Delaney-Edwards House - Salem, Oregon
Posted by: 
ddtfamily
N 44° 50.583 W 122° 58.336
10T E 502191 N 4965515
Delaney-Edwards House, one of the three oldest homes recognized in Oregon (1845)
Waymark Code: WMHYP3
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 08/28/2013
Views: 3
The Delaney-Edwards House, near Turner, Oregon (although considered a Salem address) is one of the three oldest standing houses recognized in Oregon. Earliest portions date to 1845, some 14 years before Oregon statehood. In 1845, John Tyler began the year as the 10th U.S. President, succeeded by the 11th President James K. Polk in March.
"The original portion of the farmhouse was built on land acquired by Daniel Delaney and his wife Elizabeth (McGhee) Delaney when they arrived in Oregon as part of the Oregon Emigrating Company party of 1843." The Delaney's settled on land with a mix of forest (providing access to wood) and prairie to allow for cultivated fields.
The house is a wood frame structure, now featuring a composite shingle roof. A series of sequential and connected architectural forms define the exterior of the house: the original 1845 farmhouse, the parlor addition, wrap-around porch and kitchen additions (1870s) and the woodshed (at first glace, I thought this was a small garage, but it is not; it was the last addition to the house, dating to the early 1900s.)
The house was originally located approximately 300 feet west of it's present site, but was moved to a new foundation in order to better preserve the structure. Renovation continues on the house to return it to a livable condition and remove exterior, non-historic elements.
A historical note: in 1865, having lived in this house for 20 years, Daniel Delaney was murdered at his home by George Beale, who Delaney formerly employed, and his accomplice George Baker. The men lured Delaney outside, shot him, and proceeded to ransack the house, later admitting to stealing $1,400 in cash. The murder trial that followed was the first in Salem, and after the guilty verdict, both men were executed in a double-hanging in front of thousands of spectators.
Note: portions of this description in quotations are excerpts from the NRHP Nomination Form (2004)
Click a photo to enlarge
