Laurelwood, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Laurelwood is an unincorporated
community in Washington County
, Oregon
, United States
. The community is located southwest of the Portland metropolitan area
near Oregon Route 47 along Laurelwood Road, to the east of the city of Gaston
and Wapato Lake
. Laurelwood, a farming
community, has a population of approximately 500 people. Settled in the 1860s, the community was home to Laurelwood Academy
from 1904 until 2007. A large portion of the community is of the Seventh-day Adventist faith.
school. Adventist-owned Harris Pine Mills opened a furniture plant and milling plant in the village in 1965, growing to a 60-employee operation. At one time residents called each other villagers as opposed to the students of the academy.
In August 1977, four people were murdered in the community, shot execution-style. The victims, two seven year old girls, their 24 year old mother, and the 19 year old son of her boyfriend, were killed after the mother had testified against a leader of the Hells Angels
. Robert G. McClure was convicted of the killings and Hells Angels leader Odis Garrett was convicted of ordering the murders in 1994 and 1995 respectively. Laurelwood Academy closed in 1985 and was sold to an alumni group who re-opened the school in 1988.
In March 1986, the milling operations of the Harris Pine Mills was closed, followed by the furniture manufacturing facility in 1988. Laurelwood was one of sixteen places studied for a possible minimum security prison in 1988. The prison would have been at the former Laurelwood Academy after it shutdown in 1985, but there was local opposition and the prison was never built. Later that year the Adventist school re-opened.
In 1992, Marvin McDougal, a Laurelwood Academy alumnus, proposed developing 165 acre (0.6677319 km²) in the area into 54 homes to support the academy. Local residents formed an opposition group and fought the development. The county initially approved the development, but residents appealed the decision. Washington County eventually denied approval for the development. In 2007, Laurelwood Academy moved to a new campus near Eugene, Oregon
.
. Oregon House of Representatives
District 26 (Matt Wingard
) and Oregon Senate District 13 (Larry George
) cover Laurelwood. Laurelwood is within Oregon's 1st congressional district
, represented by Congressman David Wu
.
The main road through the community is Laurelwood Road, which windingly descends through dense tree cover from the top of the Chehalem Mountains
and past the academy on its way towards Gaston. The name comes from the abundance of laurel trees above the valley that stretch to the top of Bald Peak
atop the mountain to the east. As of 1981, one of the trees was still standing, but the compiler of Oregon Geographic Names
was informed that the trees were in fact Pacific Madrone
s. The Washington County Scenic Loop passes through the hamlet. The area also lends it name to a type of soil composed of silt loam.
school, the four-year academy grew to as large as 350 students by 1976. The unaffiliated, but adjacent, Laurelwood Adventist Elementary School opened in 1950.
The academy added a manual labor building in 1925 followed by an administration structure in 1943 and a new church in 1957. Laurelwood Academy was closed in 1985 after enrollment had declined at the schools of the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. After re-opening in the late 1980s, the school relocated in 2007 when enrollment was at 90 students. Laurelwood Seventh-Day Adventist Elementary School still exists, and now has enrollment of about 20, in grades 1–8. Today, the former academy buildings house the Mission College of Evangelism run by Carol and Louis Torres.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
community in 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:...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The community is located southwest of the Portland metropolitan area
Portland metropolitan area
The Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA Metropolitan Statistical Area , also known as the Portland metropolitan area or Greater Portland, is an urban area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered around the city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S...
near Oregon Route 47 along Laurelwood Road, to the east of the city of Gaston
Gaston, Oregon
Gaston is a city in Washington County, Oregon, United States. The population was 600 at the 2000 census. The 2006 estimate is 630 residents.-Early history:...
and Wapato Lake
Wapato Lake
Wapato Lake was a historic lake located in what became parts of Washington County and Yamhill County in the U.S. state of Oregon. The area is sometimes known as Wapato Lake Bed and Wapato Flat. The lake bed is located about a half mile east of Gaston at elevation...
. Laurelwood, a farming
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
community, has a population of approximately 500 people. Settled in the 1860s, the community was home to Laurelwood Academy
Laurelwood Academy
Laurelwood Academy is a private secondary school affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church near Jasper, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1904 in Laurelwood, Oregon, the boarding school moved to a new campus in rural Lane County outside of Eugene in 2007...
from 1904 until 2007. A large portion of the community is of the Seventh-day Adventist faith.
History
Laurelwood was settled around 1860 in a small valley to the east of what is now Gaston. Most of the community is on the former Donation Land Claim of R. D. Walker. In 1904, the Laurelwood Academy was founded in the community as a Seventh-day AdventistSeventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
school. Adventist-owned Harris Pine Mills opened a furniture plant and milling plant in the village in 1965, growing to a 60-employee operation. At one time residents called each other villagers as opposed to the students of the academy.
In August 1977, four people were murdered in the community, shot execution-style. The victims, two seven year old girls, their 24 year old mother, and the 19 year old son of her boyfriend, were killed after the mother had testified against a leader of the Hells Angels
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
. Robert G. McClure was convicted of the killings and Hells Angels leader Odis Garrett was convicted of ordering the murders in 1994 and 1995 respectively. Laurelwood Academy closed in 1985 and was sold to an alumni group who re-opened the school in 1988.
