Salem-News.com History articles

Pioneer Jews of the West

In 1492, all practicing Jews were expelled from Spain.

(OLDENBURG, Germany) - Amazing but true: The first European settlers in what is now the USA weren’t English Puritans or French fur trappers but Sephardic Jews. Before the Mayflower sailed to America, Jews had fled the Spanish Inquisition and settled in what is now Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Although they were eventually absorbed into the mainstream culture, they built a real Jewish life here.

Fort Yamhill State Heritage Area is Featured Park for April

Park opened in 2006 on the site of Fort Yamhill near the Grand Ronde reservation.

(GRAND RONDE, Ore.) - Fort Yamhill State Heritage Area is one of the newest parks in the Oregon State Parks system. The park offers a glimpse of history as well as views of Spirit Mountain, a site sacred to Native Americans also known by its Kalapuya name, dji’ntu.

The history surrounding the fort is a reminder of the dark side of Oregon’s past as a territory.

Amazing Attractions Not to Miss in Salem, Massachusetts

The city on the north coast is known for the Witchcraft Trials of 1692.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Salem, Massachusetts' colonial port used to be an important mainstay of shipping in comparison to Boston. Nowadays, it preserves fine houses that once belonged to wealthy merchants and sea captains.

As you can see, Salem is a historical city that values tradition which can be seen in the architecture and the past.

The Hard Work Behind Preserving Salem`s Historic Architecture

Early architecture of Salem, Oregon has survived the test of time.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Residents of Salem will have noted that its historic architecture has survived the business boom of the past decade. The influx of new apartments and businesses into the downtown area have not come at the expense of the area’s history.

While this history is well-preserved, it would be remiss to assume this is done without effort.

National Artist Completes Series of 100 Paintings Depicting Historic Homes in Portland

Portraits pay tribute to the cultural architectural legacy of Portland by artistically documenting the “grandeur of these homes.”

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Historic Portland homes are the subject of a series of original paintings by national architectural artist Leisa Collins.

The house portrait series by Collins spans seventeen of her favorite neighborhoods, including Alameda, Beaumont-Wilshire, Concordia, Grant Park, Irvington, Laurelhurst, Sabin, Sellwood-Mooreland, Eastmoreland and Westmoreland.

Stayton`s Beauchamp Building Listed in National Register of Historic Places

Louise Beauchamp became an assistant pharmacist in 1928, a rare position for a woman in the retail world.

(STAYTON, Ore.) - The Beauchamp is the only building in Stayton to be all plain-face pre-cast concrete block.

Originally built to house a pharmacy, a specialty store and a dance hall, the Beauchamp building anchored and helped define Stayton’s business district and movement of the downtown core to the north, and aided in the commercial ascendency of Stayton from a village to a town.

Arrow Air 1285, Murder and the Lucifer Directive

Army Airborne and LAPD Bomb Squad officers murdered to keep the lid shut on the Gander Air Crash.

(Gander, NEWFOUNDLAND) - Arrow Air 1285, a military chartered McDonnell Douglas DC-8, caught fire and exploded one minute after take-off from Gander, Newfoundland, killing a reported 256 Americans on December 12, 1985. There were no survivors.

The passengers were part of a 101^st Airborne infantry battalion, returning from a six-month peacekeeping tour with the Multinational Force and Observers in the Sinai.

`Haunted Salem Oregon` by Author Tim King (REVIEW)

"...learn more about those strange occurrences that defy the laws of science and nature, and challenge our inner complacency"

(BOSTON) - Most of us have heard of the witchcraft and mysterious goings-on in old Salem, Massachusetts, over the years. Tim King’s new book takes readers to the far west, investigating the hauntings and other supernatural and inexplicable occurrences still going on in Salem, Oregon, putting that city in the same category as old Salem, Mass.

This book is not just about the past; in the present day, hauntings and apparitions are still frightening people in all sorts of contexts throughout the city and its environs.

Convert Your Old Super 8 Reels into Stunning 4K Digital Files

Those old home movies can have new life and superior quality

(SALEM, Ore.) - The old Super 8 films of the past can now be converted into stunning 4K digital files. Whether they are motion pictures or home movies, the old film reels can now be scanned into a much more stable format.

Not only will they last longer, but the quality of the converted clips will be significantly better than the originals.

Fortieth Anniversary of Jonestown Tragedy

There isn't anything extraordinary about Jones’ power. It was pure politics.

(SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.) - November 2018 marks the fortieth anniversary of the mass murder and suicide of 918 in Jonestown, Guyana, by religious cult leader Jim Jones. About two-thirds of the victims were African-Americans.

Jones was the founder and leader of the Peoples Temple, established in 1971.