Preface and Historic Preservation Efforts to date

Acknowledgements Funded by The Kinsman Foundation The Kinsman Foundation has funded efforts to preserve this log building since the project began in 2008 We are grateful to this philanthropic organization for supporting the Molalla Log House project and historic preservation in Oregon Current Fiscal Sponsor: Historic Preservation League of Oregon Past Fiscal Sponsor and Project Steward: Molalla Area Historical Society Project advisers in 2011 who lent their time and expertise are: Mark Eifler, Associate Professor in the Department of History, University of Portland, Oregon John Goodenberger, Chair of the Oregon State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, Instructor in Historic Preservation and Restoration, Clatsop Community College, owner Historic Research and Design, Astoria, Oregon Dr Kingston Heath, Director of the Historic Preservation Program, University of Oregon Dennis Werth, Historical Archeologist, Oregon In addition, we welcome new project advisers in 2012: Kenneth Ames, recently retired Professor and Department Chair of Anthropology, Portland State University Liz Carter, Adjunct Instructor in the Historic Preservation Program, University of Oregon and Historic Preservation Consultant Hank Florence, Historic Architect, National Parks Service Pacific West Region PREFACE This Treatise has been written to document the current base of knowledge about the possible origins of the Molalla Log House-Fox Granary The building will often be referred to simply as the Molalla Log House because that name best reflects its origins In 2008 the Molalla Log House was dismantled by a group of careful volunteers in order to save and study the building, with the intent of restacking it in the future It was located on the Wildcat Site, so called because of its location at the corner of Wilhoit and Wildcat Roads, in an area in Clackamas County historically known as the south Molalla prairie The logs, which were still covered and had been throughout the twentieth century, were far more deteriorated than would have been expected They are now stored in a warehouse, where rehabilitation work is ongoing New logs have been hewed to replace unrepairable ones All useable remnants are being rehabilitated The Molalla Log House was built with unusual craft The structure, a 25 x 18 foot, one and a half story single log pen, was made with logs hewn on four sides, notched together with half dovetails The building did not require chinking because there were no spaces between the logs The Molalla Log House has six distinct culturally traceable features which other buildings in Oregon from the 19th century not have It was built by experts adept in building with softwood where the American settlers can be identified by the mistakes they made using Douglas fir The physical evidence of the Molalla Log House provides a primary resource for study The six unusual design details are as follows: Apertures (likely windows) were anticipated by the original builders who made unusual saw kerfs before they stacked the logs None of these aperture cuts were completed, which indicates that there was a change of plans because windows were planned for but not cut in The original design of the roof is unusual The use of metal fasteners in roof design was common in pioneer buildings as was notching the rafter top plate connection or wooden pegs instead of nails, before they were easily obtained, but this building has no nails, notching or wooden pegs in the original design It is not apparent how the rafters were restrained or how the roofing was applied to the rafters Notches on the end walls (south and north) indicate a building design with steep shed roofs (45 degree angle) Because there was no evidence of original apertures in the south and north walls, these shed roofs would have created spaces that were not connected to the living area of the building This leaves the possibility that the design of the building allowed for spaces for animals under attached shed roofs Oregon pioneers built barns for their animals away from their homes because of the fear of fire An unusual notch was found on the east interior wall in log number 7, just below the second floor in the end joist space The wood was notched in a narrow slit in a dovetail shape and could have only been used as the logs were stacked The use is unknown, but its location suggests that it was possibly used to support a stair or cabinetry This feature had no utility at the Wildcat site when the building was renovated as a farm building The dovetail notch is singular and unusual The shaping of the rafters and the first floor joists, especially the ends, are consistent with each other in their care and deliberate execution These items are also a match for the hewing of the logs The efficiency of the designs both large and small and the delicacy of the work suggest that the builders had worked in soft wood for generations, where early American builders struggled to adapt to the characteristics of Douglas fir There is no evidence of iron nails in the building as it was first constructed with the