Art – Walk Ashland

Street Scene sculpture: Who are these people?

Name of each person who modeled for Street Scene.
Life and work of sculptor Marion Young.
Complete with 35 photos!

Marion Young flanked by her clay models of Robert Barnett and Kate Sullivan.
(photographer unknown, photo courtesy of Robyn Jones)

sculptor Marion Young as a child — Marion Young, the future sculptor of Street Scene, as a child with her dog Bruce.
(photo by Olivia Young, photo courtesy of Robyn Jones)

Street Scene: the sculpture today

This engaging 14-foot-high bronze sculpture is located downtown on East Main Street near Pioneer Street, next to the Ashland Chamber of Commerce office and old Black Swan Theater. So far, this is my favorite sculpture in Ashland, primarily because it is filled with vibrant, life-like people. They are so life-like both because of artist Marion Young’s talent, and also because she found vibrant locals to model for her. She came to Ashland in 1988 to sculpt an earlier version of Street Scene, and lived here until her death in 2019.

Street Scene sculpture by Marion Young, on East Main Street in Ashland, Oregon. (photo by Tom Woosnam)

In this article, I will tell you how the sculpture Street Scene came to be, a little about each person who modeled for the sculpture, and give an introduction to Marion Young’s life and body of work.

Street Scene: how it came to be

Marion Young moved from Los Angeles to Ashland in order to sculpt the Street Scene commission. She was literally surrounded and inspired by the cauldron of creativity at Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). For four years, her studio was located within the Old Scene Shop at OSF. Therefore, it is not surprising that many of the live models Young used for Street Scene were associated with OSF, most of them in the acting corps.

Marion Young working on Street Scene, at her studio in the Oregon Shakespeare Festival scene shop. (photographer unknown, photo courtesy of Matthew Haines)

Marion Young created two versions of Street Scene. The first was commissioned by Atherton Place, an elegant retirement center in Marietta, Georgia. It was 4’ wide by 9’ tall, done in white resin, and included nine people in the sculpture.

This first version of Street Scene was created for the retirement center in Atlanta, Georgia — This first version of Street Scene was created for a retirement center in Atlanta, Georgia. *(photographer unknown, photo courtesy of Matthew Haines)*

Inspired by Ashland culture, she decided to stay and sculpt a larger version of Street Scene. The larger Street Scene sculpted for Ashland is done in bronze, contains twelve people (plus three Shakespeare characters) and stands 14’ tall.

Young always used live models in her sculpting. Her “work,” however, began even before choosing the models. A lifelong student of Carl Jung’s psychology, Young thought in terms of archetypes (universal themes that influence our personalities). She began each sculpture with these themes in mind. As she envisioned Ashland’s Street Scene piece, she created specific universal characters to represent in the sculpture, she thought about relationships between the characters, and she tried to capture the spirit of Ashland.

Street Scene: Young is “discovered”

As I mentioned above, Young sculpted Street Scene in the old scene shop at OSF. “Word spread of her work as her life-size figures slowly emerged above the beams of this building’s massive interior.” The city of Ashland was at the time creating a new Downtown Development Plan. Planning Director John Fregonese appreciated the value of public art. It was Fregonese who spearheaded the 1987 renovation of the lovely Butler-Perozzi Fountain, which had deteriorated badly since its installation in Lithia Park in 1916.

Fregonese thought Street Scene would be a wonderful addition to Ashland’s downtown, and the Ashland City Council agreed. The city provided $5,000 seed money for acquiring the sculpture, but the rest of the funds had to be raised through private donations.

Street Scene: the funding challenge

The overall budget for Street Scene was $125,000, which did not leave much for Marion Young’s years of work. She was able to sell bronze casts of individual busts from the sculpture to help provide income.

Bronze contributors to Street Scene, plus hundreds more who contributed with lesser amounts.
(photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

Over 800 individuals, businesses and foundations contributed money toward the project. Many donated their services at no charge, or for a very low fee. For example, since bronze casting for the 2,000 pound statue was done at Artworks Foundry in Berkeley, California, Medford Fabrication and the Thorndike family donated all the transportation costs between Ashland and Berkeley, then helped install the sculpture.

recognition sign by Street Scene sculpture. — Recognition on the wall next to the Street Scene sculpture. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

Local attorney, businessman and art lover Lloyd Matthew Haines was Chairman of the funding committee. He was, and still is, a strong proponent of public art in Ashland. He was also a friend and strong supporter of Marion Young and her work. When funding for Street Scene fell short even after hundreds of donations, Haines contributed the balance that was needed.