In March 1986, the milling operations of the Harris Pine Mills was closed, followed by the furniture manufacturing facility in 1988. Laurelwood was one of sixteen places studied for a possible minimum security prison in 1988. The prison would have been at the former Laurelwood Academy after it shutdown in 1985, but there was local opposition and the prison was never built. Later that year the Adventist school re-opened.
In 1992, Marvin McDougal, a Laurelwood Academy alumnus, proposed developing 165 acre (0.6677319 km²) in the area into 54 homes to support the academy. Local residents formed an opposition group and fought the development. The county initially approved the development, but residents appealed the decision. Washington County eventually denied approval for the development. In 2007, Laurelwood Academy moved to a new campus near Eugene, Oregon
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...
.
Details
The population is partially composed of retirees and former students and teachers of Laurelwood Academy. Much of the community is of the Adventist faith. Laurelwood is still mostly composed of homes situated on one to 10 acres (40,468.6 m²). As of the 2000 census, the area had 503 people. The community has the Gaston ZIP Code of 97119. Gaston Rural Fire District covers the community, drinking water is supplied by the Laurelwood Water Co-op, and public education is provided by the Gaston School DistrictGaston School District
Gaston School District 11J is a public school district in Washington County, Oregon, United States serving the city of Gaston. The district was established about 1852 and later the Wappato and Yamhill districts in neighboring Yamhill County merged into the district. It is a two-school district,...
. Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
District 26 (Matt Wingard
Matt Wingard
Matt Wingard is an American politician in the state of Oregon. He won the Republican nomination to represent District 26 in the Oregon House of Representatives in May 2008.- Early life :...
) and Oregon Senate District 13 (Larry George
Larry George
Larry George is an American politician and businessman in Oregon. A Republican, he is a member of the Oregon State Senate representing District 13 since election in 2006. He previously was the leader of the political group Oregonians In Action...
) cover Laurelwood. Laurelwood is within Oregon's 1st congressional district
Oregon's 1st congressional district
Oregon's 1st congressional district consists of the northwest corner of Oregon. It includes Clatsop, Columbia, Washington, and Yamhill counties, and southwest Portland, part of Multnomah County, which belonged to the 3rd district before the 2002 redistricting....
, represented by Congressman David Wu
David Wu
David Wu is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 1999 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.The district includes most of Portland west of the Willamette River, as well as all of Yamhill, Columbia, Clatsop, and Washington Counties...
.
The main road through the community is Laurelwood Road, which windingly descends through dense tree cover from the top of the Chehalem Mountains
Chehalem Mountains
The Chehalem Mountains are a mountain range located in the Willamette Valley in the U.S. state of Oregon. Forming the southern boundary of the Tualatin Valley, the Chehalems are the highest mountains in the Willamette Valley...
and past the academy on its way towards Gaston. The name comes from the abundance of laurel trees above the valley that stretch to the top of Bald Peak
Bald Peak
Bald Peak is a mountain top and highest point in the Chehalem Mountains in the Northwest area of the U.S. state of Oregon. Located in Yamhill County near the county line with Washington County, the tall point is the highest point within the Willamette Valley...
atop the mountain to the east. As of 1981, one of the trees was still standing, but the compiler of Oregon Geographic Names
Oregon Geographic Names
Oregon Geographic Names is an authoritative compilation of the origin and meaning of place names in the U.S. state of Oregon. , the book is in its seventh edition and is compiled and edited by Lewis L. McArthur, who took over from his father, Lewis A. McArthur, as of the fourth edition...
was informed that the trees were in fact Pacific Madrone
Pacific Madrone
Arbutus menziesii, commonly known as the Pacific Madrone, is a species of Arbutus found on the west coast of North America, from British Columbia to California...
s. The Washington County Scenic Loop passes through the hamlet. The area also lends it name to a type of soil composed of silt loam.
Laurelwood Academy
Laurelwood Academy was established in 1904 on the Walker land claim, with a chapel added in 1908. Initially 5 acres (20,234.3 m²), Walker sold more land to the school in subsequent years. When it opened it taught grades one through ten under the direction of principal Robert Arye. The first graduate of the academy was Henry Dirkson. In 1907, J. L. Kay became the principal and expanded the school to twelve grades. A Seventh-day AdventistSeventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
school, the four-year academy grew to as large as 350 students by 1976. The unaffiliated, but adjacent, Laurelwood Adventist Elementary School opened in 1950.
The academy added a manual labor building in 1925 followed by an administration structure in 1943 and a new church in 1957. Laurelwood Academy was closed in 1985 after enrollment had declined at the schools of the Oregon Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. After re-opening in the late 1980s, the school relocated in 2007 when enrollment was at 90 students. Laurelwood Seventh-Day Adventist Elementary School still exists, and now has enrollment of about 20, in grades 1–8. Today, the former academy buildings house the Mission College of Evangelism run by Carol and Louis Torres.