Albany City Directory

By Cathy Ingalls, Albany Regional Museum board member

For anyone interested in Albany’s early history, there’s a gem of a book for sale at the Albany Regional Museum that is a reproduction of the city’s first business directory published in 1878.

The 200-plus-page paperback that sells for $3 contains advertisements, listings of societies and lodges, has a compilation of churches with addresses and times of services, shows names of those living in the city, and notes all of Albany’s “public servants” since the adoption of the city charter in 1865.

And that’s just the beginning of all that’s inside the facsimile.

Near the front, city officials in 1878 are mentioned: the mayor was Jason Wheeler, the recorder J.W. Baldwin, treasurer C.C. Godley, surveyor J.A. Warner, and street commissioner W.J. Mathews. Councilors were Wm. Rumbaugh, Thomas Monteith, Claib. H. Stewart, N. H. Allen, John Brush and George F. Simpson.

Proprietors of businesses are represented in another section with their addresses. They include: Harness makers, George Hobart and Thompson & Irving; druggists, Bell & Parker, John Foshay, Charles Plummer and R. Saltmarsh; and the feed stables were operated by W.R. Cannon, Ans. Marshall and Jason Wheeler.

The locations of all of Oregon’s post offices are included in the book as are the post offices in the Washington Territory.  In this part is a helpful explanation of postal rates:

Letters prepaid by stamps cost 3 cents for a “half ounce or a fraction thereof to all parts of the United States; forwarded to another post office without charge on request of the person addressed. If the stamp is omitted, the letter is forwarded to the dead-letter office and returned to the writer.”

Three public schools were operating in Albany in 1878.

Children living from Ferry Street west attended the Seventh Street School taught by Miss Maggie Irvine; those between Ferry and Railroad streets went to Central School, presided over by Professor D.V.S. Reid assisted by Miss Estella Howard and Miss Ella Hunsaker; while all of those living below Railroad went to Dixie School taught by Miss Maria G. Irvine.

Directors of the school district at this time were Dr. J.L. Hill, D.M. Thompson, and L. Flinn, while John H. Burkhart was the district clerk.

School property was valued at $7,000, funds received during the year were $3,575.14, and teachers’ wages and repairs were $1,115.67.

In another part of the book is an index of city laws, that includes the powers of the city council, the granting and collecting of licenses, the taxing of dogs, naming streets, rules relating to prisoners working on streets, the hitching of animals to shade trees, and the appointments of police and a night watchman.

The rules governing the administration of the fire department are quite precise.

For example at board of delegate sessions, the president shall preside at all meetings, shall preserve order and decorum and enforce a strict observance of the law of the department and the rules of the board.

The president shall call special meetings when requested in writing by four members or when notified by the secretary of the suspension of an officer or company, or whenever he may deem necessary.

In 1878, Joseph Webber was the fire department’s chief engineer and M.S. Monteith was the assistant engineer.

The directory brags that “our fire department though small is well regulated and very efficient, which is due in a great measure to the efforts of Joseph Webber, who has had many years of experience in fire matters.”

The section goes on to say that the city is well provided for “in the way of water for the use of the engines. Besides eight large cisterns located at different points, several races and flumes traverse our streets from Eighth to the banks of the Willamette and can be used for fire purposes at any point.”

Here are some examples of advertisements appearing in the front of the directory:

Scott & Monteith’s sportsmen’s emporium at 124 Front Street was  “importers and dealers in guns, rifles and revolvers of every description.” Also on sale were fishing tackle, fancy goods, beads, baskets, birdcages and croquet games. The business also repaired sewing machines.

W. H. Brunk, no address listed, manufactured the “very best” boots and shoes in Albany and guaranteed perfect fits and low prices.

Conrad Meyer operated the Star Bakery at Broadalbin and First streets and dealt in groceries, crockery, glassware, bread, cakes, pies, cigars and tobacco.

