Willamette Heritage Center at the Mill

On Wednesday, a group of us from work went up to Salem for a workshop.  On the way home, I decided to take a detour with Kerry, my coworker, and tag along as she previewed a trip location for the Adult Activity Center (as she plans their trips).

First off, I have never really spent any time in Salem.  I've taken a bus through it once and Cliff and I stopped in an Applebee's parking lot on the way up to the Portland Airport one time as our car was making a weird noise (oh the bug).  But that is it.  I know nothing about our state's capital. Well...I still don't really know anything about it but I got to check out a pretty nice cluster of historical buildings at the Willamette Heritage Center at the Mill.

The Heritage Center is made up of an old wool mill and a few buildings that made up the township of the Methodist Mission that arrived before the Oregon Trail.  The mill isn't operational anymore and the Mission closed in 1844,  but they have done a really nice job putting together a museum and event space.  We got a mini tour and my favorite tidbit of information involves the daughter of the factory owner, Fannie Kay.  Apparently she kept close tabs on her father as he ran the mill and assisted in much of the mill's operations as he was illiterate.  When her father passed away he naturally left the mill to his son.  So Fannie packed up with her husband (who came from the textile sales family), moved east, and with her family started the Pendleton Wool Company.  Pretty cool right?

I took a lot of photos.  We don't get to see that many old buildings anymore and I really miss brick.  The first few photos are of the second floor where they did the carding and spinning.

On Thursdays, they open up the 4th floor for local weavers to come and use the looms.  I would love to go back and see people working on their projects.  They had pretty samples on the wall.  This makes me wish that I was crafty.

Connecting the Mill to the Mission is the millrace.  Apparently, this is a favorite spot of visitors as they can feed the ducks.

If you follow the millrace you arrive at our Mission buildings: the chapel, a parsonage, an apartment like building, and a single family home.  I enjoy old buildings.

It was a nice tour and I think I would go back with visiting friends and family.  Yay history!