Last month the Yamhill County Cultural Coalition announced its grants for the year. Among these grants, which use Oregon Cultural Trust money, was a newer organization called YES, which will put on a tour of historic homes in Dayton, on August 17, followed by a garden party (home pictured).

This just in from Patti Webb, Tour Coordinator, Oregon Tour of Historic Homes, YES!

“Yamhill Enrichment Society is a non-profit organization created a little over two years ago by Susan Sokol Blosser with a mission to cultivate cultural enrichment at the community level, with carefully selected projects in arts & education, food & agriculture, history & community.

On August 17, YES will host a remarkable tour of Historic Homes in Dayton.

In 2012 YES held the first tour of historic homes in McMinnville, a celebration entitled “100 Years Ago…Then, Now, and Beyond”. Seven beautiful homes were featured with the current and past owners leading the individual tours. Historic photos were also displayed in a ceremony downtown and at the homes. Over 300 people attended the tours. The significance of those numbers told us that our local citizens were excited to learn about McMinnville’s past history. We focused on the history of the homes, the architecture and the history of the original home owners. Volunteers were dressed up in costumes of the day and two cars (a 1912 Ford Auto Buggy and a 1915 Model T Ford red pickup truck) were parked in driveways of the homes for an added historical dimension. This year’s tour promises to be just as interesting and entertaining!

Included on the Dayton tour is the Joel Palmer House. Joel Palmer was a important early pioneer in Oregon’s history. He traveled to Oregon circa 1847. Later, he served as the Superintendent of Indian Affairs for the Oregon Territory and then in the Oregon legislature as Speaker of the House of Representatives and as a state senator. His home is one of the oldest classical revival buildings surviving in Oregon. Now it is a very well known and regarded restaurant owned by the Czarnecki family.

YES is committed to preserving our community history and our historic homes in Yamhill County. Next year (in 2014) we will focus on Newberg.”

– Patti Webb

Historic home tours create a tourism draw. They also invigorate community by bringing people into each other’s homes and educating about the history of the area and the origins of the homes in that area. The Cultural Trust is proud to fund the Yamhill County Cultural Coalition and, by extension, YES.

When: Saturday, August 17, 2013…. Dayton,11-4pm tour, 4-6pm Garden Partywww.yamhillenrichmentsociety.orgFor more information please check the website or call 971-237-2360.