Home Histories Revealed
By Dick Mathews, Washington County Museum
Pauly House -1891
One of the original homes in this area is the Pauly House located on Pauly Road just off of McNamee Road, built for the Paulys in 1891. For the first seven years a log cabin was home to the couple and their two boys. In 1891 a carpenter named Pete Lars (Larfe) was hired to construct the permanent home. A ship’s carpenter, he did his job well. The original house contained three bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. Some time later, a larger kitchen, a bathroom, a laundry room and several porches were added to the main house.
Still later a basement was added and a well dug in 1981. Initially, water had been carried from a spring to the original cabin. After the house was built, they piped water from the spring on Reid’s place above the farm to the building.
The land itself was hilly and covered with first-growth fir, cedar and deciduous trees. As cleared land was needed for fields and pastures the trees were cut down. Some of the logs were skidded to Kaiel’s Mill in the McCarty Creek area on skid-roads by teams of horses. Here timber was sawed into lumber and then used to build the house. Nearly all the forty acres were finally cleared and used for growing crops, a pasture and a large orchard. (Only about twenty of the several hundred fruit trees are still standing) There were also areas for many kinds of berries, grapes, and early and late gardens. The Paulys worked to make the farm self-supporting. The family lived there for 80 years. The house, which has been restored, is now the Lilla lavendar farm.
Fred & Rhoda (McNamee) Pearson House -1899
The Pearson house, located on McNamee Road (no longer standing) was built on a part of section 29 (an area plated in 1840) owned by Moses McNamee, Rhoda Pearson’s father. Moses’ name was given to the road because he was the first property owner in the area. Moses, who died in 1905, had owned a logging operation on the road. Moses McNamee’s parents came to Oregon in 1845. They lived in Columbia County around Scappoose and moved to higher ground for health reasons in 1885. McNamee Road was an Indian trail at that time.
Fred Pearson, Moses McNamee’s son-in-law, bought about 100 acres from a Mr. Folkenburgh (whose property was on Cornelius Pass Road) when he came to the area from Sweden in the 1890’s. He and his brother, Jack, a contractor in Portland, built the “Pearson House” in 1899 on property facing McNamee Rd. Fred and Rhoda were married in the same year. When Moses died, Rhoda inherited an additional twenty acres of land from Section 29 from her father.
Interviewees: Elizabeth Pearson Upton
Charles Reimer House (Lemacher House) -1886
This house on Old Cornelius Pass Road was built by Charlie Reimer as a place in which to retire from the sea. He built it using large timbers and square nails. The exact date of building is unknown. However while it was being remodeled, German newspapers were found in the walls dating to 1886. In January 1924, the house and twenty acres of land were bought by the Lemacher family. Since then, the house has been known as the Lemacher house. This Swiss family made aged Swiss cheese.
The number of acres Reimer owned is unknown. Like all the rest of the land in the area, it was sloping, wooded and covered with forest. When the Lemachers bought the land all the old growth had been cleared but the land was still wooded with second growth. The United Electric Railway had a small station nearby called Rockton Station for transportation to Portland.
Krueger Farm House -1898
Ferdinand and Caroline Krueger’s home was located on Old Cornelius Pass Road about one quarter mile from Skyline Boulevard. It is now the Kessinger’s Plumper Pumpkin farm. Originally this property was set aside by the State of Oregon as “school land”. When it was not needed for this purpose the state sold it to James Murray, a single man. The price was $100 in 1871. It came into the hands of Louisa Krueger on March 28, 1883 when her father bought it for her for $900. They had come from Germany and just had settled on a farm on Kaiser Road. But it was the father’s wishes that each of his children –Louisa, Emil, Ferd and Carlie—should have land of their own. When Louisa married and moved to Spokane, the land was sold to Ferdinand for $1.
At this time (1889) the property consisted of 80 acres, one acre of which had been cleared for an orchard. In the orchard was a small house in which Mr. Murray may have lived. The rest of the property was wooded like the area around it. The first building to be put up was the barn which still stands today. Ferd built it with the help of a sometime farmer and carpenter named Pete Larfe who lived in Bethany. But in order to have money to build a house, Ferd moved to Spokane where he worked two years as a blacksmith for the railroad company while Pete built the house.