Lloyd Matthew Haines and Marion Young recognized, Street Scene sculpture — Recognition on the wall next to the Street Scene sculpture. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

Street Scene: dedication on July 6, 1994

Creating and putting up the massive concrete wall that Street Scene is attached to was a huge project in itself.

Installation of the concrete wall that Street Scene is attached to.
*(photographer unknown, photo courtesy of Matthew Haines)*

Once that was done, the sculpture was attached. A community dedication took place on July 6, 1994. “As Ashland gallery owner and artist Judy Howard said at the dedication, ‘Art tells a story of a particular culture and reflects the life of those in that culture. This sculpture reflects the spirit of our community and will tell the Ashland story for generations to come.’”

Marion Young speaks at the dedication of Street Scene. Ashland Mayor Cathy Shaw looks on. *(photographer unknown, photo courtesy of Robyn Jones)*

Street Scene: who are these people?

If you have looked closely at the Street Scene sculpture, you may have already identified one or more of the local actors and residents who modeled for Young. When I decided to write about the sculpture, I thought it would be simple to find a list of the twelve people who modeled for Young. No…not simple. In fact, it has been a surprisingly long and frustrating journey.

Fortunately, I had fellow Ashlander Tom Woosnam on the journey with me. He became intrigued with Street Scene when he noticed that his good friend Lee Carrau was one of the twelve people in the statue. Woosnam and Carrau had acted together with The Palo Alto Players when they lived in California. Woosnam also recognized Rex Rabold and Shirley and Bill Patton as models for the statue, and wondered who the other eight people were. That put him on a parallel track to mine, and then we began to cooperate.

We researched on the internet and through newspaper articles. I tracked down Marion Young’s niece Robyn Jones, who helped fill in some blanks and kindly shared photos with me. Jones introduced me to Matthew Haines, the driving force behind fundraising for Street Scene. Haines was kind enough to fill in more blanks and share his collection of information and photos with me.

Getting the correct names for the two children was the most difficult part. Each time Woosnam and I thought we had the correct names, another possible name would come up. Does this article provide the definitive list? I think so. However, if we learn something new in the future, I will update the article.

Here are the names of the models for Street Scene, with a brief note about each of them, starting from the bottom of the statue:

Smaller than the humans above, the three whimsical figures at the bottom left are characters in Shakespeare’s play “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

*The Fairy Queen was modeled by Seva Anthony, aerialist and Green Show dancer for OSF.

Fairy Queen Titania in Street Scene sculpture — Seva Anthony as the Fairy Queen in Midsummer Night’s Dream. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

*Bottom was a weaver who was given a donkey’s head by the mischievous fairy Puck. Anthony de Fonte, who played Bottom in the Festival’s 1993 production of “Midsummer,” was the model.

*Peaseblossom was one of Fairy Queen Titania’s fairies who waited upon Bottom. Liz Wood (now Liz Finnegan), a Green Show dancer at OSF, modeled for Peaseblossom.

Bottom and Peaseblossom, Street Scene sculpture — Bottom (modeled by Anthony de Fonte) and Peaseblossom (modeled by Liz Wood).
*(photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)*

*Kate Sullivan, OSF actor — (The inviting spirit) With her arm extended and hand open, actor Sullivan portrays the pivotal figure who draws us in. “She is the spirit who invites us into the piece, into the magic of living.”

Virginia Kooiman, "the child," in Street scene sculpture

*Virginia Kooiman, local child — (The child) She was in kindergarten at Briscoe School. “A crack Old Maid player at age 5, she was the sculptor’s most eternally figity [sic] model and became the child of this young family. She holds a ball covered with stars.”

On the left is Virginia Kooiman at age 5, as she modeled for “the child” in Street Scene. On the right is Marion Young’s clay bust of Virginia Kooiman.
*(photographer unknown, photo courtesy of Robyn Jones)*

Marco Barricelli in Street Scene sculpture

*Marco Barricelli, OSF actor — (The hero-father) A “leading man of prodigious presence and talent,” Barricelli’s role in the sculpture is the hero-father. He was described as having “a 2000-year-old classic Roman head.”

