MCLOUGHLIN MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION

Description

The McLoughlin House stands today as a reminder of the great contribution Dr. John McLoughlin made to the settlement of the Oregon Country. In 1909, it was threatened with demolition, but a group of concerned local citizens formed the McLoughlin Memorial Association to preserve and protect the house and the legacy of Dr. McLoughlin. They moved the house from its original location by the river up to its present location atop the bluff, restored it, and turned the house into a museum. The McLoughlin Memorial Association continues to actively support the McLoughlin House, in partnership with the National Park Service.

In 1941, the McLoughlin House was designated by Congress as a National Historic Site (the first in the West). It was added to the National Park System in 2003, as a unit of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.

The McLoughlin Memorial Association also manages the William L. Homes House, also known as the Rose Farm, in Oregon City. The Holmes House was constructed by William and Louisa Holmes, two early Oregon pioneers who arrived in Oregon in 1843. The Holmes House is the oldest American home in Oregon City and was the scene of early government meetings and many social events. The first territorial governor, Joseph Lane, gave his 1849 inaugural address from the balcony of the Rose Farm, and the celebrants gathered on the lawn below.

The Holmes' 640-acre Donation Land Claim was nicknamed the 'Rose Farm’ by friends and neighbors because of the many roses Louisa planted in the garden.