exception of the shed roof structures, where the nails may have been added after the sheds were constructed From oral accounts it was understood that the Molalla Log House had been dismantled and moved by wagonload in 1892 to the Wildcat Site Historic research has led to a theory about where the log house was originally constructed Early survey and territorial maps, land claims and transactions from the 1840s through the 1890s, family relations, diaries, and local stories passed down, all led to the theory of the Rock Creek Site The Rock Creek Site is about a mile and a half north west of the Wildcat Site, where the building stood from 1892 to 2008 The following ten clues, obtained through historic research and oral accounts, have led to the speculation that the Rock Creek Site was the original building site of the Molalla Log House The 1846 Provisional Land Claim of Isaac Abel was made before the 1852 survey and covered an area of 640 acres at a skewed angle, encompassing Rock Creek along its northern boundary Only the area of the Rock Creek Site fits the description of the Provisional Claim This claim was beyond where most claims were being made at this date Abel abandoned this site before he settled it for lands on the French Prairie An existing building would explain his interest in this land The 1852 federal survey map shows a trail leading into the Rock Creek Site from the northeast, indicating a previous use of site prior to Oregon pioneer donation land claimant John Wilhoit The trail ties the Rock Creek Site to the Molalla River Pioneer John Bagby's journal of 19101 reminisced about the pioneer families in the area holding up at "Wilhoit's Fourt" for several days during the mid 1850s, when they feared Indian hostilities John Wilhoit’s donation land claim encompassed the Rock Creek Site There are no other records of a 'fourt' in the area The Molalla Log House, before the windows were cut in, would have made a secure place to hide The Rock Creek Site encompasses a piece of land twenty acres in size, singled out in the 1870s for sale separate from Wilhoit's original DLC This 20 acre parcel was sold at a higher price per acre than the other lands A house on the property would explain the increase in value William Pinkney (Pink) Herman was the owner of the twenty acre parcel on the Rock Creek Site from 1877-1895 The Molalla Log House was moved to the Wildcat Site in 1892 for David and Lennie Herman Fox (Pink’s sister) If Pink owned the log house, gave it to Lennie Fox, and was a part of the crew that dismantled the building from the Rock Creek Site and moved the logs by wagon-load down the hill to the Wildcat Site for the Foxes to use as a granary, then it would make sense that Pink Herman’s grandson-in-law, Clyde Ramsay, told neighbors that his “grandfather ‘built’ the log building.” Clyde Ramsay’s wife’s grandfather was Pink Herman Dian (Isberg) Reed, owner of the Wildcat Site since the 1960s, was told by David and Lennie Fox’s daughter, Etta Fox that the building was moved to the Wildcat site from 'up the hill to the north.' This would be the Soda Springs Road area adjacent to the Rock Creek Site A story was told by an old McCormick, Gail J Our Proud Past, Volume One, A compiled History of the Families that Settled at the End of the Oregon Trail, Gail McCormick Publishing Company, Mulino, Oregon, 1992, pg 79 Clyde Ramsay told this story to his neighbor Bruce Helvey, about the Molalla Log House, turned Fox Granary man living at the end of Soda Springs at the turn of the 19th century about an old Indian woman who lived in a log house An old ponderosa pine and a fruit orchard on the Rock Creek Site indicate domestic use The log house on the Rock Creek Site would have been a good location for an encampment and occupation There was a ‘Freemen’s Encampment’ in the western foothills of the Cascades, occupied over a period of time during the first half of the 19th century Only archeological exploration can determine whether the Rock Creek Site was used as an encampment by freemen and fur company brigades A half-mile long ditch runs perfectly straight south to north from a hillside across Thomas Road into the Rock Creek Site This irrigation ditch drains what appear to be at least two long hay fields and runs into Rock Creek on the north There is no known documentation of the ditch being constructed Archeological analysis of the site may yield information There is a documented network of Indian trails in the vicinity of the Rock Creek Site, giving the area access to early transportation corridors by land and water 10 General attributes of the Rock Creek Site for early habitation include: suitable environment for settlement, farming, hunting and trapping and a nearby friendly Indian tribe The Pudding River and Molalla River watersheds yield an abundance of beaver and mountain animals including bear, deer, elk and fox The climate, topography and soils were favorable for farming, with good drainage for crop irrigation Efforts to date the log house included an analysis of log end erosion and dendrochronology The log ends of the Molalla Log House were compared with historic