The first town hall was formerly the center section of a two-story school building built in 1867-68. It was carefully detached from two single story wings on each side of the structure and moved to a location on South Main Street behind the Netherwood Block Building in 1895.
n 1922, a 24-hour service was established in the village with cooperation of the Business Men’s Club. Before this, someone patrolled the village only during the nighttime hours.
The first post office was established in 1848 with Egbert Bennett as the first postmaster.
In 1925, the fire department put their first motor driven fire equipment into use. The cost was $3,000.
Steve Madsen’s Home Owned Store was located on Main Street in Oregon. In the past this was the location of Cronk’s Opera House, and today is the site of the Firefly Coffeeshop.
The first hotel in Oregon is the EXCHANGE HOTEL, which was built in 1845 on the south side of the square. This business failed and the hotel was then purchased by Richard Chandler. It became known as the CHANDLER HOTEL.
The Oregon business community gathered for a group photo when the World War I monument was erected in the village square in 1920.
Did you know? The first concrete street in Oregon was laid in “No-Man’s Land”, also called Copenhagen Street because of the large number of Danes living on the street.
C.H. Cronk’s built the Opera House as a roller skating rink. It was the center of social activities for many years in the early 1900’s.
Before refrigerators were common, ice boxes were used. In Oregon, it was Ed and Ernie Culp who would cut ice during the winter months from Lake Harriet, just west of Oregon. The ice was stored in an ice house on the lake. The blocks were packed in sawdust and straw.
The Oregon Area Historical Society & Museum is funded by membership dues, donations, and sales from the General Store. We are a registered 501(c)(3) and all donations are tax deductible.
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