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Noted as a historical showcase, the Gold Rush town of Jacksonville
has been designated as a National Historic Landmark Community.
Located in the foothills of the Siskyou Mountains, this old west
town has over 90 original brick and wooden buildings that date
back to the 1850s. Using the 100 year old photographs of pioneer
Peter Britt, many have been restored to their original state.
Strolling by the historic buildings on Oregon and California Streets
will take you back to the frontier days of this mining town.
Peter Britt, a Swiss native, lived in Jacksonville. He was an
accomplished photographer and horticulturalist, who took the first
photos of Crater Lake. These photographs later aided in the decision
to designate it as a National Park. His photographic work can
be seen at the Jackson County Museum. His elaborate and extensive
gardens, (the Peter Britt Gardens at First and Pine Street), were
the site of the original Peter Britt Music Festival. Now held
at the Britt Pavilion just south of the Gardens, the festival
has internationally renowned performers, and features jazz, popular,
classical, bluegrass and country music, as well as dance, musical
theater, Broadway musicals and more. It is a series of approximately
40 concerts, scheduled from the last week of June through the
first week of September.
The Jacksonville Museum is in a brick and stone Italianate building
built in 1883 that formerly served as the courthouse, until the
county seat was moved to Medford. There is a section featuring
the works of Peter Britt, as well as exhibits on the history of
the Oregon and California Railroad in the Rogue Valley, mining,
the Chinese, and Jacksonville history in general. The nearby Children's
Museum is housed in the 1910 Jackson County Jail. It has exhibits
including old fashioned toys, walk through exhibits for a pioneer
jail, kitchen and tepee and a collection of Vance Colvig memorabilia
and cartoons. Vance ("Pinto") Colvig, a Jacksonville
native, was the voice for many Walt Disney characters, including
Goofy, Grumpy (in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs), and Pluto.
He was also the first Bozo the Clown.
A visit to the Beekman House, circa 1876, brings history alive
as actors dressed in costumes of the period portray the Beekman
family in a living history exhibit. The Beekman Bank, established
in 1863, is also open to visitors and had many of the original
furnishings, including a collection of Wells Fargo memorabilia.
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