HELP SAVE THIS HISTORIC 1890 FARMHOUSE!!!

Brenda Houser is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of LISA GOLDBECK.

Donation protected

Please consider donating to help a piece of our local history.

You may have been down Starr Blvd recently and driven past the concrete buildings, and the fences, then come upon an old home that seems to stand defiant in its surroundings. Behind the beautiful home stands majestic old-growth trees that house barn owls, these were planted by Raymond Haag, who began the Outdoor School Program in Oregon and purchased this home in 1961.

The house that was built in 1890 by J.W. Shute is all that remains from the original 1843 Constable Donation Land Claim of 647 acres. The Constables were the first wagon train in 1843 traveling along the Oregon Trail, located at the heart of the fertile area where a good deal of early European Americans arrived in Oregon Country. Now this property is threatened to be demolished, to become the concrete that stands beside it. Despite Raymond Haag registering the home with the National Registry of Historic Places and despite it being in the Historic & Cultural Resource Inventory of Washington County, it is at risk of being developed. The current owner has long-term plans to run a non-profit utilizing the land for outdoor school learning, farm events, workshops, and more. However, her dream of being a non-profit, of giving back to the community is in jeopardy due to the financial burden of the mortgage. Unfortunately, when Mr. Haag passed the home went to the family, but not all family members wanted to keep this special piece of history. Therefore, buying out the siblings came at a heavy cost, one that forced them into an unfavorable loan. In order to keep this home from being bulldozed they will need the assistance of the community. This piece of history stands for all of our community to enjoy not just the family that is struggling to save it.

“History is instructive. What it suggests to people is that even if they do little things, if they walk on the picket line, if they join a vigil, if they write a letter to their local newspaper… Anything they do, however small, becomes part of a much larger sort of flow of energy. And when enough people do enough things, however small they are, then change takes place.” Howard Zinn, American historian (1922-2010)

I believe our community cares about this rich history, the land, and the tale the home has to tell, and would like to see it stand. Please support what you can.

Here is the link to the Wikipedia page on the history of this land. Keep checking back as I update more of the details of its rich history.