Willamette Heritage Center is a museum in
Salem,
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
. The five-acre site features several structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places including the Thomas Kay
woolen mill
Textile Manufacturing or Textile Engineering is a major industry. It is largely based on the conversion of fibre into yarn, then yarn into fabric. These are then dyed or printed, fabricated into cloth which is then converted into useful goods s ...
, the Jason Lee House, Methodist Parsonage, John D. Boon House, the Pleasant Grove (Condit) Church. The houses and church were relocated to the mill site. The Center also includes a research library and archives of
Marion County history.
The Center was created in 2010 from the merger of the Mission Mill Museum Association (est. 1964) and the adjacent Marion County Historical Society (est. 1950).
History
The Thomas Kay Woolen Mill was started in 1889 by Thomas Lister Kay, whose descendants eventually founded
Pendleton Woolen Mills
Pendleton Woolen Mills is an American textile manufacturing company based in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is known for its blankets and woolen clothing.
Company origins
The company's roots began in 1863 when Thomas Lister Kay made a tra ...
.
[Thomas Kay.]
Salem Online History. Salem Public Library. Retrieved on July 24, 2009. The workforce of 50 labored 60-hour weeks. In 1895, a fire destroyed the mill. Ground was broken on a new mill structure on December 20, 1895, in the same location. This building, designed by architect W.D. Pugh, is the brick structure that stands today. The building opened to the public on May 15, 1896, to speeches, demonstrations and music.
The mill was operated by four generations of Kay family members. Thomas Lister Kay died in 1900 and his son
Thomas B. Kay took over as president and served until his own death in 1931.
[ Thomas B. Kay's son Ercel took over for his father, and Ercel's son Tom Kay took over for him.
The mill announced its closure in 1959, and all operations ceased by 1962.
Archeological digs on the northern part of the center's grounds led to the discovery of the site where a Methodist mission school stood before it was destroyed by fire in 1872.]
Museum
Visitors can tour the mill buildings with displays of original 19th and 20th century machinery and photos about industrial wool processing.
The houses and church have been restored and furnished to a mid 19th-century appearance. The Jason Lee House features a special exhibit about early Oregon during the time of the Methodist Mission
The Methodist Mission was the Methodist Episcopal Church's 19th-century conversion efforts in the Pacific Northwest. Local Indigenous cultures were introduced to western culture and Christianity. Superintendent Jason Lee was the principal leader fo ...
.
The museum includes a water power interpretive exhibit by Portland General Electric
Portland General Electric (PGE) is a Fortune 1000 public utility based in Portland, Oregon. It distributes electricity to customers in parts of Multnomah, Clackamas, Marion, Yamhill, Washington, and Polk counties - 44% of the inhabitants ...
. The exhibit demonstrates how the mill was run using the water from Mill Creek.
Structures
*Jason Lee House (1841), a home of Jason Lee Jason Lee may refer to:
Entertainment
*Jason Lee (actor) (born 1970), American film and TV actor and former professional skateboarder
*Jason Scott Lee (born 1966), Asian American film actor
* Jaxon Lee (Jason Christopher Lee, born 1968), American v ...
which, with the Parsonage, are the earliest known frame buildings in Salem, and perhaps the oldest remaining in the state
*Methodist Mission Parsonage (1841)
* John D. Boon House (1847)
*Pleasant Grove Presbyterian Church (1858)
*Thomas Kay Woolen Mill (1889/1896)
See also
*
References
External links
Willamette Heritage CenterPhotos of Mission Mill Village from Salem Public Library
{{Textile museums
Industrial buildings completed in 1890
Museums in Salem, Oregon
Textile museums in the United States
Historic house museums in Oregon
Mill museums in the United States
National Register of Historic Places in Salem, Oregon
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon
1889 establishments in Oregon