Family history and the lives of pioneers have always been fascinating subjects to me. Someday, I’ll look through the hundreds of pages of research that I’ve completed over the decades dating back to my college days when an instructor assigned a genealogy project to the class.
Since living here in Philomath, I’ve also become interested in local history, including the outlying areas around town. I’ve toyed with the idea of writing some sort of local history book, but demands on my time through the job have been an obstacle.
Earlier this week, a woman who is working on her late husband’s family history wrote to me asking if I could connect her with someone who might be able to fill in some blanks. In particular, she was interested in an old school located in the Blodgett vicinity. I directed her toward the Benton County Genealogical Society — those folks are helpful in such matters — but also remembered that I had purchased a book about early schools at the museum a few years ago.
“When School Bells Rang: Schools of Benton County” by Marlene McDonald was originally published in 1983. McDonald collected facts and memories from scores of people who were educated in one of the region’s schools.
This woman’s family of interest was Joseph and Katie Greiner. Their children attended District 95, which was Mountain Top School near Blodgett. According to McDonald’s book, the school existed from before 1900 into the 1920s when it merged with Blodgett School. Descriptions of the school were based on interviews with Ward Gellatly, who had attended classes there.
“There were enough windows for light, a wood stove for heat, a blackboard, homemade desks, and a teacher’s desk,” McDonald wrote. “Both slates and tablets were used and students provided their own books. Gellatly especially remembers Webster’s Blueback Speller and a red cover mental arithmetic book.”
In all, the book includes the histories of 68 schools, including those in Philomath. The first school in what became the city of Philomath was apparently the Maple Grove School established around 1858. Flossie Overman, a lifelong resident of Philomath and the school board’s clerk for several years, wrote in 1954 that the school was built that year and by 1865, had an average attendance of 11.
I sent the woman images of pages from the book for Mountain Top School and she was very excited. I also looked up the Greiner family name in the newspaper archives and emailed her copies of a few articles that mentioned them. I’ve been on the other side of it — when working on important projects like putting together an accurate family history, any materials that answer questions or give you more of an idea of how they lived can be invaluable.
2. Philomath mayor joins call for immigration enforcement halt
Philomath Mayor Christopher McMorran joined Gov. Tina Kotek and 30 other Oregon mayors in signing a letter last week demanding an immediate halt to federal immigration enforcement actions in Oregon until use-of-force incidents are investigated and those responsible held accountable.
The Feb. 5 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Border Czar Tom Homan expressed opposition to federal tactics being deployed in Oregon and across the country, citing the administration’s “blatant disregard for the facts on the ground” in recent Minneapolis incidents and “increasingly aggressive tactics and rhetoric” against people exercising First Amendment rights.
“We demand an immediate halt to federal immigration enforcement actions in Oregon until thorough investigations of use of force incidents in Minneapolis, in Portland, and all other use of force incidents by federal agents are thoroughly investigated and those involved are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” the letter stated.
The Oregon leaders argued that federal actions are creating fear in communities, with families avoiding schools, health care and essential shopping.
“The actions of your officers are not making our communities safer,” they wrote, noting the tactics are damaging local economies and eroding the trust that local law enforcement has built.
The letter affirmed Oregon’s commitment to its Sanctuary Law and declared support for immigrant and refugee communities: “We stand with you. You belong here.”
McMorran was among signatories that included mayors from Portland, Eugene, Bend, Beaverton and several other Oregon cities.
3. Oregon seeks ideas for 250-year time capsule
What should Oregon contribute to a time capsule that won’t be opened until July 4, 2275? The America 250 Oregon Commission wants your ideas.
On Independence Day this year, America250 will bury a stainless-steel cylinder designed to last 250 years within Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia. Each state has been invited to contribute something that represents its people, stories and values at this moment in history.
The commission is asking Oregonians to submit recommendations by March 1 for items that reflect the state and its residents today. Submissions could include creative works, written reflections or symbolic objects, but they must fit within an archival storage box (6-by-5-by-2 inches).
Items should ideally be made of nonreactive metals like gold, silver, copper, titanium or platinum, or consist of a single page of archival paper no larger than 8.5-by-11 inches. Other materials like stone, fabric, glass or clay may be used, though they’re more likely to degrade over the centuries.
It’s a fascinating challenge — how do you distill Oregon in 2026 into something meaningful for people 250 years from now? What will resonate with Oregonians in 2275? A Douglas fir seed? A page from the Oregon Trail? Something representing our agricultural heritage, our natural beauty, our political debates, our communities?
Whatever Oregon ultimately submits will speak for us across 2-1/2 centuries. Oregonians can send ideas to Oregon.250@ohs.org by March 1. The commission will use public input to inform its final selection.
(Brad Fuqua is publisher/editor of the Philomath News. He can be reached at News@PhilomathNews.com).