Articles written by Roberta Mckern
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 37
Digging Treasures at the East Linn Museum: Life of Henry Spalding a real page-turner
Henry Harmon Spalding stumbled along through darkness. Having failed to adequately hobble his horse, he was afoot. His shoes had proven too tight, so he discarded them, wrapping his leggings around...
Digging Treasures at the East Linn Museum: In consideration of the lowly bean (Feb. 1, 2023)
While wandering through aged relics at the East Linn Museum, some attention-attracting items may set off thought-trains in diverse directions. For example, a large brown ceramic bean pot sits atop the...
Melodic fanfare at the East Linn Museum
The East Linn Museum is now closed for the winter until February. In the meantime, we ponder the ghostly sounds we imagine rising in its darkened recesses. We know the main room once served as a...
Remembering meals, atmospheres on holidays of the past
We've come to the seasonal change when wintry weather nips at the warmth of memories - a good time to refresh ourselves with an inspiring walk through the East Linn Museum. However, the museum will...
Shadows and doubts in the tale(s) of Frank Reid
“Halt.” The order came from the darkness as a lone figure traveled down a moonlit Sweet Home street. Instead of stopping, the figure turned. Shots from his gun rang out in the silence. More came...
Turning history's pages (in a 1910 McCall's)
First, a joke: A lady lost her little shaggy poodle. When a policeman brought back her soiled and bedraggled little dog, his mistress rejoiced, but asked, "How did he ever get so wet?" "Why, when we...
Adventures in preservation: saving Weddle Bridge
"You know, this would probably make a good subject for an article," an East Linn Museum volunteer said as she held up a thick, green plastic notebook. The item had come with Ben Dahlenburg's scale...
What the nose knew (some scented vignettes)
At this time of year, as summer begins to wane, some of us are lucky enough to be able to visit scented backyards, where perfumes set forth by blooming honeysuckle, privet hedge, butterfly bush and...
Teacher's autograph albums full of notes from 'dear friends'
Among the more unexpected finds at the East Linn Museum are two small autograph albums and a photocopy of a third. Some of us might remember having such collections as young ladies in grade school....
Following log drives downriver into history
Thanks to late East Linn Museum volunteer Ted Fitzwater, we can float down the South Santiam River on a log drive. Inspired by the cover of "Sweet Home in Linn County, New Life, New Land," a...
Mining adventures in Linn County history
Here at the East Linn Museum, we're taking yet two more looks at the Quartzville Mining District. First, we had a visit from Cindy Budlong, a Mill City Historical Society volunteer representing their...
The art of speculation and history
If we want to exercise our speculating and surmising abilities, the East Linn Museum's the perfect place to visit. Why? Because it's filled by objects with obscure pasts. Some were possessions...
Historic postcards worth more than a thousand words
Not long ago, a number of colorful picture postcards at the East Linn Museum drew attention as they were placed in new albums with plastic sheaths, which allow both sides to be seen. What have we...
What chittem bark brought to the valley
While reading through Lois Rice's notes at the East Linn Museum, a couple of newspaper clippings caught my attention. One, from July 1904, dealt with collecting chittem bark. The other, from...
Rich histories embroidered into special quilt
A call came to the East Linn Museum a while back. Would we be interested in a quilt made by a ladies’ club east of Foster for a young lady turning 16 in 1942? “Another friendship quilt?” the...
Scraps reveal plenty about local history
If we want to be impressed by the transitory nature of history at the East Linn Museum, we can examine notes and newspaper clippings about our area compiled by Lois Rice about 50 years ago. Rice, of...
Cattle tracks through history at the East Linn Museum
As we meander through the East Linn Museum, we likely don't have cattle in mind until we come across lariats, saddles, mohair chaps and a branding iron in its tack room. Although some of the branding...
'Shooting anvils,' medicine shows and a cold murder case
At the East Linn Museum, it gladdens the researcher to come across an anecdote-filled history about a family that settled here in 1852 (and its descendants). Alvin and Polly Morris homesteaded on Fern...
Roberta McKern: Exploring the era of plastics at East Linn Museum
In the mid-1940s, following World War II, an optimistic announcement declared that the era of plastics had arrived. In reality, plastics of some sort had been around since 1869, when John Wesley...
Queen Victoria's influence lives on at museum
When we enter the East Linn Museum, thoughts of England's Queen Victoria don't come readily to mind. Still, her era's influences directly reflect on our area and many of the artifacts on display...
'Niceties' from the past abound at East Linn Museum
The East Linn Museum contains many niceties. The first, of course, is its research room’s historical materials. The many articles in the museum’s collection reflect the lives of those who settled...
Minor mysteries add spice to life at East Linn Museum
"Which way?" "I think that's upside down." "Wait, something's stuck in there." "Looks like a piece of cork." "It won't shake loose." "No. I'll see if I can get it. I think I can." Two lady volunteers...
Oregon pioneers took the trail to where grass was greener
A book entitled "The Willamette Valley: Migration and Settlement on the Oregon Frontier" can be located in the research room of the East Linn Museum with a little effort. Written by geographer...
Museum harbors truths about lye and washerwoman blues
We hear the phrase "The more things change, the more they stay the same," and often we nod and echo, "Yes, yes." Should we? Likely not. Things do not hold steady and unchanged, as we can easily tell...
Old bottles tell all manner of tales from days of yore
This is a tale of old bottles. Once, a pair of 5-year-old twins lived in a little house with their mother and father and younger sister and brother. About two blocks south flowed a small river. On an...