Ans. Marshall was the proprietor of Fashion Stables that featured “the best turn-outs in the city. When you want a good rig, be sure to call at the Fashion Stables at the corner of Second and Washington streets.”

F. S. Dunning was a wholesale and retail dealer in furniture, and undertaking was a specialty. “Rosewood caskets and coffins always on hand.”

The facsimile of the 1878 directory was printed probably in 1978 and was commissioned by Tripp & Tripp Realtors, the “pioneer real estate firm in the Willamette Valley.” It is thought that the book was used for business promotions.

Hours to purchase the book at the museum, 136 Lyon St. S. are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 541-967-7122 or visit online at www.armuseum.com.

Albany's Hotels

By Cathy Ingalls, Albany Regional Museum board member

Before there were automobiles, visitors coming to Albany to transact business or visit friends primarily arrived by railroad, riverboat or horse and carriage.

Oftentimes, they needed a place to stay and eat so they sought out Albany’s hotels that often were just glorified boarding houses. Later, the hotels began to offer more amenities and boasted more comfortable accommodations.

By 1892, Albany had six hotels from which visitors could choose.

Probably one of the best known was the beige brick, four-story St. Francis Hotel that still stands at 406 First Ave. S.W. and now serves as a print shop and storage area.

The 27,000-square-foot building was constructed in 1912 by Ebner Rhodes in what was known as a part of the E.H. Rhodes block that already contained a two-story structure that he built in 1907.

Rhodes was thought to be a fruit buyer, and he lived with his wife, Sarah, in a house he built at 238 Fifth Ave. S.W. that at one time was the Reed Hospital.

Democrat-Herald newspaper stories and paperwork on file at the Albany Regional Museum note that the high ceilings in the St. Francis lobby were covered with sheets of decorative metal, and the floor was white, inch-square ceramic tiles with black and brown tiles inserted in various places to create interest.

A door on the second floor opened into an annex so “drummers,” another word for salesmen, could display their wares for local merchants to see and perhaps purchase. The second floor also served as the employees’ living quarters.

Guests and the townspeople referred to the St. Francis as the “classiest” place in town with the possible exception of the Albany Hotel at Second Avenue and Lyon Street.

At first, the St. Francis designed by Albany architect Charles Burggraf was called the Rhodes Hotel but then the name was changed to the St. Francis, possibly because of a sign.

A 500-pound sign created by the Federal Electric Co. of Chicago in 1903 probably for the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco became available at no cost. The sign made its way to the hotel in Albany, and the name was switched to accommodate a sign that fell into the owner’s lap.

A night’s stay in the 60-room hotel when it first opened cost 50 cents, the same price as a meal in the dining room.  There was no electricity for the upper three floors.

A jitney or a bus ferried guests to and from the train station so they no longer had to walk.

When it no longer was used as a hotel starting in 1966, a number of other businesses called it home, one being the FBI.

Later, plans fell through to turn the hotel into a jazz club with apartments above and then developers thought the building would make a good boutique hotel.

In 2012, the Historic Preservation League of Oregon placed the building on the endangered list.

Here is a roundup of several of Albany’s early hotels.

In 1910  the Charles Burggraf designed Hotel Van Dran was built on the corner of Ninth Avenue and Lyon Street.  The Depot Hotel was converted into the kitchen and dining room for the Vandran Hotel.

In 1947 the Vandran closed and later became the Albany-Linn Nursing Home.  The building was once again closed in 1974 and then demolished in 1987.

The Revere House was at the corner of First Avenue and Ellsworth Street. The 42-room, wooden structure was built in 1877 by Charles Pfeiffer.

The Hotel Hammel was built in 1912 on the southwest corner of Third Avenue and Ellsworth. The six-story building later became the Hotel Albany, closing in 1967.  It has been torn down.

The Exchange Hotel was on the southwest corner of First Avenue and Washington Street.

The Franklin House was south of First between Lyon and Baker streets.

