Salem History Matters Radio Show

03/07/2024

Just wondering if anybody else is concerned about the changes Salem Art Assn. is making at Bush House, one of Salem's most venerated historical resources ? All the Victorian furniture has been put in storage somewhere and SAA is apparently installing modern art paintings and sculpture! I doubt the City of Salem is truly aware of what changes their contracted managing non-profit organization is attempting to do to this beautiful National Register property. It is my understanding that the house, furnished with its original home pieces along with additional pieces donated by various Bush family members over the years, as well as the surrounding grounds are included in the historic designation which requires substantial review and approval of any proposed changes. I'll be checking and apprising folks of what I learn.

05/14/2020

All the various heritage venues that preserve and document our history, the stories of who we are and how we got here, have been available for our enrichment because those living before us accepted the responsibility of stewardship. Check out this treasure right in our own backyard!

April 16, 2020 Episode. ​ Heading west from Salem on Highway 22 on your way to the coast, you will pass by the historic Brunk Family Pioneer Farmstead on the north side of the highway. This was the...

05/09/2020

Many historians are encouraging us to chronicle this history-making pandemic event for future generations to look back on, much like the various news media are presently doing by dredging up all the...

04/02/2020

Oh, the world of the internet is not for the faint of heart my friends. For the last four years, you have found us at SalemHistoryMatters. org. That domain name was set up for us by our former...

03/26/2020

March 5, 2020 Episode. Folks of my generation vividly remember where they were when they learned of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, or watching on TV in July 1969 as Neil...

03/24/2020

Salem seems unique in the large number of its residents who are born, grow up, marry, raise and support families, and are later buried, all the while staying within 30 miles of their hometown. Check out another Salem family story.

March 5, 2020 Episode. Folks of my generation vividly remember where they were when they learned of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963, or watching on TV in July 1969 as Neil...

03/07/2020

Think the pioneers were the first settlers of the Willamette Valley? Many hundreds of people were living out their ancestral stories in our region long before the Euro-Americans decided to expand America's western frontier.

February 6 & February 13, 2020 Episodes. ​When we think about early Oregon history, stories about the pioneers coming along the Oregon Trail in covered wagons, Dr. McLoughlin and the early fur...

02/08/2020

REVISED POST. Even the most experienced historic researchers have difficulty finding the answers they seek. Check out the story of our own co-host Christy Van Heukelem as she researched the Oregon Insane Asylum.

January 23, 2020 episode. Historians are hired to research a wide variety of topics for their clients. Typically it is the lineage of a family, or the history of a property or an organization. O...

12/09/2019

We were able to track the businesses of Charles T. Pomeroy, with various partners, back to 1905, but some sources state 1896 or even 1868. Learn more about this early Salem entrepreneur!

November 7, 2019 Episode. The photograph to the left was taken in 1935 from the southwest corner of Commercial and State Streets, the very hub of downtown Salem at the time. This photo has been...

11/25/2019

We are grateful for those in our community who have the desire and vision to investigate and then invest in improvements that will mean a brighter and more secure future for our character-defining historic downtown. Read more about how they are doing just that.

November 21, 2019 Episode. We are privileged to live in an area where preserving the multi-faceted tapestry of our history is important to us. This is especially evident in Salem's downtown core...

11/03/2019

The streetscape along Commercial Street south of State Street in the Salem Downtown Historic District--Salem's first commercial "hub" --will soon have a significantly different look. Check out the changes coming soon!

October 24, 2019 Episode. The area near the intersection of Commercial and State Streets in Salem's downtown core was the first hub of commerce in our early years. This was where you went "to town,"...