pioneer log buildings in Oregon and found to be considerably more eroded From this it was understood that the building was older than these other pioneer buildings A study of the tree rings of the logs used to build the Molalla Log House were compared with several other old growth Douglas fir trees This study of dendrochronology led to a surprising date in the late 18 th century when the logs of the Molalla Log House were felled Historic research now concentrated on the late 18th century and Russian America In this Treatise a chronology of events during this period of time is given, leading to a theory that the Molalla Log House was built by Russian serf peasant farmers and craftsmen The Russians had been hunting and trading furs along the northwest coast of America in the second half of the 18 th century Russia was not only interested in the economic benefits of expanding its territories to Russian America, it was also interested in claiming new lands for the Crown The fur hunters in Russian America were starving and agricultural settlements were initiated to grow grain Skilled men were needed to build shipyards and settlements Families of serfs and men skilled in the building trades were sent in the mid 1790s to Russian Alaska to aid in this endeavor The Russians described themselves as secretive about these activities and written materials from the 1790s in Russian America are scant History would not have documented an agricultural settlement in the Willamette Valley in the late 18th century because occupation was brief and it was a failure This Treatise offers an explanation of when, who, where and why the Molalla Log House was built and why it was never recorded It provides a recommendation for a Preservation Plan for the building and encourages participation by others to give this uniquely crafted log building the attention it deserves Preservation Efforts And Project Background 2008-2011 When the building was placed on the Clackamas County Statewide Inventory of Historic Properties, in the 1980s, the original site, builder and date of original construction were unknown Even though it had been moved, it was considered architecturally significant for its unique craftsmanship of hewn-logs squared on all sides with no space between the logs and half dovetail notches At that time, nearly 3,000 buildings were placed on the Inventory Of those, about 350 of the most significant buildings were designated as “Clackamas County Historic Landmarks” by the Historic Review Board and Clackamas County Board of Commissioners The “Fox Granary” was designated a Clackamas County Historic Landmark in about 1986, based on its architectural significance Neither the original site nor original builder was known at the time From title and tax assessment records it is believed that the log building was first on the Wildcat Site (northeast corner of Wildcat and Wilhoit Roads) in 1892 From title records it was known that David and Lennie Herman Fox owned the property at that time Recollections from relatives and local residents indicate that the log building was disassembled and moved from “up the hill” in 1892 The logs were moved by wagon-load down the hill; most likely from the north and then Soda Springs Road It was re-stacked at the Wildcat Site for use as an agricultural outbuilding and called the Fox Granary When dismantling occurred, labeling of each log was discovered which indicated previous dismantling and a previous attempt to organize the rebuilding of the structure on a new site Molalla Log House–Fox Granary on the right, showing collapsed roof (machine shed on left) Facing east from Wildcat Road, Wilhoit Road in background Township South, Range East, Section 32, Tax Lot 1100, 13290 S Wildcat Road, Molalla, Oregon It wasn’t until 2009, with increased knowledge about the building, that it was renamed the Molalla Log House-Fox Granary; the original use being a house on its original site When the Fox Granary was first inventoried in the 1980s, property owner Dian Reed was interviewed and in subsequent discussion, she recalled her conversation with Etta Fox in the 1960s about the hewn-log building Etta was David5 and Lennie Herman Fox’s daughter She moved to the Wildcat Site with her parents in 1892 Dian Reed recalled that Etta told her that the building was moved from ‘up the hill’ and that it was “very old” in 1892 It had been taken apart and moved down the hill by wagon-load The people, most likely relatives and neighbors, who reconstructed the log building, had labeled each log as it was disassembled Etta told Dian that that they had expressed surprise at how easily the logs fit back together; the labels being almost unnecessary because the logs fit so well in place The granary was considered of historic and architectural significance, even without knowing where it was originally built or who built it Minimal information was gained from research because it had been moved from an unknown location Except for Dian Reed’s recollections from 1962, until 2008 no attempt was made to determine the original builder and original site The significance of the building as a Clackamas County