Three Big Men

From the Oregon Voter, May 1, 1915:

With the death of the Hon. John Minto at Salem there passed the last of the junto known as the Big Three -- Asahel Bush, Wm. P. Lord and John Minto. For over fifty years they held the political reins more or less, and a wag says they divided the swag as follows: the Mintos held the offices, Lord had the honors, and Bush got the money. Anyway, they were three big men.

Census Fun!

A copy of the 1870 Federal Census for Marion County, Oregon fell into my hands recently. Actually, it's better than that -- someone has taken the time to go through the original census forms and transcribe them into an easy-to-read typewritten document, and that's what I was looking at: four hundred pages of names, numbers, occupations, and relationships describing Marion County's residents ten years after Salem got its start.

The first thing I did was scan the columns to find the Bush family, and there they were, in ...North Salem? What?!? The town was divided into four precincts: Salem, North Salem, East Salem, and South Salem. The property that we now know as Bush's Pasture Park -- which the Bush family purchased in 1860 -- is definitely NOT in North Salem. If the family was living here, why were they enumerated there?

There's no mistaking it: Asahel Bush is listed right on the page (M, occupation: Banker, 46 years old) along with his children E. (F, at school, age 14), A.N. (M, at school, age 12), S. (F, age 10) and E. (F, age 8). The household also included a hired laborer named Annio Martin (M, age 40, born in Denmark), a housekeeper named Mary Kezar (F, age 43, born in New Hampshire), and a "domestic" named May Malarkey (F, age 25, born in Ireland). Quite a cosmopolitan setup, for the time!

Poking around through the census, I found that about 12% of households in Salem employed a live-in worker in 1870. Many of these workers were Chinese men who served as cooks; there were 11 Chinese cooks in town, ranging in age from 12 to 26 years old. South Salem must have been farm country because the precinct included 22 live-in laborers, mostly employed by farmers and dairy men. The oldest of these hired hands was 52 and the youngest was 17; by contrast, the average age for a live-in female "domestic" was 17 and the youngest was 14.

Of course, looking at the census figures raises as many questions as it answers. Where was the Bush family actually living in 1870? How long did their servants continue to live with them? How did the demographics of servants in Salem change over time, as limits were placed on Chinese immigration and the city became more urban?

Good thing I know where to find a copy of the 1880 census...

Out the Window

More than 100 years ago, this was the view from the upstairs window at the Bush House Museum:


That building off to the right is the Bush Conservatory, constructed in 1882. It's the second oldest conservatory west of the Rocky Mountains. It has been in continuous use for almost 130 years.


Here you can see Miss Sally Bush on the left, together with (we think) her father and an unidentified woman, on the south side of the conservatory. Miss Sally had a green thumb and liked to grow and arrange flowers for the family home and business.


This is Miss Sally's cousin, Octavia Painter Nolan, in the conservatory. You can see that the building was well-used. It must have been a pleasant place.


Unfortunately, the conservatory is falling down, and the City of Salem cannot commit funds to restore it. So it is covered with plastic, and the door is closed and sealed with "caution" tape to protect the public.

The good news is that the Friends of Bush Gardens are on the case! These heroic people are working to raise money to restore the conservatory to its original condition. Their effort is well underway, and your support is welcome. Click on the link above to visit their website, where you can read more about the project and make a donation.

Merry Christmas, 1911

From "The Report" -- December 27, 1911:

These are busy times with Sally. If you talk to her you are apt to get no reply. She is ever wrapped up in tying up packages. There are piles of boxes in the kitchen, the dining room and the parlor, not to mention the greater lot upstairs on the beds. Each day the expressman presents a long list of charges due. The boys are instructed to pay what he claims without question, for the evidence is good that the bills are due. Sally quite savagely said if anyone sends her a gift in return she will cut them off her list.

So next year, instead of decorating the Museum with poinsettias and fresh greens, perhaps we should consider piling boxes all over the place in memory of Miss Sally's "potlatches." Hmmm. Good thing we have almost a year to think about it.

In the meantime, the staff of the Bush House Museum wish you a peaceful and happy holiday season.

Collections Spotlight: The Cogswell Portrait

Today's entry is written by Museum Assistant
Pablo Morales Henry.

I would like to present one of my favorite items in the house, Mr. Bush’s portrait in the library. The first impression upon viewing the portrait is that Mr. Bush was an impressive man both in stature and Oregon history. The portrait reminded me of one of the typical presidential portraits from the 19th century.


The portrait that I am referring to was painted by William F. Cogswell, who was born in Sandusky, NY in 1819 and died in Pasadena, CA in 1903. The portrait was painted in 1880. Cogswell was not just an ordinary artist, and there are several reasons why his work is so unique. First of all, he taught himself portrait painting in the 1830s while he was working at a color factory and from there he made a career. Another reason is the fact that some of his most famous works are portraits of U.S. presidents. Perhaps his most famous work is a portrait of President Abraham Lincoln, which was painted 1864 (this portrait is displayed at the White House). Cogswell also painted a portrait of Ulysses S. Grant in 1868 (this portrait is displayed at the U.S. Senate). Cogswell painted this portrait the year before Grant started his first term in office. Later, he also painted President Grant and his family (this piece is displayed at the Smithsonian). Afterwards, Cogswell painted a portrait of President McKinley and the portraits of King Kalakaua and Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii, just to name a few of the people that commissioned work from him.

After quite a few years of success on the east coast, in 1873, Cogswell moved to California. He had previously lived in California during the gold rush, which was an event that motivated some interesting works in his early career. Cogswell bought a property in what is today east Pasadena, and built a beautiful Victorian house. He lived there for many years, during which time he travelled and continued painting. He primarily painted political figures from the State of California. It was during this time that Cogswell painted the portrait of Asahel Bush II that we have today at the museum.

If you have not had the opportunity to appreciate this magnificent painting from the 19th century, please join us at the museum for a tour and you will see an incredible piece that is comparable with the portraits of Presidents Lincoln and Grant.

Our Holiday Helpers

Many, many thanks to the helpers who came to put up holiday decorations this past week!

Gretchen and Denis always find the perfect, old-fashioned Christmas tree for the sitting room.

Nadine, Karen, Ross, and Bonnie helped trim the tree and decorate the mantels with fresh greens. (We also had help from Kathy and Jean, but they left before the pictures were taken!)

Gretchen came back with Barbara on Tuesday to decorate the library and dining room, and make swags for the exterior doors.

Come and admire their handiwork at our Holiday Open House this Sunday, December 13, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. In addition to the beautiful decorations we'll have holiday music, refreshments, and a visit from that jolly old elf, Santa Claus. Hope to see you here!

Coming Soon: Holidays!

It's December, and the holidays will be here soon -- even sooner than we think!

Next week, the Bush House Museum will be transformed into a holiday wonderland with fresh greens in every room, a Christmas tree with vintage decorations, and other traditional trimmings for an old-fashioned celebration.

Please join us on Sunday, December 13 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm for our annual Holiday Open House! In addition to the lovely decorations, there will be refreshments, holiday music, and an activity for the children. Santa and Mrs. Claus will be here for photographs and wishes. Make a day of it by planning to attend the Open House at Historic Deepwood Estate the same day.

If you can't make it to the Open House, you can read all about it in the December issue of Northwest Senior and Boomer News. This periodical is available for free at several locations around town.