The Russ House was on the northeast corner of First and Lyon.

The St. Charles Hotel was on the northwest corner of First and Washington.

The Depot Hotel was at 10th Avenue and Lyon.

For years, Ralph R. Cronise, an editor and publisher of the Democrat-Herald, made regular rounds of Albany’s hotels to check the guest registries. Then in his columns, he would note who was visiting Albany alongside where they lived.

Many hotel guests were from Mill City, Crawfordsville and Portland.

Cottonwoods Ballroom

By Cathy Ingalls, Albany Regional Museum board member

Some say that The Cottonwoods Ballroom on Highway 20 at Knox Butte Road east of Albany was in its day the most important entertainment venue between Portland and Eugene.

Today, people talk about rendezvousing at the cottonwoods junction or going to the grocery store, but how many know that the dance hall that no longer exists hosted some of the country’s most legendary musicians from the 1930s and into the ’60s.

Later before the ballroom was demolished, it became a disco nightclub, a bingo parlor and a place to gather for potlucks and to socialize on Sunday afternoons.

One reason the ballroom was a popular stop for musicians was it was only seven miles from Highway 99E, the main north/south artery in the Willamette Valley before the freeway was built. And admission was cheap: between 40 cents and $1.50, according to information on file at the Albany Regional Museum.

Harry and Gladys Wiley opened the venue about 1930, and no one knows for sure why the place was called The Cottonwoods Ballroom. Some say it certainly was to evoke Harlem’s famous Cotton Club, while others say it was because of a stand of nearby cottonwoods.

Another unknown is what type of flooring was in the building. Some say fir or cottonwood and later maple while others were convinced it was pine first and then maple.

There was a rumor that the ballroom was known nationally because the dance floor was the best in the county, the state and west of the Mississippi, according to Jim Creighton, who owns some of the dance club’s memorabilia and has researched its history.

He said there reportedly were valleys and depressions in the flooring so dancers momentum would change, while others were told that there was a leaf-spring suspension under the building, and there was a tale that ball bearings were installed under the dance floor.

To keep the ballroom family friendly, no alcohol was served but often patrons were known to step out into the parking lot to take a nip. To keep order, bouncers were stationed inside and out. After Prohibition, the building across the street, now a market, was thought to be a tavern and for some time an “unofficial” tavern.

In the 1930s, “all-colored bands,” as they were called performed and the most popular music at that time was known as “old-time,” and “hayseed.”

Then in the 1940s, big dance bands booked dates, and soldiers from Camp Adair north of Corvallis drove over for evenings of fun. Often the bands were comprised of all girls as many men at the time were at war.

Moving into the 1950s, mostly country and western groups performed.

Creighton said by far the biggest draw was 27-year-old Johnny Cash. Many concertgoers were forced to park miles away and then walk to see him.

Because there were no dressings rooms at the hall, performers during breaks often sat at tables and chatted with the patrons.

In 1939, the Wileys divorced and Harry left, but Gladys stayed on until 1960, when she closed the venue because of a loved one’s declining health and the popularity of dance halls was in decline.

In the mid-1990s, the building was torn down after heavy snow caused the roof to cave in. Now all that’s left are some old rock footings.

Here is a partial list of performers who appeared at The Cottonwoods Ballroom:

Louis Armstrong, Bobby Darin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Count Basie, Chuck Berry, The Coasters, The King Cole Trio, Fats Domino, The Drifters, Duane Eddy and Duke Ellington.

Others were Harry James, Carl Perkins, Little Richard and The Thunderbirds.

The persistent rumor that Elvis Presley played at the ballroom is untrue. The owners, Creighton said, tried to get him but it never worked out.

Hubbard Bryant a civic minded resident

By Cathy Ingalls, Albany Regional Museum board member

At least one way Hubbard Bryant proved that he was a civic-minded citizen of Albany came in 1911 when he and his wife, Adda, announced their plans to deed about 40 acres of his 640-acre farm west of town to the city for a park.

