Oregon Historic Sites Database

Search Menu

Site Information small logo

Oregon Historic Sites Database

address:1007 N Molalla Ave historic name:Sanders, Asa & Abby, Farm
Molalla, Clackamas County (97038) current/other names:Sanders Farm
assoc addresses:
block/lot/tax lot:N/A / N/A / 00900
location descr: twnshp/rng/sect/qtr sect:5S 2E 4
resource type:Building height (stories):1.5 total elig resources:1 total inelig resources:
elig evaluation: eligible/significant NR Status:
prim constr date:1878 second date:c.1940 date indiv listed:
primary orig use: Farmstead orig use comments:
second orig use:
primary style: Second Empire prim style comments:
secondary style: sec style comments:
primary siding: Horizontal Board siding comments:Wide drop siding w/cornerboards
secondary siding: Wood:Other/Undefined
plan type: Central Passage architect:
builder:
comments/notes:
52E04 00918 is nearby and listed as Historic Landmark overlay; may contain original Sanders family cemetery
Survey/Grouping Included In: Type of Grouping Date Listed Date Compiled
   Clackamas County Historic Landmarks Survey & Inventory Project 2008
NR date listed: N/A
ILS survey date: 09/30/2007
RLS survey date: 07/30/1984
106 Project(s): None
Special Assess Project(s): None
Federal Tax Project(s): None
(Includes expanded description of the building/property, setting, significant landscape features, outbuildings and alterations)
DATE OF MAJOR ADDITION: c.1940 ROOF FORM AND MATERIALS: Mansard PRIMARY WINDOW TYPE: Four-over-four double-hung sash DECORATIVE FEATURES: Pointed arch dormers; four paneled door w/ side lights and transom; shutters OTHER: Single bay porch w/ chamfered posts; interior chimney; porch w/ chamfered posts, n. elev. ALTERATIONS: Addition (c. 1940); window sashes replaced w/ one-over-one type, s. elev. (n.d.); chimneys removed (n.d.). The house has been altered. During the 1940s an addition was made to the rear of the house. The character-defining features are clearly evident. The Sanders House is the singular example of the Second Empire style of architecture in Clackamas County. Salient architectural features include the mansard roof, in this case pierced by gothic arched dormers. The Second Empire style was inspired by the architecture of France. The distinctive roof form was named for Francois Mansard (1598-1666). During the Renaissance buildings with mansard roofs were popular in Paris, because property taxes were based on the number of floors; the stepped back attic level was not counted as a full floor. Built in Oregon in the latter part of the 19th century; the style was never extremely popular. Noted architectural historian Phillip Dole believes the Sanders House may be the oldest example of the type in western Oregon. Barn - DEMOLISHED (prior to 2007) Machine Shed - DEMOLISHED (prior to 2007) LANDSCAPE: Ornamental plantings; signifcant mature "pound" pear tree The Sanders Farm is located on the east side of Molalla Avenue, one mile northeast of Molalla. The farm complex is well screened from traffic on Molalla Avenue. Near the house there are a number of mature trees, including a massive pear tree southwest of the house. The area surrounding the farm is predominantly in agricultural use, with some rural residences.
