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of Historic Places is like knighthood for a historic building.
Applying to the registry requires documenting both the
history and integrity of the building itself and demonstrating the part the building played in the history
of a region or an era.
The Mountain House property was a well known part of the
stagecoach era but its earlier history was unclear. And the building itself was
confusing. It had obviously been built in two stages, but the
smaller section in the back seemed like a later addition to the larger front structure.
George Kramer, a noted preservationist,
took on the task of applying to the Registry, together with Kay Atwood,
a local historian. Their research established that the Mountain House
was the “oldest single property
of any sort known to survive in Jackson County.” And to our surprise, they
proved that the smaller section at the back of the farmhouse was the original building,
which had been lifted off the original foundation, moved back and reoriented,
when the larger front volume was added 35 years later.
We were honored when the Mountain House was
accepted onto the National Registry in 2004. We hope that our guests
will enjoy the remarkable degree to which it has remained intact,
its classic Western farmhouse style, and its “strong
association with the settlement of Southern Oregon.”
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