The offer, however, came with restrictions.

Mayor L.M. Curl was uncomfortable with those requirements so it wasn’t until 1914 that he put the issue to a city vote. By a 3-1 margin, voters declined to accept the gift.

Following the vote, Hub as he was known, and his wife issued a statement in writing: “You have chosen to refuse the offer of a tract of land for a park. In making this offer, we assure you we had it in our hearts to be generous…believe us, there will be on our part no ill will towards anyone, not contentions and no regrets.”

The restrictions that the mayor and others found so onerous included: the city would have to replace any bridge onto the property when necessary, the city would have to maintain the road to the property and develop a branch stretch of street from the road; and no alcohol would be permitted in the park.

Bryant wanted to pick members of a parks commission to govern the park, and the Chautauqua Association would have the right to use the park each summer for is assemblies.

Five years later in 1919, the Bryants made another offer with mostly the same restrictions, however the park commission requirement was modified.

Again Mayor Curl came out against the offer and another citywide vote was ordered. The folks who wanted the acreage for a park launched a well-organized campaign and this time the vote was favorable to accept the land.

To acknowledge the gift, the city ordered that a bronze plaque be erected on a rock at the entrance to the park with the following inscription, according to Dr. David Fitchett, who has researched the Bryant family. The plaque is still there.

It reads: “This tablet erected by the city of Albany in memory of Hubbard Bryant and his wife Adda E. Bryant whose love of nature and little children and their loyalty to home people led them to give 39 acres to make this city park possible. May 14, 1919.”

So who are Hubbard and Adda Bryant.

Hubbard was born in 1848 in Missouri to John and Lucinda Bilyeu Bryant. He was the oldest of five children, based on material on file at the Albany Regional Museum.

The family, which at that time included Hubbard and his sister Susan, moved west by wagon train in 1852, settling in Jordan Valley near Scio. The three younger children Nancy, Thomas and Mary were born there.

Hubbard attended a nearby school and later enrolled at Willamette University in Salem, graduating in 1872 at age 23.  Although born with a clubfoot, Hubbard walked home most weekends during the school year to Jordan Valley, a distance of 25 miles.

His school clothing consisted of a suit his mother made from homespun material and woven fabric. His shoes also were homemade. Later to accommodate his different foot sizes, he had to order one shoe in size a 6 and the other in a size 7.

Following graduation, Hubbard wanted to make sure his economic future included a number of options so he took business courses in Portland, and he read the law in Salem and then passing a test was admitted to the bar.

The year 1874 was a big one for Bryant. He moved to Albany and married Adda. He also was elected surveyor, winning election to the post three times.

Bryant practiced law for 10 years and then concentrated on becoming a big landowner. Eventually, he was one of the biggest taxpayers in Linn County.

As his income grew, he moved to 1933 Santiam Road next to Periwinkle Creek, then to Fourth Avenue in west Albany, and he purchased the 640 acres just west of Albany.

At its peak, the farm boasted 24 acres of corn, two silos, 94 acres of oats that produced about 9,000 bushels, a large herd of Jersey cows, a pasteurizer, a cooling plant, and an ice works and water washing setup. Later he owned about 40 hogs.

His family included nine children and 12 grandchildren at the time of his death in 1924.

He died in a car wreck in Eastern Oregon, where he was scouting for farms and visiting his daughter and husband in Union. His driver missed a detour and the car rolled twice down a 20-foot embankment, crushing Bryant against a fender, breaking his neck.

His funeral was on July 11, 1924, and as a sign of respect, banks, stores and the courthouse were closed.

Emblematic of his civic mindedness, Bryant was quoted as having said in wishing to donate his land for a park, “I think it is the duty of every man who makes money in town to leave something for that town….and I am willing to show by my actions that I believe that way.”

