As you stroll around our Anderson School property – or any of our joints, really – you will notice a preponderance of two things: interesting lighting fixtures and interesting music. Without these two elements (among others), it simply wouldn’t be a McMenamins. And that is why we named a room for Harvey Hansen, a one-time…

This is a piece in process by artist Andy Eccleshall inspired by the Jolly Corks. In 1867, this rowdy group of theater menfolk, named for a parlor trick involving a champagne cork that they’d play on unsuspecting dupes, formed the basis for what is today the civic- and community-minded Elks organization. Artist Ryan McDonald depicts…

So why did the Slabtown Festival come about? It had its beginnings because of baseball. Back in January 2006, friends and fellow Slabtown history enthusiasts Mike Ryerson and Tim Hills organized a gathering for a number of the old Croatian residents of Slabtown, most of whom shared ties to St. Patrick’s Church, Tavern & Pool…

The schoolroom clock turns 11:30 a.m. Chairs scrape back from desks, voices rise in a cheerful cacophony and suddenly, 450 schoolchildren begin parading through the doors of the cafeteria, what is today’s Courtyard Restaurant at the Kennedy School. From 11:30 a.m. ‘til 1 p.m., lunch was doled out to one child after another after another…

Think you’re a McMenamins history buff? Identify the five properties associated with these images. 1. In the 1870s, this pub’s neighborhood acquired its unusual name when a lumber mill opened; the leftover log edges were a cheap source of heating and fuel for working-class neighbors. Hint: Its annual community festival is coming up Sat., September…

In 1799 in Brimfield, MA, Tabitha Moffatt married the Reverend Clark Brown at the age of 19; the couple had three sons and a daughter. When her husband passed, she supported her family by teaching school until age 63, at which point her extended family decided to move west. So, in Spring 1846, three generations…

It’s a beauty – stunning in size, age and craftsmanship. Gorgeous cherry wood spanning 30 feet in length and 13 feet in height, believed to have been built in 1889 by Brunswick Balke-Collender Company, the famous bar and pool table manufacturer of Chicago. This lovely relic has certainly borne witness to many strange and wondrous…

“He made gym class fun!” “Mr. Kohlmeier was really neat. He was young and nice. PE was a lot of fun!” “He had a great personality, great sense of humor.” As former Kennedy student recollections attest, Don Kohlmeier was not of the old-school, stern, rote and dry way of teaching. He arrived at Kennedy School…

On September 17, 1984, Kalama’s Hart Brewing Company poured their first brew, the copper-hued Pyramid Pale Ale, for friends, fellow brewers and a few beer writers, to rave reviews. A labor of love, the small family brewery quickly proved itself a high-quality microbrew trailblazer in the six years it was under the direction of husband-and-wife…