of its museums -- including the Jacksonville and Children's Museums, Beekman House, and the Catholic Rectory -- and the Research Library in downtown Medford is closed and almost all staff has been laid off.
The decision by the Board of Trustees was difficult, but necessary. SOHS has struggled financially since losing all County funding in 2007, and losing its main tenant for the History Center in downtown Medford in fall 2009. The Society manages a historic farm, a research library, a large Collection of artifacts, and six historic properties that belong to the people of Jackson County.
(For a Mail Tribune editorial encouraging the county to take fiscal responsibility for the future of history in Southern Oregon, click here.)
Over the past six months the board and new Executive Director Allison Weiss has met with members, donors, community leaders and potential partners in an effort to create a new plan for the organization. Key to that plan will be: amending the property lease agreement with Jackson County; determining the future of the History Center in downtown Medford, and raising enough money to bring history back to Southern Oregon this spring.
If you would like to add your voice to the process, please send click here. To make a much-needed and much-appreciated donation, go to our donation page. Thank you so much for being part of SOHS and believing in the future of history.
A Q&A with SOHS's new director, Allison Weiss
Our new director, Allison Weiss, comes to us from Philadelphia, Pa. She takes the reins of SOHS at a challenging time, but is confident that we can recreate the Society if we all work together.
Q: First of all, could you introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about yourself and your interests?
A: I don't think I can say anything about myself without first saying that I have a 3-year-old at home. Anyone with children will understand this! Prior to her arrival, I was a fairly active artist -- I mostly do landscape paintings with pastels and make sculptures out of found objects. My husband and I are also runners, although we are not yet up to the challenge of the local hilly terrain.
Q: What originally interested you in this position? What experiences have you had that have prepared you for the role of executive director?
A: After graduating from college with a degree in design, I joined the Peace Corps and spent two years living in a rural village in West Africa. It was there that I discovered my passion for anthropology and first became interested in helping people preserve their cultural traditions. When I moved back to the States, I started volunteering at a museum in Philadelphia, my hometown. After obtaining my masters degree in cultural anthropology, I returned to the museum field and have remained ever since. I have worked in every capacity in museums -- education, marketing, curatorial work, exhibit development, and administration. I had the unique opportunity of actually starting a museum from "ground zero" when I was hired as the first manager of the Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum. More recently I was the director of The Speaker's House, the home of Frederick Muhlenberg, first Speaker of the House of Representatives. It was really the combination of those two experiences -- working at a farm museum and working at a historic site -- in addition to my many other years in this field - that made me feel qualified to run the Southern Oregon Historical Society.
Q: What were your first impressions of the historical society and what do you appreciate most about it?
A: When I came to visit Jacksonville for the first time, I fell in love with the town and was very excited by the potential presented by such a well-preserved collection of buildings I see great potential in Hanley Farm and by the vast holdings of the society. I also see much room for expanding our reach so we truly represent all of Southern Oregon.
Q: What do you think the Society's biggest challenges are at the moment?
A: The biggest challenge that SOHS faces is educating the public that we are no longer supported by county funding. Although it has been several years since we stopped receiving county funding, there is still a misperception that tax dollars are going towards our operating expenses. The staff has done a commendable job of retaining a high level of services with a budget that is a fraction of what it once was.
Q: How do you see the historical society changing over the course of the next few years?
A: Many people think of history museums or historical societies as being relics -- representations of a way of life that no longer exists. The challenge of today's history museum is to be relevant to contemporary life. What are the issues going on in society today that the historical society can help shed light on? For example, the current interest in organic farming. The women of Hanley Farm were farming organically over 100 years ago! I'd like to see us present programs in which we use our historical collection and buildings to discuss issues that are relevant to people today.
Q: How can people in Jackson County get involved and help the Historical Society?
A: We need more members, more donors and more ideas on what SOHS should be in the future. People need to let us know what we are doing right and what they would like to see more of in the future. SOHS exists for the benefit of our public. We need to provide services that the public values so they will continue to support the Society.