By 1898 the house was ready: Ferd and his bride, Caroline, moved in on September 22. The house has two stories, was built with a large kitchen and good-sized parlor and two bedrooms downstairs. Upstairs were three bedrooms. Although there was much timber on the property, the lumber came from elsewhere. While the barn is much the same as it was when it was built, the house has been remodeled several times. The Krueger family occupied the house for one hundred and two years.
Interviewees: Mrs. Emma Brooks, Mrs. Jean Brooks Nixon
John Miller House -1912
The John Miller house is located at the bottom of Newberry Road. The main part of this house was built in 1912 although the first kitchen area may have been part of the original cabin built around the 1850s. Much of the house had been built of cedar coming from local mills. A method called balloon construction was originally used. [According to Wikipedia, balloon framing “… utilizes long continuous framing members (studs) that run from sill to eave line with intermediate floor structures nailed to them. Once popular when long lumber was plentiful, balloon framing has been largely replaced by platform framing.”]
One of the stories surrounding this property is that Dr. Miller worked for the army during the Indian Wars. For this service he was awarded a service grant of 640 acres in 1850 by the US government. The grant was signed by President U.S. Grant. While he was stationed at Coos Bay, he was working and making friends with the Indians. When the government gave him the grant, the Indians brought him to Astoria by river in war canoes to Sauvie Island where he chose this spot to build his home.
Part of the property was given by Dr. Miller to the United Electric Railway for their tracks which were laid just below the house. The train went from Banks to Portland and cost fifteen cents to ride. Near the house was a station that was called Miller’s Station. The railroad workers called this train “The Gallopin” Goose.
Interviewees: A. and Pat Wagner, Willard Miller, Laura Ackley and Sally Lessing
Secretary, June Huserik; Owners: Carol Allen, Bob Benson, Emma Brooks, Laura Ackley, Keith Kreps, Mrs. L (Lemacher) Noonan
RR0308
Pauly House -1891
One of the original homes in this area is the Pauly House located on Pauly Road just off of McNamee Road, built for the Paulys in 1891. For the first seven years a log cabin was home to the couple and their two boys. In 1891 a carpenter named Pete Lars (Larfe) was hired to construct the permanent home. A ship’s carpenter, he did his job well. The original house contained three bedrooms, a living room and a kitchen. Some time later, a larger kitchen, a bathroom, a laundry room and several porches were added to the main house.
Still later a basement was added and a well dug in 1981. Initially, water had been carried from a spring to the original cabin. After the house was built, they piped water from the spring on Reid’s place above the farm to the building.
The land itself was hilly and covered with first-growth fir, cedar and deciduous trees. As cleared land was needed for fields and pastures the trees were cut down. Some of the logs were skidded to Kaiel’s Mill in the McCarty Creek area on skid-roads by teams of horses. Here timber was sawed into lumber and then used to build the house. Nearly all the forty acres were finally cleared and used for growing crops, a pasture and a large orchard. (Only about twenty of the several hundred fruit trees are still standing) There were also areas for many kinds of berries, grapes, and early and late gardens. The Paulys worked to make the farm self-supporting. The family lived there for 80 years. The house, which has been restored, is now the Lilla lavendar farm.
Fred & Rhoda (McNamee) Pearson House -1899
The Pearson house, located on McNamee Road (no longer standing) was built on a part of section 29 (an area plated in 1840) owned by Moses McNamee, Rhoda Pearson’s father. Moses’ name was given to the road because he was the first property owner in the area. Moses, who died in 1905, had owned a logging operation on the road. Moses McNamee’s parents came to Oregon in 1845. They lived in Columbia County around Scappoose and moved to higher ground for health reasons in 1885. McNamee Road was an Indian trail at that time.