(Chronological, descriptive history of the property from its construction through at least the historic period - preferably to the present)
SUBJECT PROPERTY The subject house was built in 1878, on one of the earliest Donation Land Claims in the Molalla area, the Mathias Sweigle claim. Sweigle sold over half of this claim (320 acres) to Asa Sanders in 1858. Abby and Asa Sanders, both Connecticut born, arrived in Oregon in the early 1850s. Asa earned his living farming wheat and growing fruit. A pear tree is extant from this period. The Sanders were active in the Methodist Church and donated land upon which a church was built. Sander's daughter, Mary, married Charles Howard, who owned and operated Howard's Mill, in Mulino (See SHPO #770). Sanders, who died in 1897, and Abby, who died in 1918, were buried in a family cemetery on their property, along with several infants. The land area of the cemetery was split off from the subject property and is no longer contiguous. Between 1900 and 1904, Joseph V. Harless purchased the subject property. Harless is listed in the 1916-17 Clackamas County Directory as vice-president of the Ogle Mountain Mining Company. Harless was born in Indiana in 1864. Harless and his brother Bianch owned real estate in the Molalla area, including the Sanders-Robbins House at 523 Main (SHPO #806) between 1900 and 1909 and Bianch and his wife also owned the Engle House (SHPO #841) between 1903 and 1917. In 1904, the Harless brothers sold to Peter and Mary Faurie, who raised turkeys on the property. The Fauries are also credited with building the gambrel roofed barn and the machine shed. The Fauries owned the property until 1943. The Sanders House is the singular example of the Second Empire style of architecture in Clackamas County. Salient architectural features include the mansard roof, in this case pierced by gothic arched dormers. The Second Empire style was inspired by the architecture of France. The distinctive roof form was named for Francois Mansard (1598-1666). During the Renaissance buildings with mansard roofs were popular in Paris, because property taxes were based on the number of floors; the stepped back attic level was not counted as a full floor. Built in Oregon in the latter part of the 19th century; the style was never extremely popular. Noted architectural historian Phillip Dole believes the Sanders House may be the oldest example of the type in western Oregon. The house has been altered. During the 1940s an addition was made to the rear of the house. The character-defining features are clearly evidence. The house is part of a farm complex, which includes a Gambrel Barn and other outbuildings. Historic landscape features are part of the complex. Of particular note is the massive pear tree located between the house and barn. The Sanders House is significant as a rare and excellent example of the Second Empire style. The farm, including the historic landscape features, are significant as a farm complex. HISTORIC BACKGROUND The subject property is located within the larger study area of Molalla Liberal Mulino. Early settlement throughout this area, as well as the rest of rural Clackamas County, was sparse as indicated by the 1845 federal census which lists 704 people in the entire Clackamas district. Clackamas County's rural population was the smallest of any district, with the exception of the Clatsop district. The earliest settler in the Molalla Valley was William Russell who arrived in the early 1840s. Another early land claimant was William Barlow, who settled a 640 acre donation land claim near Russell. The first wagon train arrived in the valley in 1843. It is this date that is generally given for Molalla's initial founding. Early settlers carried out subsistence farming activities coupled with raising livestock. Wheat, supplemented by hay, was the primary "cash" crop, serving as the medium of exchange until 1849. Production of rails, shakes, and timbers were early cottage industries. Molalla was originally called Four Corners for its alleged location at the intersection of two Native American trails, and because it is centrally located within the Molalla Valley, at what was the intersection of four adjacent donation land claims. The Molalla area remained sparsely settled in the early years. A circa 1850 photograph shows only one house and a few sheds. In 1853, the Preston Barger family arrived in the area. After fording the Molalla River, they found no stores and only a few settlers. By 1856 the first school was constructed approximately four miles east of Four Corners, and in 1857 Augusta Engle established the first store in the settlement. The earliest known post office, given the name Molalla, was established in 1850, at or near Liberal, four miles north of Four Corners. It was established by Harrison Wright, who settled in the Liberal area in 1844 and operated a ferry across the Molalla River. Wright served as first post master. The post office was discontinued in August 1851. It was reestablished in 1868, operating until 1874. Its exact location of is unknown. The following year it was moved to the present community of Molalla. The discovery of gold in California in 1848 