Historic Landmark came from its unique craftsmanship and possible age.6 As per title records, in 1892 David Fox purchased about two hundred acres of land including two properties that were homesteaded in the 1860s (Wm H Miller and Charles Henry David Fox was born in March, 1848 in North Carolina 1880 census record: David Fox lived in Wittenbergs, Alexander, North Carolina, age 32, married to Lennie Herman Fox, with one child Mary E., age (E stands for Etta.) Even without the original site or builder, in 2008 it was determined important to document and save the building because it was believed to be a genuine part of architectural history in Oregon Gipson) and one Donation Land Claim from mid-1850s (J McCaslin and wife) Very little is known about these Oregon pioneers from historical records They apparently did not settle the land or stay in the area very long, if at all, because none show up in the census records near the Wildcat site.7 Descendents of the Fox family, Lloyd and Roxy Hobart (grand niece of Etta Fox), told Gregg Olson and Rich Isberg that they believed that David and Lennie Hermann Fox arrived in the Willamette Valley, by train from Hickory, North Carolina in 18928 The Hobart’s have a small black book from their grandmother, Carrie V Fox Hobart (daughter of David and Lennie Fox and sister of Etta) At the top of a page Carrie wrote in 1961, “In Feb 1892 we come to Oregon.” Not much else was known about the David Fox family except that for a short time David Fox and his partners ran a grocery store on the main street in Molalla ‘proper’ prior to c 1900 The partners sold the store to Levi Robbins and his son Oliver Willard Robins The only known written account of the David Fox family comes from the “Charles Hardy Story” as told in 1969 when he was 88 year old “Dave Fox’s place was on the Wilhoit Road at the junction of the Wildcat Road with the Wilhoit Road His wife was a sister of Pink Herman His children were John, Mrs Ed Hobart, Mrs George Dart and a girl that I can not name He was related to the Fox, Hovises and Littles that kept store in Molalla for a time He farmed mostly for a living.”9 By 1900, only two of the five Fox children lived with David and Lennie at the Wildcat Site The Molalla Log House-Fox Granary was not used as a house, but as an agricultural building at this time This area of Clackamas County is still very rural and sparsely populated It embodies large tracts of land under single ownerships Very little attention had been given to this log building by the local population or passersby, probably because of its small size and agricultural usage The information for the 2007 updated SHPO survey database was gained from previous historic research conducted in the 1980s and 1990s in Clackamas County, as well as subsequent correspondence with the owner, Dian Reed The possible original build-date for the “David Fox Log Building” was noted as c 1870 on the 2007 “Intensive Level Survey” This date is now known to be inaccurate and should be modified on the survey form to reflect what is known about the building today 10 Ticor Title Records, Clackamas County, Oregon, 1984 David Fox property chain of title at Wildcat Site: 1888Charles H Gipson deed transfer to Pierce C Miller; 1892-Pierce C Miller deed transfer to David Fox; 1923-David F Fox deed transfer to Mary Etta Fox Dart; 1942-Mary Etta Dart transfer to Lizzie Olsen; 1960-Lizzie Olsen transfer to Jon and Dian Isberg; 198-Dian Isberg transfer to Dian (Isberg) Reed and Peter Reed; Dian Reed and Peter Reed own the property to date (2011) Mary Etta Fox told them that she came to Oregon on the train with her folks and she fibbed about her age so that she could ride free or have a lesser fare Mary Etta was 13 (b 1879) in 1892, so she had probably given her age at 12 or younger The age of 13 might typically be distinguished by a higher fare This helps solidify the date of the move at about 1892 “Charles Hardy Story” McCormick, Gail J., Our Proud Past, Gail McCormick Publishing Company, Mulino, OR, 1992, pgs 170, 208, 214 10 1900 Molalla precinct census: David Fox, age 52, married Linie E Herman in 1877 Kids residing with them in Molalla are: Sallie P (Mrs George Dart) Fox age 20 and John F.I Fox, age 18 At this time, three other grown children no longer resided with David and Linie Fox in 1900 These included: Mary Etta, age 21, Grace Fox Perry, Luther B Fox, who married Olive Moore (daughter of Robert Moore and Jane L Kayler) Carrie V Fox (Hobart) is not listed in the 1900 census She was 14 at the time It is unknown why she is not listed because she was the youngest child Perhaps the census taker was mistaken or perhaps she was visiting elsewhere at the time There are few restrictions on Clackamas County Historic Landmark properties When alteration, demolition or property division is proposed, the Historic Landmarks Ordinance directs the procedures followed by the Historic Review Board However, many historic buildings simply deteriorate into the landscape for lack of care and maintenance Having lost their usefulness to property owners, their maintenance and rehabilitation is superseded by other