"See you after the parade!"

This lady is the Sherwood Historical Society's newest member. If you're from Sherwood, you remember her as City Recorder. She worked in Morback House when it was City Hall, before it was our Museum. She knows a lot of stuff about the building nobody else knows. She remembers why some electric plug-ins are painted orange and not others. She remembers when some kids planted marijuana plants all around the building when it was still City Hall and no one caught on for weeks and weeks. But right now she's helping the Society decorate for Christmas at Morback House. The Annual Christmas Parade is this coming Saturday and we don't want to be caught unprepared.

History Workshop attracts Old Families

It was an interesting group of people who descended on Morback House Saturday, November 17. We learned a lot about the beaver dam AKA onion flats AKA Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge territory. The Weckert and Galbraith families were especially well represented. A Sherwood High student from June Reynolds' history class ran the computer.

Rail Road Street 100 Years Ago

Welcome to Sherwood Oregon USA: The way we were at the Turn of the Century. There is a fire-plug at the lower right corner which means the year is later than 1898 (because that was when the water tower was built to prevent a disaster like the Great Fire of 1895). The sidewalk is made of wood, meaning we are earlier than 1913. You would have to visit some fairly remote part of the world to photograph a scene as rugged as this today. But wait.

DETAIL 1: Notice the two gents in front of the McConnell and Hall store. We assume they are the proprietors McConnell and Hall. They seem quite pleased with themselves and their surroundings. The Post Office is there. In the window on the right there is a bill advertising a 4th of July celebration. The Sherwin Williams logo is prominant. You can go to any store by that name today and learn more. The only anecdote about paint in Sherwood is the house that was painted blue in "Bluetown," mentioned elsewhere on this blog (October 2005).
DETAIL 2: Oh oh! Here are some teenagers in front of the Meat Market (Note the well-fed dog). They have probably drifted over from the train depot across the street just to get in on the photograph. Every railroad town had its "depot loafers." Get ready for some rough language. I wonder what they're laughing about.


DETAIL 3: At the far end of Railroad Street, Joe Morback is posing in front of his general merchandise store. And his bank. And his "Farm Produce A Specialty" depot. He wasn't just a successful businessman. J.E.Morback served as Mayor longer than any mayor anywhere in Oregon. He ran a tight ship. But wait! What's that going on at the corner of Railroad and Main just below the bank sign!?

DETAIL 4: The wagon meister appears to be busy keeping his small son's (or daughter's) attention off the couple on the corner. Or perhaps he's focused on not running over a pedestrian (note the leg sticking out). The picture is a bit too blurry to show the crop being hauled. Too oblong to be onions. Could be corn or potatoes.

DETAIL 5: Looks like hanky-panky, but no amount of photo analysis has been able to prove just what's going on here.



To purchase your own copy of the Master Photograph, contact the Oregon Historical Society.