*Marie Baxter, Hanson Howard gallery co-owner — (The ethereal young mother) Young discovered Marie Baxter at Ashland Food Coop. After they got to know each other, the gallery started to represent Young’s sculptures in Southern Oregon, and Baxter agreed to model for Street Scene.

Phyllis Courtney in Street Scene sculpture

*Phyllis Courtney, OSF actor — (The charming middle-aged aunt) Courtney renovated John and Lizzie McCall’s beautiful 1883 historic home on Oak Street and opened McCall House B&B there in 1981. Also a long-time actress, she portrays half of the charming middle-aged couple, everyone’s favorite aunt.

*Lee Carrau, writer-producer — (The charming middle-aged uncle) As a career, Carrau produced industrial and scientific films. He also loved acting for the fun of it. Young chose him to model as the other half of the charming middle-aged couple, everyone’s favorite uncle.

*BlackStar, Native American healer — (The healer, and connection to the land) Young felt called to include a Native American female elder in the sculpture. She found BlackStar (Eunice E. Rotz), born 1918 in Texas and trained as a Comanche traditional healer. BlackStar lived the last decades of her life in Southern Oregon, creating silver jewelry and providing healing, before she passed away in 2007.

BlackStar modeling for Street Scene sculpture — This photo shows BlackStar modeling for Marion Young, with the partially completed clay bust beside her. (photographer unknown, photo courtesy of Robyn Jones)

Robert Barnett in the Street Scene sculpture

*Robert Barnett, OSF actor — (The story teller) When Young saw Barnett perform in an OSF play, she thought “his Norman Rockwell face and Harold Lloyd smile were irresistible…filled with warmth and friendliness.” Barnett is signing “I love you” to the viewer.

Elijah Apilada in Street Scene sculpture

*Elijah Apilada, local child — (The typical kid) Young found an Ashland Middle School boy with a feisty but smart attitude.

*Rex Rabold, OSF actor — (The wisdom of Shakespeare) With so much of Ashland’s creative and economic life intertwined with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Young introduced these elements in her figures at the top of the sculpture. A beloved OSF actor, Rabold died in 1990 at the age of 39. In Street Scene, he modeled for Young in his role as Shakespeare’s Richard II.

At the top of Street Scene are Shirley and Bill Patton. “As the magical figure at the bottom of ‘Street Scene’ draws us into the spirit of Ashland, the sculptor wanted an elegant dancing couple at the top to take us on into life, to remind us that life has more potential than we ever dreamed possible.”

Shirley and Bill Patton in Street Scene sculpture

*Shirley Patton, OSF actor — (The elegant dancing couple) Shirley Patton has touched thousands of lives through her 75 years of acting (30 years of it at OSF), her vivacity, her kindness and her lifetime of service. Many people know Shirley as the voice of Jefferson Public Radio’s “As It Was” history spots, which she has narrated five days a week since 2005, almost 4,000 in all!

*Bill Patton, long-time OSF Executive Director (The elegant dancing couple) Bill Patton worked at OSF from 1948 to 1995, including 42 years as General Manager and then Executive Director, helping to guide OSF. After Bill died in 2011, Paul Nicholson, who followed Bill as Executive Director, said of him: “Under his astute guidance the Festival grew from 29 performances and an audience of 15,000 to 752 performances and 359,000 in attendance the year he retired. He was a gentleman in every way, kind, thoughtful and caring.” Haines recalls Young holding the intention of having Bill Patton “walk into the sunset” at the top of the sculpture, since he was only a few years from leaving his post at OSF when she sculpted him.

Marion Young’s life story and key sculptures

Sculptor Marion Young was born in California November 25, 1934 and died in Ashland April 12, 2019. She had happy years as a child living on a farm in the Oakland hills. Her niece Robyn Jones remembers Young speaking fondly of hours exploring redwood forests near her home with her collie dog Bruce at her side.

Marion Young as a child, with her dog Bruce. (photo by Olivia Young, photo courtesy of Robyn Jones)

Young grew up in a very artistic family. Her mother was a poet and musician, her father a painter and musician. She attended San Francisco State University, with a major in biology and a minor in art. Her plan was to become a medical illustrator. Instead, she became an actor. After a few years, she transitioned to co-owning a bronze artworks foundry and then an art gallery in Los Angeles with Thomas Holland, her romantic as well as business partner for a time.