economic concerns During the 2007 SHPO survey database updating process, a field visit revealed that a portion of the roof of the Fox Granary had collapsed and wind and water were quickening the process of deterioration It was showing severe signs of neglect and decay The log walls were approximately fifty percent salvageable with one corner structurally unstable If this log building wasn’t unique; unlike any other known examples of early log buildings in Oregon, it could have been allowed to rest in peace But, because of the extraordinary craftsmanship of this building, it has received special attention Even though its origins were unknown, the building was important for preservation because of its unusual and highly crafted architecture As a result of two ‘outreach efforts’ focusing on barns in Clackamas County, a 2007 government cable TV video program and subsequently a bike tour of barns in the Molalla area in 2008, there came a heightened awareness about the plight of this log building with local residents A concerned citizen called the property owner to ascertain its fate Because the property owners no longer wanted the building on their property, they donated it along with $500 to the Molalla Area Historical Society Gregg Olson, Historic Building Repair, was contacted by Pam Hayden, historic preservation specialist working for Clackamas County at the time, for an assessment of the condition of the building and his opinion about its architectural significance Gregg’s opinion was swift The building exhibits significant craftsmanship, worthy of saving, and it should be not be exposed to the elements of another Oregon winter Gregg made the recommendation to proceed with the dismantling of the building due to the fact that the deteriorated building could not withstand another winter The southeast corner was unstable where most of the logs were rotten to the point that only the skin of each was reliable The building could not be rehabilitated in place because there were deteriorated logs on every elevation that could not be worked on unless the building was taken apart and the logs removed for the work The building had been disassembled before and moved from its original site to the Wildcat site already Therefore a decision was made to once again disassemble the structure to save the log pieces from the weather and repair them separately The SHPO office was contacted and an opinion given that if the building were carefully marked, disassembly would not affect eligibility for the National Register 11 A public hearing and process for dismantling the building was commenced with the Clackamas County Historic Review Board and the State Historic Preservation Office Permission was granted to document and dismantle the building and store it in a safe and dry environment At the same time, the Clackamas County Parks Department and the Molalla Area Historical Society discussed the possibility of reassembling the building at Wilhoit Springs County Park, also on Rock Creek, and just two miles south of the Wildcat site This possibility remains open Wilhoit Springs Park has a beautiful setting with a natural soda springs It was 11 Chrissy Curran was contacted in person in July 2008 and asked about National Register eligibility of both the Fox Granary and Parrott House She was not encouraging about either (both were being moved) but said that disassembling for repair would not affect eligibility historically used as a spa and resort at the turn of the twentieth century, with no remnant structures related to that period Phase One - 2008 The Kinsman Foundation awarded to the Molalla Area Historical Society a $10,000 grant to dismantle, document and transport the log building to a storage barn Pam Hayden wrote the grant on behalf of the MAHS and coordinated the project efforts Gregg Olson led the work effort and determined how to carefully handle the fragile building during the dismantling process In the fall of 2008, over several weekends, about 30 interested volunteers, under the careful supervision of Gregg Olson, helped to dismantle the log building, load it on flat bed trucks and transport the logs for storage The building was carefully documented through photographs and video A labeling system was devised using plastic tags secured with shingle nails.12 As the building was disassembled it was discovered that the condition of even the best elevation was less than anticipated Many of the pieces on the worse sides would not support their own weight and the crew quickly learned to work together to get these pieces to storage without damaging them The many gentle hands worked surprisingly well in managing transport, better than could have been done by expensive machinery Each log was lowered by hand, teamwork and considerable muscle power the ‘old fashioned way’ They were then hoisted onto large flat bed trailers and hauled to a nearby secure and unused barn donated for that purpose The logs were carefully stacked for storage out of the weather During the disassembly, interior layers were completely removed revealing the patina of the logs on the south side, which had been covered in