Augustus Fanno Farmhouse
Encyclopedia
The Augustus Fanno Farmhouse was the home of Augustus Fanno, one of the first European American
settlers in what became Washington County
in the U.S. state of Oregon
. Born in Maine
in 1804, Fanno lived in Missouri
as a young adult and in 1846 moved to Oregon with his first wife, Martha, and son. After Martha died in childbirth in Linn City
in the Willamette Valley
, Fanno and his son settled a 640 acres (2.6 km²) donation land claim 12 miles (19.3 km) to the northwest on a small tributary of the Tualatin River
. It was the first such claim to be filed in the county.
In 1851, Fanno married Rebecca Denney, and the first of their six children was born later that year. In 1859, he designed and built a rural home in the modified New England revival style
popular in Oregon at the time. The family pioneered the cultivation of onion
s in Oregon, and by the 1890s these became regionally recognized for their high quality. Fanno descendants produced onions on the farm until onion maggot
s drove them out of business in the 1940s. Members of the family occupied the farmhouse until 1974, and in March 1982 they donated the house and adjacent land to the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District
(THPRD).
Fanno Farmhouse remains on its original site along Fanno Creek
in the Portland, Oregon
, suburb of Beaverton
. Restored by THPRD, the house is on the National Register of Historic Places
, was honored as a significant historical site by Tualatin Valley Heritage, has been named a Century Farm
, and was nominated for the 1985 Griffin Cabin Award by the Washington County Historical Society.
European American
A European American is a citizen or resident of the United States who has origins in any of the original peoples of Europe...
settlers in what became Washington County
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
in the U.S. state of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Born in Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
in 1804, Fanno lived in Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
as a young adult and in 1846 moved to Oregon with his first wife, Martha, and son. After Martha died in childbirth in Linn City
West Linn, Oregon
West Linn is a city in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. Now a prosperous southern suburb of Portland, West Linn has a history of early development, prompted by the opportunity to harvest energy from nearby Willamette Falls. It was named after Senator Dr. Lewis Fields Linn of Ste...
in the Willamette Valley
Willamette Valley
The Willamette Valley is the most populated region in the state of Oregon of the United States. Located in the state's northwest, the region is surrounded by tall mountain ranges to the east, west and south and the valley's floor is broad, flat and fertile because of Ice Age conditions...
, Fanno and his son settled a 640 acres (2.6 km²) donation land claim 12 miles (19.3 km) to the northwest on a small tributary of the Tualatin River
Tualatin River
The Tualatin River is a tributary of the Willamette River located in Oregon in the United States. The river is approximately long, and it drains a fertile farming region called the Tualatin Valley southwest and west of Portland at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley...
. It was the first such claim to be filed in the county.
In 1851, Fanno married Rebecca Denney, and the first of their six children was born later that year. In 1859, he designed and built a rural home in the modified New England revival style
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
popular in Oregon at the time. The family pioneered the cultivation of onion
Onion
The onion , also known as the bulb onion, common onion and garden onion, is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The genus Allium also contains a number of other species variously referred to as onions and cultivated for food, such as the Japanese bunching onion The onion...
s in Oregon, and by the 1890s these became regionally recognized for their high quality. Fanno descendants produced onions on the farm until onion maggot
Maggot
In everyday speech the word maggot means the larva of a fly ; it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachyceran flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and Crane flies...
s drove them out of business in the 1940s. Members of the family occupied the farmhouse until 1974, and in March 1982 they donated the house and adjacent land to the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District
Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District
Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District is a special parks district located in the eastern part of Washington County in the U.S. state of Oregon. Created in 1955, the district covers all of the city of Beaverton and many of those communities surrounding Beaverton in the Portland metropolitan area...
(THPRD).
Fanno Farmhouse remains on its original site along Fanno Creek
Fanno Creek
Fanno Creek is a tributary of the Tualatin River in the U.S. state of Oregon. Part of the drainage basin of the Columbia River, its watershed covers about in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties, including about within the Portland city limits....
in the Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, suburb of Beaverton
Beaverton, Oregon
Beaverton is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States, seven miles west of Portland in the Tualatin River Valley.As of the 2010 census, the population is 90,267. This makes it the second-largest city in the county and Oregon's sixth-largest city...
. Restored by THPRD, the house is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, was honored as a significant historical site by Tualatin Valley Heritage, has been named a Century Farm
Century Farm
A Century Farm or Centennial Farm is a farm or ranch in the United States or Canada that has been officially recognized by a regional program documenting the farm has been continuously owned by a single family for 100 years or more...
, and was nominated for the 1985 Griffin Cabin Award by the Washington County Historical Society.
External links
- Augustus Fanno Farmhouse, in Building Oregon: Architecture of Oregon & the Pacific Northwest (University of Oregon)