Marion Young in 1956. (*photographer unknown, photo courtesy of Robyn Jones)*

Her artistic and life journey finally brought her to creating sculpture, where she was able to express all of her skills. Holland was her first sculpture teacher. She continued to study on her own, including spending months absorbing every nuance she could of Auguste Rodin’s genius through the Rodin sculpture collection at Stanford University. Young sculpted primarily in clay from live models.

Her biography notes that she was “an ardent student of the writing and thought of [Carl] Jung.” This quote from Carl Jung, a favorite of Marion Young, expresses in very philosophical language what Young tried to capture in the physicality of her sculptures.

“Whoever speaks in primordial images speaks in a thousand voices: he enthralls and overpowers, while at the same time he lifts the idea he is seeking to express out of the occasional and the transitory into the realm of the ever-enduring. He transmutes our personal destiny into the destiny of mankind, and evokes in us all those beneficent forces that ever and anon have enabled humanity to find refuge from every peril and to outlive the longest night.” Carl Gustav Jung

I had to read Jung’s quote at least three times to understand it! And then three more times to understand how it could apply to Marion Young’s Street Scene sculpture. The depth of her study of human nature helps take the feeling of the sculpture out of “the occasional and the transitory” and out of the “personal” into a universal feeling.

How did she achieve that depth of understanding human nature? From what I have learned of her, it was a combination of factors. As with most of us, it began with the role models provided by her parents, who were artists in multiple mediums of expression and creativity. It expanded as Young took dance lessons beginning at age four. Later, as an actor after graduation from college, she explored the emotional and psychological aspects of human nature from the inside of multiple roles. After beginning to sculpt, she took a deep dive into exploring the physical aspects of what it means to be human. How deep? How about not only taking anatomy, but also dissecting human bodies at UCLA School of Medicine? As her biography put it: “In order to obtain the kind of knowledge necessary for her work, Marion found that she had ultimately to perform her own dissections on the human body.”

That experience led to the creation of her sculpture called Essentia, which is now at the Columbia University School of Medicine (in the anatomy department). The sculpture accurately portrays the anatomy of a young woman, both muscles and fascia without the covering of skin. It captures the beauty of the essential, beneath the surface. Young went on to capture the beauty of essential aspects of human nature in Street Scene, but in a different way.

Essential sculpture by Marion Young — Essentia sculpture by Marion Young, front and back views.
(photographer unknown, photo courtesy of Robyn Jones)

How Marion worked: insights from the Van Gogh bust

If you visit the Ashland Library, you have surely noticed another one of Marion Young’s sculptures. Just within the library front doors is a life size bust of Vincent Van Gogh. Henry Woronicz, former OSF actor and Artistic Director, served as the model. But he didn’t just “sit there,” nor did she “just sculpt.” This sculpture provides a good example of her deep preparation for a piece, combining her Jungian studies, her theater background, and her desire to capture universal rather than superficial feelings.

First, Woronicz and Young created a half-hour script edited from Van Gogh’s letters to his brother Theo. Then, studying Van Gogh’s paintings, Young reproduced his bedroom in her studio, using OSF props. Only after all this preparation did Woronicz get into his “role,” sit on the “set,” and model for Young!

Henry Woronicz as Van Gogh, sculpture by Marion Young

Bronze bust on the left and clay model on the right, of “Henry Woronicz as Vincent Van Gogh,” by Marion Young. (photographers unknown, photo on left courtesy of Robyn Jones, photo on right courtesy of Matthew Haines)

How Marion worked: insights from Shirley Patton

As mentioned above, Shirley and Bill Patton both modeled for Young’s Street Scene sculpture. Shirley shared these memories with me that illuminate Young’s internal and external process.

I was an accidental model. Marion had chosen her models, I believe, in a number of ways. She had a cast of characters in mind and found the people through conversations with friends and townspeople, and she was influenced by the Festival’s plays. It was in the OSF souvenir program that she discovered Bill. She was attracted to Bill’s face and bone structure. She’d had in mind a couple out on the town, enjoying the area’s nightlife. Dressed up with a tux and top hat! (Not our usual dress for an evening in town, is it?)
I think I was introduced to Marion after the work had begun. I came by where they were working to pick him up one afternoon, and she looked at me and said, “Oh, you can be Bill’s dancing partner!” So I was added to her “cast.” And I must confess that I’m glad it is me up there rather than another model.
I remember the time Marion asked me to stop by her makeshift studio in the old scene shop building. She was almost done with Bill’s likeness but she wasn’t satisfied. It was missing a certain “spark.” She said she had noticed that when I’d stop by the studio during his sittings that his eyes lit up, so she wanted me to come to his appointments so she could watch us interact.
She was looking for an elusive quality that would bring animation to a static piece of clay. It’s a mystery to me but Marion kept at it until there was life in Bill’s eyes. There was a difference. She said it was the spark she was looking for. She’d noticed that it came when we were laughing and talking together. Now that was a dear thing for her to say.
Shirley Patton