horizontal wood in 1892 and tarpaper with vertical wood in 1928 The south elevation had reused metal roofing nailed against it on the outside near the bottom to stabilize the logs, which were likely deteriorating These layers on both sides trapped water from the collapsing roof which caused the lower logs to become completely rotten, except for the exterior skin where the water was able to escape This phenomenon left approximately an inch of salvageable wood on the exterior, which includes the exterior patina It was understood that plans for rehabilitation would need to include hewing new logs to replace the unusable deteriorated logs The plans included salvage and reuse of patina but all the materials were moved to storage The process was documented by Clackamas County Cable TV and others This first phase also included the assessment of the logs by Gregg Olson and Rich Isberg, a finish carpenter, to determine which ones needed to be replaced or restored In depth historic research was commenced Phase Two -2009-2010 In 2009 a funding request was made for Phase II of this project, on behalf of the Molalla Area Historical Society The Kinsman Foundation awarded $32,000 to fell trees and hew new logs to replace badly deteriorated logs Douglas fir trees near the Wildcat site, donated by Dian Reed, were felled in the fall, winter and spring of 2009/ 2010 Gregg Olson and Rich Isberg hewed new logs, using traditional tools and methods used by the original builders The work was 12 The system uses colors for elevations, North- blue, South- black, East-green and West- red The numbering commences at the top because the bottom is often unknown and the tags are placed at the north or east end depending on the elevation strenuous and methodical Careful measurement consideration and a high level of craftsmanship were critical for accurate architectural reconstruction The logs that could be patched were dry The new material would need to be dry for gluing All of the pieces that needed curing were made in this phase so the years of drying could begin The work proceeded surprisingly quickly and all the pieces that were needed were found and hewn The ease of the hewing resulted from the log dimension being six by eight inches The sizes dictated were especially easy to create because the hewing focused on sapwood, and the resulting pieces were light and fairly easy to handle These were cured in the forest and kept out of the direct sun, making them lighter before moving Gregg Olson and Rich Isberg hewed new logs, using traditional tools and methods The work was strenuous and methodical Each new log was made to replace or patch a particular original log During this phase a shop building with electricity for heat and light and a pulley to move the logs, was rented for $500 a month Six pieces were hewn on one side and taken to the mill to saw the other three sides to make patches The presentation plan proposed will have the building on the south side appear original on the outside and new on the inside, with possible odd glue lines showing in some of the outside corners The presentation plan includes having the fewest possible patched lines to be of minimal distraction A comparative study of log end erosion of the Molalla Log House was made with other known log buildings in Oregon A study of dendrochronology was commenced, comparing several old growth stumps with the tree rings of the hewn-logs of the Molalla Log House Late in 2010, the project needed the capacity of a larger non-profit organization to act as the fiscal sponsor The Molalla Area Historical Society is a small organization and tax problems were feared should they continue to apply for project funding The Historic Preservation League of Oregon agreed to serve as the fiscal agent for the project, and a grant application to Kinsman Foundation was made for Phase Three New Hewn Logs Phase Three - 2011 A grant for $28,400 was funded by the Kinsman Foundation for this phase of the work Funds included shop rental through 2011 The work in this phase commenced with the writing the Draft Treatise to document the work accomplished to date and to share knowledge about what we know about this unique log building Many experts were contacted and spent considerable time to read the Draft Treatise These professors in preservation and history, 10 architectural historians and historic archeologists have offered valuable suggestions about every aspect of the project These suggestions have been followed to the extent that is possible During Phase Three, dendrochronology work continued with comparative tree ring growth analysis in an attempt to establish an original building date Old growth Douglas fir trees and stumps found at similar elevations and growing environments to the south Molalla prairie were bored and analyzed A spread sheet outlining these results is included in this Treatise During this phase, all of the logs from the Molalla Log House-Fox Granary were taken to one storage facility in the Aurora area for safe keeping out of the weather and to begin rehabilitation work The new hewn-logs were also taken to the shop for patchwork