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What We Do

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Edgefield History Timeline

1910-1919

The Cedars was a City of Portland facility established in the 1910s on the poor farm property.
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Its mission was to "rehabilitate" sporting women. In the mid-1920s, The Cedars was reincarnated as the Bealey Military Academy, and then a decade later, dismantled and rebuilt as the building that today houses Ruby's Spa.

1911

Construction of the grandiose main lodge of the Multnomah County Poor Farm took place through much of 1911 and required an army of craftsmen.

1930's Mid

This mid-1930s aerial shows the county poor farm complex at its height of operation during the Great depression when over 600 people were happy to call it home.

1931-1963

Chris Boyd may have had the longest residency of any poor farm resident, 1931 to 1963.
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Because he liked to sit and rock on the front porch, Chris assumed the role of Edgefield's unofficial greeter for much of the three-decade period.

1937

This building was constructed in 1937 as the poor farm cannery.
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In 1991, it seemed the natural space for McMenamins Edgefield's brewery, which is still the company's largest.

1950-1959

Today, thousands come to Edgefield to see performances on the east lawn. In years past, events were a more cozy affair.
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In years past, such events like this one in the 1950s, were a more cozy affair. A rare snowfall proved a good reason to photograph the poor farm during a prosperous period of the 1950s. Note the bus parked in front of the side porch.

1960's Mid

Del Stoffer, Edgefield's last farm manager, sits astride his horse outside the west porch, mid 1960s.

1969

The Multnomah County Poor Farm was hailed as a model of agricultural efficiency and production.
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The Multnomah County Poor Farm was hailed as a model of agricultural efficiency and production. It provided food not only for poor farm residents, but also those of the county jail and hospital. The farm operation finally ceased in 1969.

1980

A deep source of regret for McMenamins was the loss of great barns of the poor farm.
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A deep source of regret for McMenamins was the loss of great barns of the poor farm. Fearing injuries and lawsuits arising from the teenagers roaming the property largely unchecked during the 1980s, the county had the well-preserved barns torn down shortly before Mike and Brian bought the property. Here is the milking barn as it looked in 1980.

1980-1989

Wild blackberries consumed much of the Edgefield property during its vacant period of the 1980s.
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Wild blackberries consumed much of the Edgefield property during its vacant period of the 1980s. Entire outbuildings disappeared. Here the old greenhouse is threatened. The tangled quagmire in the foreground is where the present herb garden is laid out.

1989

After several years of neglect and vandalism, the abandoned poor farm appeared better suited for a wrecking ball than a rehabilitation.

1990

The first step of McMenamins' revival of the old poor farm was good, old-fashioned cleansing, performed of course by a pipe and drum band.

1990-1999

As part of McMenaminss' 1990s renovation, a team of artists enlivened the old farm with bits of the property history.

1990's

Gardens were part of McMenamins' initial rejuvenation of Edgefield in the 1990s.
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Gardens were part of McMenamins' initial rejuvenation of Edgefield in the 1990s. Here the herb garden is being laid out on the north side of the greenhouse. Vintage photos show that a flower garden was in this same spot in decades past.

1990's Early

The early stages of McMenamins' renovation included the hauling away of many dumpsters' worth of rubbish and debris.
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The early stages of McMenamins' renovation included the hauling away of many dumpsters' worth of rubbish and debris. In the early 1990s, McMenamins removed this transformer to make room for the outdoor dining and event area known as the Loading Dock. The transformer was memorialized in one of the earliest brews made at Edgefield, called Transformer Ale.

1991

Reconstruction of the burned-out Power Station and fashioning a pub, movie theater and lodging rooms.
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Reconstruction of the burned-out Power Station and fashioning a pub, movie theater and lodging rooms within the original 1911 structure came in 1991. The brewery McMenamins created at Edgefield in 1991 remains the company's largest.

1998

"We took what was there at Edgefield and tucked a golf course into it."
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"We took what was there at Edgefield and tucked a golf course into it." Thats's how Patrick McNurney explains the original layout for the Pub Course. Patrick helped in the courses's design and construction. At the debut of the course on August 31, 1998, Mike McMenamin sunk his first hole-in-one ever.

Writings from the Historians

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Premiere of Oregon Experience’s “Vanport”

November 8, 2016

On Thursday, November 10, we’re pleased to host the premiere of OPB’s Oregon Experience documentary “Vanport” in the Kennedy School Theater. The event is free and guests of all ages are welcome. **** Vanport was built in 1942 as public housing for the thousands of workers coming from around the country for steady, well-paying jobs. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Proin et tellus ipsum.

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Add to Our Archives

Do you have a story to share about one of our properties?
Or maybe you have a historic artifact, photo, videotape or document to show us?
We’d love to talk with you about it.

Do you have a story to share about one of our properties? Or maybe you have a historic artifact, photo, videotape or document to show us? We’d love to talk with you about it.

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