The Hero’s Journey

Marion Young’s major unfinished work is called The Hero’s Journey. She described it as “about 60 inches tall with a walnut base. Each of the 12 characters that circle this sculpture is a representation of one of the archetypes of the journey of life.” As in Street Scene, Young used OSF actors as models. Sadly, Young developed mental health problems and early dementia at a relatively young age, and quit sculpting shortly before she completed The Hero’s Journey.

Matthew Haines learned of The Hero’s Journey from Young’s niece Robyn Jones. Jones told Haines it was still in clay form, and was in the basement at a friend’s house. Haines retrieved the unfinished sculpture and brought it to local sculptor Jack Langford to repair. Now, in May 2020, Langford is casting it in bronze at his Talent studio.

Closing Words

Ashland enriched Marion Young’s later years, and she continues to enrich Ashland beyond her time on earth. Each year, thousands of people see and are moved by her Street Scene sculpture on East Main Street and her Van Gogh bust at the Ashland Library.

Marion Young's signature on Street Scene sculpture — Marion Young’s signature on the Street Scene sculpture. (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

Label at bottom of Street Scene sculpture. — Sign below the sculpture: “Street Scene, a portrait of Ashland.” (photo by Peter Finkle, 2020)

“Stay tuned” for more articles about public art in Ashland.

References:

Quotes not credited are from unsigned written information about Street Scene and about Marion Young, provided to me by Robyn Jones and Matthew Haines.

Darling, John. “‘Street Scene’ sculptor dies,” Ashland Tidings, June 21, 2019.

Haines, Lloyd Matthew. Personal communications, photographs, written documents.

Jones, Robyn Michele. Marion Young’s obituary, CaringBridge website, accessed April 2020.
https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/marionlenoreyoung

Jones, Robyn Michele. Personal communications, photographs, written documents.

Patton, Shirley. Personal communication.

Shippen, Julie. “City primes bronze art project,” Medford Mail Tribune, April 14, 1989

TJT. “Erecting public art is a monumental task,” Ashland Daily Tidings, July 14, 1994.

The Oldest House in Ashland (and the banister that saved it)

This is an 1884 lithograph of 1521 East Main Street in Ashland [Walling 1884]

1856 – The man Walker School is named after builds the house
1959 – The 23-year President of Southern Oregon University buys the house
1973 – The 29-year Ashland High School science teacher renovates the house
2019 – I interview Lance Locke and his daughter Teresa Locke Benson

This is the banister that saved the oldest house in Ashland from demolition. Keep reading to find out how it saved the house. (photo by Peter Finkle)

Three people are associated in special ways with the oldest house in Ashland: (1) the man Walker School and Walker Street are named after; (2) a 23-year President of Southern Oregon College; (3) an Ashland High School science teacher for 29 years who also coached the football team for seven years.

Since it is set back from the street, you may have driven by 1521 East Main Street many times and hardly noticed it. If you stop and look (across East Main Street from ScienceWorks Museum), you will see the oldest house in Ashland, a white two-story house that looks almost the same today as when it was built in the late 1850s. Note: This is a private home, so please do not disturb the residents.

The three Ashland citizens we will learn about are John Walker, Elmo Stevenson and Lance Locke. Let’s take them one at a time.

John Walker

John P. Walker took the Applegate Trail to Ashland in 1853. He purchased a donation land claim from Samuel and Elizabeth Grubb in 1856, and may have begun building his large house that year. (When the house was renovated, the owner found newspapers from the year 1856 used as insulation. More on that later.) The house is 1 ½ miles from the Ashland Plaza, which at the time he built it was “out in the country.” It is still surrounded by acres of open land.

School classes were first taught in Ashland in 1854 at Eber Emery’s house, with Miss Lizzie Anderson the teacher. This informal arrangement continued until April 3, 1857, when the small community held a meeting to elect three directors and a clerk for the new Jackson County School District No. 5. Walker was dedicated to education and wanted to be a school director.