Rehabilitation work was planned on the north and south elevations as per the submitted work plan for grant funding Work during this phase was limited to the areas of consensus by the advisors The dendrochronology work, which was emphasized, needed additional historic samples from the Molalla Log House for comparison Closing the rather recent window in the north elevation is a source of those samples The advisors all agreed to filling in this aperture Work during this phase included developing a machine to facilitate the splicing and in the process to recover fragile dendrochronological samples Four other logs have been repaired which were fragile and the information contained on them was critical to retain Theses logs are the top logs of the ends of the structure, the North and South elevations which hold all the information about the end sheds Two full length logs of the east elevation were worthy of repair because of their length and they will likely be two of three logs above the door on this elevation, which will be original in the final presentation The South elevation was much more deteriorated and even had inadequate repairs with sawn material in 1892 However, on this elevation there was no design change during the building’s life and so there was no architectural doubt to limit proceeding The stated work plan suggested that new material be worked into the elevation, keeping every reasonable piece of historic fabric This work goes beyond the recommended splicing and patching in the Secretary of Interior Standards, in that some original material was to have been patched onto new logs This was deemed appropriate because of the historic significance of this unique building This part of the plan was considered by several advisors to be controversial because of issues of integrity In addition some of the logs had patina on both sides of internally rotten logs Gregg had proposed that in these cases, the exterior be sliced off and the interior patina, which had no structural integrity, be slid off onto a new plywood board In this way, the rotten interior patina would be preserved for future study and the exterior patina could be patched onto a new log If warranted and wanted in the future, the plywood board supporting the rotten fabric could then have sides attached and the new box containing the rot could be filled with a consolidator, which would stabilize the patina for the long term The advisors’ caution made it clear that this fascinating patina, which was not considered important to the architectural advisors, might be important to a future conservator of a museum How to display the patina might well include both sides of the log and therefore the work on the lower logs of the south elevation has been postponed until more discussion is developed as to the use of the building Extensive historic research has been ongoing and has been conducted on a volunteer basis, primarily by Pam Hayden in tandem with Gregg Olson’s work with dating the logs and handling and interpreting the building Numerous additional papers, publications and books have been read and reread Communication has been made with other historians specializing in 11 Russian American history Although the theory about this building can not be refuted through historic research, it remains to be proved Site visits were conducted as recommended by expert advisers The attempt was to locate any above ground evidence of a building site No evidence has yet been found for the original building site on the south side of Rock Creek It is believed that the field and ditch on the south side of Rock Creek may have been connected with an original farm site associated with the Molalla Log House The north side of the creek will be explored further This exploration is a precursor to any recommendation about whether it is advisable to pursue archeological test grids in areas most likely to have been a possible building site Phase Four Winter-Fall 2012 The Kinsman Foundation has shown continued financial support for this project to rehabilitate the Molalla Log House–Fox Granary A total of $39,000 was awarded for Phase Four primarily for rehabilitation and patch work to stabilize the logs for restacking in the future, as well as for 12 months of continued shop rental Meetings will be scheduled during this phase to assemble experts in a forum for discussion and decision making about future phases of this project to include archeology and the long term site location, stewardship and interpretation of the Molalla Log House-Fox Granary 12 ... hearing and process for dismantling the building was commenced with the Clackamas County Historic Review Board and the State Historic Preservation Office Permission was granted to document and dismantle... Clackamas County Historic Landmark properties When alteration, demolition or property division is proposed, the Historic Landmarks Ordinance directs the procedures followed by the Historic Review... Area Historical Society a $10,000 grant to dismantle, document and transport the log building to a storage barn Pam Hayden wrote the grant on behalf of the MAHS and coordinated the project efforts