had a significant impact on the settlers in the Oregon Territory and in Clackamas County. Within one year after the discovery of gold, Oregon was transformed from a subsistence level of agricultural activity to a major supplier of goods to miners in California. During this period agriculture expanded to include horticulture, dairying, increased livestock raising and more. Gold fever struck the Molalla River basin in the late 19th century. Although gold was initially discovered in the area in the 1860s, lack of confidence and capital delayed exploration for a number of years. By the mid 1880s, however, several new discoveries led to the proliferation of claims along the Molalla River. This flurry of mining activity brought increasing numbers of people to Molalla, which was reflected in numerous developments in the early years of the 20th century. In 1900, the Molalla Public Library was founded, reportedly the oldest continuous library in the County (not confirmed at this writing). In 1903, the first phone line was installed at Robbins Store, at the corner of Main and Molalla Avenue. In 1906, the community's first jail was constructed, and in 1911 Frank Perry constructed Molalla's first hotel, along with his livery stable and saloon. In 1913, the Molalla Pioneer, a weekly newspaper, was started, and it heralded the coming of one of the most momentous events in the community's history: the arrival of the railroad. Equipped with steam trains, the Portland, Eugene and Eastern Railway ran its first train from Canby, on the main line of Southern Pacific, to Molalla. Although Molalla was the shipping center for agricultural and manufacturing products, up to this point all transportation was by wagon. The coming of the railroad provided a significant boost to the town's prominence as a distribution center and allowed for increased volume of goods both to and from the area. With the celebration of the coming of the railroad in 1913, a large rodeo was organized which became an annual event. Called the Molalla Buckeroo, the rodeo continues to draw crowds to the city each year. Molalla was incorporated in 1913 with a population of 240. W.T. Everhart was elected mayor with W. Robbins, W.T. Echerd, I.M. Toliver, A.T. Shoemake, W.M. Mackrell and Fred M. Henriksen as the City's first council people. That same year also brought construction of a new school, housing both primary and secondary pupils. The school opened in 1914. By 1916 the town's population had reached 600. Electrical lights were installed the previous year, and in 1917, the first street in Molalla was paved, followed soon after by paved sidewalks. The first automobiles appeared in Molalla during the teen years, and in 1920, gas was still transported to the area in single railcar loads. Drivers were asked to bring a container to get their supply, or if lacking a container, bring the vehicle. The timber industry burgeoned during the early decades of the 20th century. The Southern Pacific Railroad reported shipment figures that doubled between 1919 and 1920. One report indicated that if railroad cars were available to transport the amount of timber ready for cutting, business could be tripled. Changes in transportation and industry during the teens and twenties had a tremendous impact on the growth and development of the area. It was during this period that many of the historic buildings included in this Inventory were constructed. In 1921 the population of Molalla was approximately 500. The town boasted its own bank, two churches, a weekly newspaper, two garages, several sawmills and various stores, which offered hardware, imports, drugs, automobiles, notions, paint, furniture, general merchandise, feed, warehousing, meats and lumber to the community. Two physicians and one dentist were in residence. Throughout the 19th century, the Willamette Valley was the center of Oregon agriculture, producing primarily wheat as an export crop and a variety of secondary crops. Farmers in the Molalla River Valley followed much the same pattern; however, by the turn of the century, wheat farmers were experiencing serious soil depletion due to poor farming practices. As a result much of the wheat acreage was turned over to other crops. The most significant of these in the Molalla area was teasel: Teasel deserves special mention...During the late 1880s and early 1890s at least one farmer successfully raised teasel...Clackamas County was the only center of teasel production west of the Mississippi and one of the few areas of cultivation outside of New York and Pennsylvania (Olsen 1970:160).
Title Records Census Records Property Tax Records Local Histories
Sanborn Maps Biographical Sources SHPO Files Interviews
Obituaries Newspapers State Archives Historic Photographs
City Directories Building Permits State Library
Local Library: University Library:
Historical Society: Other Respository:
Bibliography:
Clackamas County Cultural Resource Inventory, 1984. Clackamas County Directories, 1916 17 and 1947 48. Dole, Phillip. Unrecorded interview w/ Pam Hayden, April 1990. Sanders, Abbie W., obituary, "Oregonian”, 7/24/18. Ticor Title Company, Oregon City, OR. U.S. Census of Oregon, 1870, 1900.