| SUBJECT PROPERTY
The subject property is located within the Robert Allen donation land claim. The subject church has been moved on its lot. A full history of the church, written by Norma Olsen, will be added to the inventory form upon its receipt.
The first Methodist church within the current boundaries of Clackamas County was the mission at the Falls in Oregon City. The mission was established in 1840 by Alvin F. Aller and William H. Willson. The church they built was the first Protestant church west of the Rocky Mountains. The Rock Creek Methodist Church (see SHPO #718) is also in the study area. It is the oldest church in the county, according to "Free Land for Free Men".
Built in 1890, according to the church history, the Marquam Methodist church is a good example of a Vernacular style church. Characteristic features 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, although churches generally had more decoration, due to the status as symbols for the community and for its devotion. The subject building's decorative features include several stained glass windows and a bull's-eye window with divided lights. The belfry and tent roof steeple are also noteworthy. The subject building has been altered since construction. Alterations include the replacement of much of the original tongue-and-groove siding with aluminum lap siding, the replacement of the original vestibule doors and the addition of a shed roof porch, a wheelchair ramp and an ell. The entire church was moved back on the lot in the mid-1960s. The church shares the site with a small shed, parsonage and hall, all of which post-date the historic period and do not contribute to the historic character of the subject property.
The Marquam Methodist Episcopal Church is significant as a longtime focal point for the Marquam community. The church one of seven churches listed on the Clackamas County Cultural Resource Inventory for the Yoder/Marquam South County study area. The subject church is one of three Vernacular style churches, dating from the Progressive Era (1884-1913), in the study area on the inventory. The property is additionally significant for its contribution to the historic Marquam streetscape. The resource may be evaluated as an example of a late 19th century church, and as component of historic Marquam. |