Fred Pearson, Moses McNamee’s son-in-law, bought about 100 acres from a Mr. Folkenburgh (whose property was on Cornelius Pass Road) when he came to the area from Sweden in the 1890’s. He and his brother, Jack, a contractor in Portland, built the “Pearson House” in 1899 on property facing McNamee Rd. Fred and Rhoda were married in the same year. When Moses died, Rhoda inherited an additional twenty acres of land from Section 29 from her father.
Interviewees: Elizabeth Pearson Upton
Charles Reimer House (Lemacher House) -1886
This house on Old Cornelius Pass Road was built by Charlie Reimer as a place in which to retire from the sea. He built it using large timbers and square nails. The exact date of building is unknown. However while it was being remodeled, German newspapers were found in the walls dating to 1886. In January 1924, the house and twenty acres of land were bought by the Lemacher family. Since then, the house has been known as the Lemacher house. This Swiss family made aged Swiss cheese.
The number of acres Reimer owned is unknown. Like all the rest of the land in the area, it was sloping, wooded and covered with forest. When the Lemachers bought the land all the old growth had been cleared but the land was still wooded with second growth. The United Electric Railway had a small station nearby called Rockton Station for transportation to Portland.
Krueger Farm House -1898
Ferdinand and Caroline Krueger’s home was located on Old Cornelius Pass Road about one quarter mile from Skyline Boulevard. It is now the Kessinger’s Plumper Pumpkin farm. Originally this property was set aside by the State of Oregon as “school land”. When it was not needed for this purpose the state sold it to James Murray, a single man. The price was $100 in 1871. It came into the hands of Louisa Krueger on March 28, 1883 when her father bought it for her for $900. They had come from Germany and just had settled on a farm on Kaiser Road. But it was the father’s wishes that each of his children –Louisa, Emil, Ferd and Carlie—should have land of their own. When Louisa married and moved to Spokane, the land was sold to Ferdinand for $1.
At this time (1889) the property consisted of 80 acres, one acre of which had been cleared for an orchard. In the orchard was a small house in which Mr. Murray may have lived. The rest of the property was wooded like the area around it. The first building to be put up was the barn which still stands today. Ferd built it with the help of a sometime farmer and carpenter named Pete Larfe who lived in Bethany. But in order to have money to build a house, Ferd moved to Spokane where he worked two years as a blacksmith for the railroad company while Pete built the house.
By 1898 the house was ready: Ferd and his bride, Caroline, moved in on September 22. The house has two stories, was built with a large kitchen and good-sized parlor and two bedrooms downstairs. Upstairs were three bedrooms. Although there was much timber on the property, the lumber came from elsewhere. While the barn is much the same as it was when it was built, the house has been remodeled several times. The Krueger family occupied the house for one hundred and two years.
Interviewees: Mrs. Emma Brooks, Mrs. Jean Brooks Nixon
John Miller House -1912
The John Miller house is located at the bottom of Newberry Road. The main part of this house was built in 1912 although the first kitchen area may have been part of the original cabin built around the 1850s. Much of the house had been built of cedar coming from local mills. A method called balloon construction was originally used. [According to Wikipedia, balloon framing “… utilizes long continuous framing members (studs) that run from sill to eave line with intermediate floor structures nailed to them. Once popular when long lumber was plentiful, balloon framing has been largely replaced by platform framing.”]
One of the stories surrounding this property is that Dr. Miller worked for the army during the Indian Wars. For this service he was awarded a service grant of 640 acres in 1850 by the US government. The grant was signed by President U.S. Grant. While he was stationed at Coos Bay, he was working and making friends with the Indians. When the government gave him the grant, the Indians brought him to Astoria by river in war canoes to Sauvie Island where he chose this spot to build his home.
Part of the property was given by Dr. Miller to the United Electric Railway for their tracks which were laid just below the house. The train went from Banks to Portland and cost fifteen cents to ride. Near the house was a station that was called Miller’s Station. The railroad workers called this train “The Gallopin” Goose.
Interviewees: A. and Pat Wagner, Willard Miller, Laura Ackley and Sally Lessing
Secretary, June Huserik; Owners: Carol Allen, Bob Benson, Emma Brooks, Laura Ackley, Keith Kreps, Mrs. L (Lemacher) Noonan
RR0308