Today we’ll continue our tour of the old Baldwin Hotel, now a museum, with a bit more history. George Baldwin moved west (I have not learned yet from where) in 1872 to join his half-brother, Wallace. George was then 16, and was studying tinsmithing at the Academy in Ashland. The Academy was the forerunner to the Southern Oregon University.
Very old dolls on a very old bed.
Eventually, George moved to Linkville (renamed Klamath Falls in 1893), married Josephine Evangeline and started his family. His daughter, Maud, was born in 1876 and was the only girl of their five children. George became active in politics and held local offices before becoming an Oregon State Senator, an office he held for two terms.
One of the hotel rooms
As Maud grew up, one of her duties was to accompany her father to his social functions, a duty she was said to dislike intensely. She was the apple of her father’s eye, however, and as such was provided for very well. In 1898, Maud attended a school of photography and became a renowned photographer.
Through a window, a view of a private kitchen for one of the apartments in the hotel.
The sewing room – I remember my grandmother having one of the Singer treadle machines.
A spinning wheel in the sewing room.
Is that a steam iron on the ironing board?
As the sign says, a hand painted Aladdin lamp which was converted to electricity.
Many of the rooms had a bathroom containing a toilet and a tub. That looks like a hair dryer in this one to the right. The sink was in the room itself.
Each room had a wood stove to provide warmth.
Another room, with vanity, bed, sink and closet.
A vanity, holding all of the things a lady would need to groom herself properly – in silver, of course.
Tomorrow, part 3 of our tour.
Wow, they put lots of great stuff in the sewing room! Is that a button jar on the ironing board?
Yes, it is a button jar. The photo of the sewing machine also shows a couple of looms. Isn’t it amazing what they were able to do back in the day?
I must make a couple of corrections to the above info: Maud was born in 1878, not 1876. She began to pursue photography in earnest in 1896, but did not attend the California College of Photography until 1906. I’m finding some conflicting information, but I’m also finding much less information that I would think would be available in our digital world.
As a proud 3rd generation Native Oregonian I should have known some of this and I did not. Thanks so much for this Carol. I think that you doing it as a series is such s fabulous idea. It’s also a lot of work.
I just want you to know how much I am enjoying it. You make a wonderful guide. ~ BB
Visiting old times makes me yearn for them, but also so grateful that I have the options I do today!
The quilt hanging on the wall in the sewing room is a beauty! Not a big fan of the Pepto Bismol pink bathroom, though
I love old vanities and grooming tools. We had my hubby’s great grandmother’s vanity. He is in the process of refinishing it. Somewhere along the line someone thought it would be a wonderful idea to cover that beautiful wood with blue paint.
I love history, and historical museums. I enjoy the way you integrate the photos and the stories, Carol. Looking forward to part three!
Oh, I love the old fashined sewing room, and the old Singer treadle sewing machine! Just imagine the styles of clothing that it would have been used to make.