WPA Interviews

23 July 1937

Interview with Mrs. Alice Jane Love Belmont of Harrisburg, Ore. Residence at N. W. corner of Fourth and Smith Streets, opposite the Methodist Episcopal Church.

My name is Alice Jane Belmont. I was born at Harrisburg, or rather, on a farm near Harrisburg (1 mile east) in 1859.

My father was John D. Love. He was born in 1824 in Tenn. And died in 7 March 1871, at the age of 47 years. My mother was Mary Jane McCully who came to Oregon in 1853. She died in 1902 at the age of 78 years.

There were two McCully trains that came to Oregon in the early days. Uncle Dave McCully was captain of a train in 1852 and A. A. McCully (Asa) was captain of a train that came in 1853. My mother came in that second train. Among other members of that train there was a family by the name of McDonald who settled near Lebanon. Mrs. Jim Crawford, wife of the pioneer Harrisburg and Albany photographer, was a member of that family.

I was born in a house on a farm one mile east of Harrisburg, a sawed lumber house that was the second one on that farm. The first one was a log cabin, I was born in the "new house", not in the cabin. I was born on the farm but I was raised in Harrisburg. My father bought this land (where she now lives) in 1863. It then extended in a strip eastward past the present schoolhouse. Part of the land there was formerly my father's pasture. My father gave the land where the Christian Church now stands to be used by all denominations for purposed of religious worship. The Christian Church-we always called them the Campbellites then-was the first one to get organized. A building was erected and for a time all the churches held meetings there. Then the Christian Church got hold of the deed and began to worm the other denominations out. The first church wormed out was the South Methodist. They went away and built a church of their own. (Present church building at Fourth and Kelsing Street, now used by the Church of God people) After that they wormed the others out. I sat on my mother's lap when they dedicated the Christian Church. I was also at the South Methodist and the Methodist Episcopal dedications.

My parents had six children. I will name them for you in the order in which they were born:

1-Mary Louisa. Her married name was Maxson. They had one child.

2-Emma Frances. She never married.

3-John D. Jr.

4-Alice Jane. That is myself. My husband's name was Belmont, but do not mention him for I have not seen him for forty years. He is still living. We never had any children.

5-Douglas

6-Carrie Gertrude. She married William Lister. They had two children.

Emma Coshow who lives at Brownsville is my cousin (wife of Jim Coshow) She was Uncle "Ham's" daughter.

The McCullys were early day steamboat men on the Willamette. There has been quite a contention in the family as to whether Dave or Asa McCully took the most important part. I presume it was Asa. The steamboat landing was down at the foot of Smith Street. In 1879 the boats ran from Portland to Eugene. The boats stopped at the landing long enough for Frank McCully to run up to our house and get milk.

The first school building in Harrisburg was where the Methodist Church now stands. Peter Henderson was the teacher there. The second school house was a three story building situated where the present school house stands. The first and second story were used for school purposes. The third story was occupied by the Masonic Lodge. In this building there were two teachers employed; my first school days were in the second story where the smaller pupils were taught. The older pupils occupied the first floor. My first teacher was ____Finnison. There was only one teacher employed for each floor. The people were very proud of that three story schoolhouse. They though it the "finest thing in the world".

The third school house in Harris burg stood about where the present school gymnasium now stands. It was a square building with four rooms. All of the rooms could be opened together by means of sliding partitions. This was often done for large public gatherings. O.T. Porter was among the first teachers in the "square building". The present school is the fourth building.

Everyone used to go to socials at the schoolhouse. We had better times than we do now. They would fix up a big boiler of oyster soup and fix long tables all across the schoolhouse loaded with the very best food that the ladies could bring.

Concerning the second, three story building, after the Masons moved down town the upper hall was used by a temporary lodge. They gave many entertainments there. Everyone had a good time at social events then.

Ferrier and Permian had the first ferry. The landing was just north of Mr. Blehnis (?) house. Both Mr. Ferrier and Mr. Permian were drowned. They started to cross the river during high water and the flood tipped boat over. A man named Riley who was with them escaped.

The Siletz Indians used to come down here from the coast. Their camping ground was down beside the river near the ferry. The last ferry site, not the old one. The squaws used to do my mother's washing. In the early days all of the house doors were made with a latch string which could be pulled in when the women were at home alone. This was to keep the Indians out.

E.B. Moore had the finest store in town. He and a man named Gerst, a Jewish gentleman. Their building is still standing. It was down near the river. It was built in the late 60's. Smith and Brasfield had a store across the street from Moore. Main Street was then down near the river before the coming of the railroad. Hiram Smith 's house is still standing. It has been turned around but is stilling the same. I used to visit them. Robert A. Ramp was an early druggist. His store is still standing on the highway. It is now the Jane Curtis residence. Forgey's house was where the post office stands. I used to go to Forgey's to play ---------. I never saw a Chinaman until the Oregon and California Railroad came through.

Asked concerning James G. Crawford, a pioneer photographer from whom the field worker had learned the photographer's trade, Mrs. Belmont replied: Yes if knew Jim Crawford well. My mother sold the land to him for his gallery. The gallery was situated in front of the house where they lived. There was a big cherry tree in front of the house and Jim built a table around it. We used to go there for supper and eat beneath that tree. Their oldest son was very musical. He used to play in the band when he was so small that his father had to walk beside him to carry the drum. Mrs. Crawford belonged to the McDonald family. They came to Oregon in the same train with my mother but later they settled at Lebanon.

There never was any real town of Hogem (a reputed ghost town). There was just a flour mill there built by John Waters and Wesley Briggs. It was one mile south of Harrisburg and the site is now part of the John Cartwright hop yard. The hop yard is now owned by a stock company. It was called Hogem because they always kept a big herd of hogs in a pen at the mill. The mill race came south and ran into the Willamette near there. I do not know where it came from but a long ways off. A walk ran along the race and when you walked along it you had to watch out or you would fall into the pig pen. The walk was just made of two boards put side by side. Wesley Briggs was one of the millers. He had a son killed there-got caught in the wheel. The mill was operated there from 1865 until the seventies.

Copyright © 2000 Patricia Dunn. All rights reserved. This transcription may not be reproduced in any media without the express written permission by the author. Permission has been given by the Transcriber to publish on the LGS web site.