Exploring Oregon's Historic House Museums

Oregon's historic house museums are time capsules that preserve our past domestic life. As Kathleen Wiederhold shows in this informative and entertaining guide, historic houses provide a place to experience the architecture and artifacts of the most intimate part of our lives, the home.

Each of the historic house museums featured is unique in its place and time. The book covers houses built from 1841 to 1936, from a hewn log cabin in the high desert to a grand mansion in the state's most populated city. The houses, many of which are on the National Register of Historic Places, span the economic spectrum from poor to wealthy, and include those belonging to noteworthy Oregonians, from John McLoughlin to Wayne Morse. All are open to the public.

The author introduces readers to more than fifty historic house musuems in towns and cities from Astoria to Baker City. Each profile includes

• a fascinating history of the people who built and lived in the house.
• detailed descriptions of exterior and interior features, including architectural styles, floorplans, and furnishings,
• a step-by-step tour of the house with tips on what to see,
• and visitor information such as directions, operating hours, and nearby attractions.

Historic house museums showcase both ordinary and unusual objects that Oregonians used in everyday life. They provide glimpses of people's lives in the places where they lived. They also reflect on the course of the state's settlement and development. this engaging guide explains these dwellings and tells their stories. Photographs of both the exteriors and interiors bring the houses alive. For history buffs, old house enthusiasts, antique aficionados, and cultural tourists, this book is an excellent introduction to Oregon's heritage houses.

About the Author:
Kathleen M. Wiederhold has spent more than twenty years researching Oregon's historic houses and buildings. She lives in Portland, Oregon.