Shedd, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Shedd is an unincorporated
community in Linn County
, Oregon
, United States
on Oregon Route 99E.
was established about a mile and a half east of the present town of Shedd and called Boston, probably because one of the founders came from Boston, Massachusetts. Boston was plat
ted in 1861 with a New England
-style town square
. The town became a stagecoach
stop, and Boston Mills post office was established in 1869. Efforts to get the Oregon and California Railroad
, which was being built south from Albany
, to come through Boston Mills were unsuccessful. When the railroad was instead built through the nearby town of Shedd's Station in 1871, the post office was moved and the name changed to Shedds, after Captain Frank Shedd, on whose land the community was started. All of Boston's buildings, except the mill itself, were also moved west to the railroad. In 1899 the railroad changed the name of the station to Shedd, but the name of the post office didn't change until 1915.
East of Shedd at the former site of Boston Mills, on the Calapooia River
, is the National Register of Historic Places
-listed Boston Flour Mill
(aka Thompson's Flouring Mill), Oregon's oldest continuously operating water powered mill, part of Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site
. It is one of the four remaining gristmills in the state, and one of only two mills still in operation.
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 Linn County
Linn County, Oregon
Linn County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is named in honor of Lewis F. Linn, a U.S. Senator from Missouri who advocated the American occupation of the Oregon Country. By the 2010 US census the population of Linn county was 116,672 showing a 13.2% growth since the 2000 census...
, 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...
on Oregon Route 99E.
History
In 1858, a community and gristmillGristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
was established about a mile and a half east of the present town of Shedd and called Boston, probably because one of the founders came from Boston, Massachusetts. Boston was plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted in 1861 with a New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
-style town square
Town square
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
. The town became a stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
stop, and Boston Mills post office was established in 1869. Efforts to get the Oregon and California Railroad
Oregon and California Railroad
The Oregon and California Railroad was formed from the Oregon Central Railroad when it was the first to operate a stretch south of Portland in 1869. This qualified the Railroad for land grants in California, whereupon the name of the railroad soon changed to Oregon & California Rail Road Company...
, which was being built south from Albany
Albany, Oregon
Albany is the eleventh largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon, and is the county seat of Linn County. It is located in the Willamette Valley at the confluence of the Calapooia River and the Willamette River in both Linn and Benton counties, just east of Corvallis and south of Salem. It is...
, to come through Boston Mills were unsuccessful. When the railroad was instead built through the nearby town of Shedd's Station in 1871, the post office was moved and the name changed to Shedds, after Captain Frank Shedd, on whose land the community was started. All of Boston's buildings, except the mill itself, were also moved west to the railroad. In 1899 the railroad changed the name of the station to Shedd, but the name of the post office didn't change until 1915.
East of Shedd at the former site of Boston Mills, on the Calapooia River
Calapooia River
The Calapooia River is a tributary of the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon.The Calapooia runs through Crawfordsville and Brownsville in the Willamette Valley. The river converges with the Willamette near Albany. It was named for the Kalapuya , a tribe of Native Americans.-References:...
, is 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...
-listed Boston Flour Mill
Boston Flour Mill
Boston Flour Mill is a historic gristmill in Shedd, Oregon.It was built in 1863 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It is part of the Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site....
(aka Thompson's Flouring Mill), Oregon's oldest continuously operating water powered mill, part of Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site
Thompson's Mills State Heritage Site
Thompson’s Mills State Heritage Site is a state park near Shedd in Linn County, Oregon, United States, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The mill was first built in 1858. It burned down once in 1862, but was rebuilt right away. It continued to grind grain until 2002,...
. It is one of the four remaining gristmills in the state, and one of only two mills still in operation.
External links
- History of Boston Mills from Linn County Historical Society
- Historic images of Shedd from Salem Public Library
- Historic images of Thompson's Mill from Salem Public Library
- Historic images of Shedd and the Shedd family from WebshotsWebshots-History:Webshots was created in 1995 by Auralis, Inc. in San Diego, California. It was initially a sports oriented screen saver sold at retail for desktop computers. Founders Andrew Laakmann, Danna Laakmann, Nick Wilder, and Narendra Rocherolle migrated the desktop software to the Web and became...