Salem in 1939

World Events

• In June, the St. Louis, a ship carrying 907 Jewish refugees, is denied permission to land in Florida. Forced to return to Europe, many of its passengers later die in Nazi death camps during The Holocaust.
• In September Germans invade England's ally, Poland and World War II begins. United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, India and France declare war on Nazi Germany. The U.S. declares neutrality.
• African-American opera star, Marian Anderson, denied the use of the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., sings before an audience of 75,000 at Lincoln Memorial. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt resigns from the DAR.
• Legendary baseball retires after contracting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ~ now commonly known by his name: Lou Gehrig's disease. University of Oregon defeats Ohio State to become champions of the first NCAA basketball tournament.
• Academy Award: "Gone With the Wind". Prize-winning novels: Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck:  Johnny Got His Gun, Dalton Trumbo and The Yearling, Margorie Kinnan Rawlings.

In Salem

One Salem citizen, Ralph Barnes, with his young wife and two daughters, is witnessing the political affairs in Europe as Foreign Correspondent for the NY Herald Tribune. The news Ralph is getting from his Salem father that the new State Library in the North Capitol Mall has been completed and that the Piety Hill homes along Court Street will be demolished next, for the Public Service Building. The Barnes handsome family home on Chemeketa Street, threatened by the construction of the state buildings on the North Capitol Mall, is safe for the present. Ralph learns that Charles Sprague, owner, editor, and publisher of the Oregon Statesman newspaper has been elected governor.
This scene, looking west on State Street, would be familiar to Ralph. Business is picking up with industry anticipating wartime contracts and increased employment. With few suburbs, downtown is in easy walking distance for many residents. It is the center of shopping and professional appointments for adults, for teenagers' drugstore sodas after school and movies on weekends, for family church services. But this is a watchful and anxious time as residents of Salem gather around their radios to listen to the news broadcasts and President Roosevelt's "fire-side chats".

When you visit
Many of these buildings remain, but of significant loss is the Capitol Theater to the left with its marquee dome. It was demolished in 2001: the lot remains empty with the only the back wall of the theater as evidence of its past presence. Beyond the next intersection at High Street, the interurban electric rail line, even then, no longer operated; travel of any distance was by automobile. Other familiar landmarks of this photograph remain, several recently renovated. From left to right, the Livesley Building, still our only skyscraper at 11 floors, the Pioneer Trust Bank and the Masonic Hall. Since 2001, a significant part of downtown has been accepted on the National Register of Historic Places and Heritage Tourism is encouraged. The new Grand Hotel and Conference Center have replaced the Marion Hotel (which was destroyed by fire in 1971) as a social center for both residents and visitors. Civic efforts are strongly focused on bringing more business downtown.

Other Events

• William W. Chadwick becomes mayor. He is among the group at the railroad station greeting Prince Olaf and Princess Martha of Norway on their brief stop in Salem. Since 1926, William W. and Lorena Chadwick had made their home at 1390 Winter Street NE. (above) Mr. Chadwick had been in Salem for only a few years, having been the Postmaster in Canby before 1921. From 1932, He rose in his local hotel career, becoming manager of the Senator Hotel, and General Manager of the Chadwick Hotel Co. Inc. and Chadwick Operating Company. The Chadwicks continued to live in their Winter Street home through his death in 1968.

• With the Patton residence gone, the new Oregon State Library and one remaining tree loom over empty space. The first of four state buildings envisioned for North Capitol Mall, it is an impressive structure. Faced in Georgia marble, granite steps lead to the main entrance, on the east, and the seal of Oregon, carved by Gabriel Lavare. This artist also created the "Pioneer Mother" statuary in the main lobby, the brass elevator, and the decorative architectural features of the second floor; plaques along the wall memorialize persons and symbols important in Oregon history.
• The last two Salem Civil War veterans, John Olsen and Al Feilen, march in the Memorial Day parade.
• South of town, the Buena Vista ferry operates across the Willamette near the town of Independence.
• At Wheatland to the north, another ferry is in operation. One commercial ferry or another has crossed the Willamette River between Yamhill and Marion Counties for over 160 years.
• Hugh Morrow becomes Director of the Salem Public Library, beginning a more than 30 career of service to that facility and our cultural community.
• The first wedding takes place in the new Oregon State Capitol.

From the Capitol Journal:

• Plans to extend water mains into the Salem Heights area reached the stage for voter approval.
• Salem High School was dropped from the basketball tournament because of participation in the "riot" staged after the Salem-Chemewa game in March.
• A Salem man was asking for a divorce from his wife, alleging she struck him in the face without first removing his eyeglasses.
• The following comics were features: Little Orphan Annie, Reg'lar Fellows, Tailspin Tommy, Dumb Dora, Bringing Up Father and Mutt and Jeff.
• The American Legion's Committee on Subversive Activities reported that four un-American organizations were active in Oregon: Young Communists, the Communist party, German-American Bund and the Silver Shirts. The Silver Shirts were potentially most dangerous since they relied on the "vigilante spirit" in achieving their un-American ends.
• In November, other municipalities of Oregon referred to the city government of Salem as a "three ring circus" because its affairs were conducted by a mayor and 14 councilmen serving without pay and each responsible only for the department immediately under individual control.

A New Access to Pringle Creek and Riverfront Park?

Over a year ago, the developers of the former Boise Cascade property, displayed this overview of what might be a future access to the property. Since then it has been determined that the State Street entrance (across the railroad tracks) to the Carousel will be closed. Thus a new opening will serve both that facility and the developing property at Pringle Creek to the south. There is no assurance that the plan shown here will be the one used, but it is interesting to see what was being considered at that time. The new intersection will be adjacent to our Downtown Historic District, but does not effect historically designated property on Ferry Street.

Moving Salem History #12 of 12

The three historical photographs in this feature are reproduced from the Oregon Historical Photograph Collections, Salem Public Library, Salem, Oregon.

The 1903 photograph above is from the Ben Maxwell Collection shows the 1872 Marion County Courthouse in the foreground (demolished in 1952 for the current building) and the 1876 State House (which burned in 1935) in the distance. Between these is the Federal Post Office which had just been built shortly before this picture was taken.

The photograph above was taken in the 1930s when ivy had covered the Post Office.

Our third photograph was taken in 1938 when the 200-ton Post Office was in transit, on rollers, to its new location on the campus of Willamette University, four blocks to the east on State Street. Only the remnants of the ivy can be seen and a few of the awnings. The move took about six months.

Here the Post Office stands in its second career as Gatke Hall of Willamette University. The elegant building retains its original architecture of more than a hundred years ago.
These twelve examples of local historical preservation illustrate the beautiful craftsmanship of past architectural styles. We are fortunate to live among these echoes of Salem history.

Carol Smith shared this historic State Street post card with us. It was taken before two prominent buildings were lost to fire ~ the Oregon Capitol in 1935 (in the left distance) and the Guardian Building in 1947 (to the right forefront).