The Klan in Albany history and a publisher's pledge to the truth

By Cathy Ingalls, Albany Regional Museum board member

A reconstituted Ku Klux Klan was founded in Georgia in 1915 and spread nationwide, attracting into its fold numerous white, native-born, American Protestants living in Albany.

The KKK members in the second generation of the organization in Oregon did not, as a rule, terrorize, flog, torture, and murder former slaves but rather directed animosity toward Catholics, Jews, immigrants, and African Americans.

The group also worked to dismantle parochial schools and get fellow Klansmen and other like thinkers into political office.

The Klan was founded in Pulaski, Tennessee in 1866, mostly as a social group for Civil War veterans, but then many members started vigilante activity against former slaves. 

The name Ku Klux comes from the Greek word kyklos, which means circle.

Historians contend that the second Klan in Oregon boasted about 25,000 members, and the state’s group was more a fraternal organization. It had a more terrorizing focus in the southern part of the state, particularly Medford.

A page 1 story in the May 16, 1923, Corvallis Gazette-Times details the Klan’s “grand fandango” gathering held near Albany, which was touted as the “largest gathering of Klansmen ever held outdoors in the state of Oregon.”

According to the Rev. Lawrence J. Saalfeld in his 1984 book Forces of Prejudice: The Ku Klux Klan in Oregon 1920 – 1925, the religious bigotry of the Klan was challenged in Albany by the Knights of Columbus when a member of the Klan purportedly was to lecture at the Globe Theater on April 20 and 21, 1922, on “The Truth about the Ku Klux Klan.” Instead, the speaker leveled a series of charges at the Catholic Church. He said that anyone wishing to ask questions or debate any points he made would have to hire his own hall to do so.

Two of the speaker’s charges were that the pope sought to control American politics, and Catholics were forbidden to read the Bible. The Knights of Columbus posted a $500 reward to be given to the Red Cross if any of the Klansman’s charges could be proven, which they couldn’t.

On January 7, 1923, Saalfeld writes that a woman named Dorothy Nichols spoke in Albany’s Grace Presbyterian Church saying girls staying at the Catholic Home of the Good Shepherd in Portland were forced to work in “sweat-shop fashion,” they lived in squalor and immorality, and the premises were closed to inspectors and the courts. The Knights of Columbus after Nichols’ talk offered to pay $250 to the Red Cross if any impartial jury of three non-Catholic judges could find the charges to be true. Nichols declined the challenge.

On a positive note, Saalfeld writes that the Klan donated $50,000 to help build the Children’s Farm Home on Highway 20 between Albany and Corvallis.

On a day in May 1923, Ed Loy in his book Gem of the Willamette Valley: A History of Albany, Oregon and available at the Albany Regional Museum, states that about 2,000 Klansmen assembled at what is now the airport to, among other things, present official Klan charters to the cities of Albany, Lebanon, Corvallis, and Mill City. Later, about half of those who had gathered at the airfield participated in a parade through downtown Albany. Loy has a photo of the parade in his book.

On file at the museum is a copy of an “Invisible Empire Knights of the Ku Klux Klan” form that lists beliefs of the group. Those sharing those ideals were to “immediately” call Room 204 at the St. Francis Hotel. The last paragraph of the form states: “Be prudent, be wise, be discreet, and discuss this matter with no one whatsoever and destroy this notice after reading.”

One final, personal note: Saalfeld states that, in the entire state of Oregon, only three daily newspapers fought against the KKK and told the truth about the organization: They were The Portland Telegram, the Capital Journal in Salem, and the Corvallis Gazette-Times. 

My grandfather, C.E. Ingalls, was the G-T’s editor and publisher at that time. For his stand against the Klan, he is reported to have lost advertising, received late-night phone calls, had his family threatened, and his character was slandered. There was a rumor that a cross was burned on the family’s front lawn, but I can’t confirm that. But my grandfather did not back down and continued to expose the Klan for what it was.

Klan activity petered out in Oregon in the 1930s while succeeding attempts to revive it failed.