He was chosen, along with Asa G. Fordyce and Bennett Million, while Robert B. Hargadine was the clerk. In October of 1857, the school board authorized a tax on each property owner, according to the value of his property. As the owner of the largest, most valuable piece of property in Ashland, John Walker willingly paid the highest taxes — $10.00 that first year. There were ten boys and eleven girls in the all-grades school that year.

In 1860, when the first dedicated school house was built, Walker’s school taxes were again the highest, and they had increased significantly to $170.42. This was slightly more than double the second-highest taxes, which were paid by R.B. Hargadine. No wonder the citizens of Ashland named a school after John Walker.

Elmo Stevenson

When Elmo Stevenson was hired as President of Southern Oregon College in 1946, only 45 students were enrolled, and the college was in danger of being closed. As World War II veterans entered higher education in the next few years, Stevenson stabilized and then strengthened the college. During his tenure, he “flew” around the state in his Oldsmobile, driving anywhere he could find high school students to recruit. By the time he retired in 1969, student enrollment was over 3,700.

President Stevenson was very ambitious, and oversaw a major expansion of the college, including new student residence halls, new academic buildings and new athletic facilities. He even had a long-range plan for Southern Oregon College to grow to 10,000 students.

In addition to education, Stevenson also loved family, hunting and cattle ranching. In 1959, he bought the Walker house and 50 acres of property that went with it. His interest was in the land he could use for grazing cattle, so he left the empty house alone and it continued to deteriorate. According to Lance Locke, Stevenson had 100 acres of land and about 100 head of cattle by the early 1970s.

Lance Locke

Raymond Lance Locke (Lance) married Elmo Stevenson’s daughter Vivian, with whom he had two daughters. Vivian and Lance were both professional educators. Vivian passed away in 2017. I was able to interview Lance, and his daughter Teresa, in 2019.

Locke taught science at Ashland Junior High School for three years in the early 1960s. Locke told me that in the 1960s the Junior High School students would cross the street from the school to the abandoned John Walker house to hide and smoke cigarettes. He then taught science at Ashland High School for 29 years.

He was Ashland High’s head football coach from 1968 to 1975. Football was Lance’s sport, but I found a surprising article that said he coached the Ashland High School ski team’s first season at Mt. Ashland. [Rogue News] When I told Lance about the school newspaper article I had found, he laughed and told me a story. In the mid-1960s, the ski area had been open only a few years. Several Ashland School Board members had daughters who were into skiing, so they told Ashland High principal Gaylord “Snuffy” Smith to organize a ski team. One day at a high school faculty meeting, Lance was chatting with a friend, not paying much attention. He heard Snuffy Smith say, “Has anyone here ever skied?” Reflexively, Lance raised his hand, and the next thing he heard was the principal telling him, “Great, you’re the ski team coach.” What makes this especially funny is to know that Lance hand-made his skis from blanks at the Junior High School wood shop, and had only been on them a few times.

When Lance had extra time, he helped his father-in-law Stevenson with the cattle. Though he didn’t have much “extra” time.

A life-changing day

In the early 1970s, Locke started clearing debris out of the Walker house in preparation for eventually demolishing it. In January 1973, he tore down the rickety two-story porch in back of the house. One day during the tear-down, Stevenson was burning a huge patch of blackberry bushes on the property in order to get rid of them once and for all. Locke brought pieces of wood from his demolition project over to the blackberry patch to feed the flames.

Locke clearly remembers that day, because it changed his life. Just hours later, his father-in-law had a fatal heart attack during dinner. The next morning Locke became responsible for taking care of Stevenson’s 100 head of cattle, in addition to full-time teaching, being the high school football coach, and raising two daughters.

On top of all that responsibility, Locke and his wife Vivian became owners of the empty, dilapidated 1856 house and responsible for 100 acres of cattle-raising property.

An Aside…100 head of cattle, “Cowboy” Murphy and the 1916 Ashland Roundup

As a novice at raising cattle, Locke had to learn fast. When he ran into problems on the cattle ranch, he turned to Ray Murphy, or “Cowboy” as he was called in Ashland. Cowboy was born in 1893 and was raised on a cattle ranch just outside Ashland. In Ashland’s 3-day 1916 Ashland Roundup rodeo, which was attended by 30,000 people July 4-6, Cowboy won the horse relay race. He competed in rodeos for decades. He even won a calf-roping contest in a rodeo at the San Francisco Cow Palace at age 72!

