JACKSONVILLE, OR—An old song notes, “What a difference a day makes!” Well, think about what a difference 126 years can make! Time travel with Historic Jacksonville, Inc. on one of four Saturdays—February 28, March 21, April 18, or May 16—for a “retro” tour of 1900 daily life when we open Jacksonville’s 1870s C.C. Beekman House Museum for “Daily Life Then and Now:1900 vs. 2026.”
Imagine your life in 1900 without your smart phone – for that matter, without any phone at all. What if you had no computer or Internet connection of any kind? Could you live without TV or radio? And that’s just the beginning. Guests will be visiting communication, fashion, etiquette, entertainment, chores, household “amenities,” and much more – things we take for granted like HVAC, running water, and…bathrooms!
Forty-five-minute tours will begin every 20 minutes between 12n and 3pm. Home to the town’s wealthiest and most prominent pioneer family and still completely furnished with family artifacts, the 1870s C.C. Beekman House is located at 470 E. California Street in Jacksonville, Oregon. Tour admission is $8 (cash or check at the door). All proceeds go towards maintenance of Jacksonville’s historic buildings and the programs and events that bring them to life and make them relevant for people today.
“We take so much of our lifestyle for granted,” observes Carolyn Kingsnorth, President of Historic Jacksonville, Inc. “We forget, or don’t know, that a little over a century ago our ancestors still traveled by horse, wagon, or buggy. Trains had only recently replaced stagecoaches for longer trips; automobiles were a rare novelty. Did you know that even after World War II, one-third of Americans still lacked indoor plumbing? And in the 1960s Jacksonville had a building moratorium—a halt in all new construction—until water and sewer services could be made available.”
She continues, “For many of us, only things that have happened in our lifetimes are relevant. We don’t stop to think about how our history has shaped who we are today. For younger guests, these tours may be ‘eye openers’; for older guests, they may bring back family memories that were handed down from earlier generations. For all of us, they serve as an entertaining and informative trip into Jacksonville’s past.”
For additional “Daily Life Then and Now” information or interviews, call 541-245-3650, or e-mail [email protected].
