| The subject property is located within the Albert Gibson homestead. According to the owner in 1984 the earliest recorded owner of the subject property was Mary K. Gibson who may have been the wife of Albert Gibson. The owner in 1984 also reports that Elliott was the original owner. Early title records for this property are unclear. According to county records Mary K. Gibson, a widow, sold the property in 1905 to Helen M. Elliott. In 1912, Helen Elliott sold the property to Wilda A. Elliott, (later to become Wilda A. Fish), who retained ownership of the subject property through 1958. If the date of construction of the subject dwelling is verified to be as old as the 1880 or older, Albert Gibson have been the original owner. Due to the prevalence of the name Mary Gibson, the identity of the owner of the subject property cannot be verified at this time. It is not known when the homestead was established, but county records indicate that it was prior to 1877. No biographical information is currently known regarding Helen M. Elliott. According to the owner in 1984 Wilda A. (Elliott) Fish raised thoroughbred horses and registered Jersey cattle.
The owner in 1984 thought the house was built circa 1901, county records indicate that the tax assessor estimated the date of construction as 1910. However, architectural evidence suggests an earlier date of construction. The owner in 1984 reported that the house did not have lathe and plaster walls, but instead the interior walls were planks. She also reported that the home was constructed with square nails, a fastener generally not used after the turn-of-the-century. Exterior features also support a late 19th century date of construction. The ornate, molded panel door is a type typically seen on dwellings from the 1870s and 1880s. The four-over-four windows with pedimented cornices and another feature which generally dates to the 1880s or so. The subject building was built in 1901. Tax assessor records estimate the date of construction at c. 1910. Architectural evidence would suggest an earlier date of construction. Architectural details such as the pedimented window surrounds and narrow four-over-four double hung sash windows indicate a date of construction as early as the 1870, but at least as old as the 1890s. The subject house is a good very example of the Vernacular style. Characteristic features of the style include the narrow, rectangular volumes, arranged at right angles and covered with gable roofs. Other elements common to the type are the horizontal wood siding, finished with corner and rake boards, and long double-hung sash windows.
Typically, buildings of this type were modest and without much ornamentation. The turned posts and pedimented window surrounds and ornate door are noteworthy decorative features. The ornate door is particularly noteworthy and is believed to be the original door.
The gabled ell at the rear of the house with the sidewall overhead sliding door may have been a woodshed. The house has been altered since construction. Alterations include the replacement of the original porch with a hip roof porch, the addition of a garage to the south elevation, the replacement of several windows on the west elevation, the replacement of porch posts on the east elevation and partial re-siding. When the porch was replaced it was changed to a full-width porch from a single bay porch. The original posts were hand hewn. When the building was partially re-sided one of the front doors and two windows were enclosed.
According to the current owner, the Willamette Valley Southern, an electric railroad running to Mt. Angel went through the front of the property. Some of the trestles may still be extant. The house is part of a farm complex believed to be contemporary with the dwelling. These buildings include a cellar, barn , machine shed and chicken coop, all of which contribute to the historic character of the subject property. The outbuildings are in various conditions and are simple, utilitarian buildings. The Horse barn is constructed of hand hewn timbers. In addition to the structural system, the overall farm and massing of the barn is distinctive. While the barn generally falls into the Western Barn type, the profile of the barn is reminiscent of the Dutch barns developed in New York and New England during the 19th century. These barns were a response to improvements and advancements in farming practices. Specifically, the area for hay storage was a large and tall hay loft above a large anchor beam. The placement of the main doors is also of interest. Dutch barns were entered from hinged end-wall doors, whereas, the more common barn based on the English model was entered through doors on the sidewall.
Alterations to the barn include the boarding over of some windows, the removal of the glass from several windows and re-siding of the south elevation with sheet metal. Alterations to cellar include the boarding over of a window. Alterations to the machine shed and the chicken coop are currently unknown. The dates of the alterations to the outbuildings are currently unknown. A cow barn once stood to the east of the horse barn, but is now no longer extant. Several noteworthy landscape features contribute to the historic character of the subject property including foundation plantings, the remnant of an orchard and several mature trees.
The Mary K. Gibson Farm is significant as a good example of a turn-of-the century farm complex. The house is one of twenty-two Vernacular style dwellings, dating to the Progressive Era (1884-1913), listed on the Clackamas County Cultural Resource Inventory for the Yoder/Marquam South County study area. The farm complex is one of eleven complexes which have a residence designed in the Vernacular style dating to this period. The resource may be evaluated as an example of turn-of-the century farm complex. |