1916 Ashland Roundup rodeo, photo of Cowboy Ray Murphy winning the relay race (photo courtesy of Southern Oregon Historical Society)

When Locke was learning the cattle ranch ropes in the mid-1970s, Cowboy lived at the Columbia Hotel on East Main Street. He spent his afternoons across the street at the Elks Lodge, where he had a seat of honor at the end of the bar. When Locke had questions, he would head over to the Elks Lodge, pick up Cowboy and take him out to the cattle ranch, where Cowboy would give him tips. Sadly, Locke lost his cattle-raising mentor with Cowboy Murphy’s death in 1976.

You just read about two connections between the Walker house at 1521 East Main Street and Cowboy Murphy. One was that Cowboy helped Locke through a difficult time by giving him tips about cattle raising. The second was that the 1916 Roundup rodeo took place in the current hay field right next door to the Walker house. Take a look at the two photos below, one taken in 1916 and the other taken in 2019.

Photo of Ashland Roundup, probably taken 1916 or 1917, looking east from 1521 East Main Street (picture hanging at Lance Locke’s house, courtesy of Lance Locke)

Photo of field where the 1916-1917 Ashland Roundup was held, looking east from 1521 East Main Street in November 2019 (photo by Peter Finkle)

The banister that saved the house

Walking through the abandoned house one day in early 1973, with bulldozer demolition still on his mind, Locke stopped and took a long, careful look at the hand-carved front stairway bannister.

Detail of front stairway banister (photo by Peter Finkle)

The strength and solidity of the bannister spoke to him. The skill of the 1850s woodworker, who created a solid wood bannister that curved as it climbed the stairway, spoke to him. The beauty of the wood spoke to him. That bannister changed his mind, and his life changed again.

See how the solid wood banister curves as it climbs the stairway (photo by Peter Finkle)

The Locke family decided to renovate the house instead of demolishing it and starting over. It turned out to be a two-year project, with a lot of help from his good friend (and building contractor) Ken Krumdieck. In the early stages of the renovation, Locke did much of the work himself.

Ken Krumdieck helps Locke renovate the house, photo taken 1973 or 1974 (photo courtesy of Lance Locke)

“My greatest skill is destruction”

Locke described how Krumdieck created a blueprint based on the “bones” of the historical house to guide the renovation. Krumdieck would come over each morning and tell Locke what needed to be done that day. Locke admitted that “My greatest skill is destruction.” That skill was actually useful, because he spent endless hours during 1973 taking the interior of the 117-year-old house down to the studs. On some of the doors, Locke estimated that he removed six layers of paint.

Upstairs bedroom before renovation, photo taken c1973 (photo courtesy of Lance Locke)

Built in the 1850s and never renovated, the old house had no plumbing, an outhouse for a bathroom and a wood stove in the kitchen. So once it was down to the studs, the rebuilding process was comprehensive but slow, with help from friends and skilled workers.

Through the years 1973 and 1974, Locke somehow found the time (after family time, high school teaching time, football coaching time and caring for cattle time) to make a little progress each day.

Front porch columns during renovation, photo c1974 (photo courtesy of Lance Locke)

Writing on the walls

One upstairs bedroom has fir walls that were too special to destroy. Lance and Vivian Locke found notes dated late 1800s and early 1900s written right on the walls. Some listed the births and deaths of calves, showing that the farm had been a cattle ranch for more than 100 years.

The fir wall rectangle above the light switch has been preserved in its original form (photo by Peter Finkle)

Close-up showing 1895 writing on the bedroom wall (photo by Peter Finkle)

No fiberglass insulation back in the 1850s! Tacked to the bedroom fir wall, Locke found about an inch-thick layer of insulation made of old blankets and intact newspapers. It wasn’t pretty, but it kept the wind out. Dating to 1856, the newspapers indicate that the Walker house construction may have started in that year.

The original house contained four fireplaces and two staircases. The four fireplaces make sense, and show that John Walker, who had the house built, was a wealthy man. When Locke began renovation, he found a grill in the ceiling above the large living room fireplace. He described the purpose of the grill – to channel heat rising from the fireplace into the upstairs bedroom above the living room.

Living room after renovation; prior to renovation, there was a grill in the ceiling above the fireplace to channel heat to an upstairs bedroom (photo by Peter Finkle)

The purpose of two staircases is less clear. Yes, there were four bedrooms upstairs. But why build one staircase for the two front bedrooms, and then a second staircase in back for the two back bedrooms? Wouldn’t it have been simpler and less expensive to have one staircase and then a hallway to link the four bedrooms upstairs? We don’t have John Walker here to answer that question, so we have to live with not knowing.

Quilts on the walls

As I walked out of fir-wall bedroom, I was struck by large quilts hanging on the hallway walls. First, I noticed their beauty. Then, as Lance told me who did the quilting, I marveled at the history I was seeing.

The traditional Basket Pattern quilt was made by Elmo Stevenson’s great-grandmother, probably in the 1850s. To put that in perspective, that would be Teresa’s great-great-great-grandmother!

Another quilt in the hallway was made by Elmo’s wife Caroline Stevenson’s great-grandmother in the first half of the 19^th century.

Traditional basket pattern quilt made by Elmo Stevenson’s great-grandmother, probably in the 1850s (photo by Peter Finkle)

Quilt made by Caroline Stevenson’s great-grandmother, possibly in the 1820s (photo by Peter Finkle)

The window renovation party

Lance and Vivian Locke were committed to saving as many of the original windows and doors of the house as possible. The windows were especially a challenge, about 115 years old and neglected for decades. It was too much for Locke to take on by himself. He and his wife decided to have a “window renovation party” and invite all their friends over. They provided burgers and drinks and got the windows done the old-fashioned community way. Among their friends who helped were the Mike Morgan family and the Ken Grebner family.

Door renovation details

Most of the original doors were saved and renovated. These photos tell the story, and are worth “a thousand words.”

Front door

Interior door

French toast on the floor

Locke told me the family officially moved into the renovated house on January 1, 1975. There was no furniture in the house, but there was family, there was food and there was a floor. When I interviewed Lance Locke, his daughter Teresa was with us. She added, “Our first meal was French toast on the floor!” Sure enough, as I turned the pages of their family photo album, I came upon a photo dated January 1, 1975 of six-year-old Teresa and her 8-year-old sister Stephanie eating French toast while sitting on the floor.

On January 1, 1975, Teresa and Stephanie Locke ate their first meal in the newly renovated house (photo courtesy of Lance Locke)

Above and beyond

The Locke’s went “above and beyond” in their historic renovation. They even rebuilt the picket fence in front and the Captain’s walk on top of the roof. Compare the lithograph from Walling’s 1884 History of Southern Oregon with the house today.

Lithograph from Walling, 1884 (courtesy of Lance Locke)

Front of the house in 2019 (photo by Peter Finkle)

Locke has been a careful steward of the house and property since 1975. He told me, “I was 35 when I started on it, and it has been a life project.”

Ashland is fortunate

Ashland is fortunate to have so many residents who have committed their time and money to renovate historic homes, churches and businesses, both for our enjoyment and for the historical education of generations to come. As an Ashland history buff, I am grateful to Lance Locke and his family for choosing to renovate the oldest house in Ashland, rather than demolishing it and starting over. Beyond that, he and his wife did an incredible job, as we can all see today.

Our last photo will be of Teresa’s favorite rose bush in the front yard (photo by Peter Finkle)

Selected References:

J. Campbell, M. Lahr, C. Sweet, R. Lewis. “The Murphy Family of Ashland,” The Table Rock Sentinel (Southern Oregon Historical Society magazine), April 1987, pages 19-28.

Darling, John. “John P. Walker House,” December 18, 2005, MMT.

Dermott Cedar Face, Mary Jane & Battistella, Maureen Flanagan. Southern Oregon University, Arcadia Press, 2019.

Green, Giles. A Heritage of Loyalty: The History of the Ashland, Oregon, Public Schools, School District No. 5, 1966.

Locke, Lance and Benson, Teresa Locke. Author personal interview, July 28, 2019.

Locke, Vivian. “National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form,” October 1977.

National Register of Historic Places website, October 18, 2019. https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/ashland/wal.htm

Rogue News, March 24, 1967

Walling, A.G. History of Southern Oregon, Portland, Oregon, 1884.

Name of each person who modeled for Street Scene.Life and work of sculptor Marion Young.Complete with 35 photos!