Our 4th of July Visit to McMenamins

McMenamins Edgefield, Troutdale Oregon

Peggy, Sadie, Elijah and Shane ( Photographer)

This past 4th of July, Shane and Sadie asked me if  I
would like to go McMenamins Edgefield Restaurant and
Winery. They said that we would have lunch there and
be able to walk the Vineyard and see a lot of other
interesting things. So, of coarse I said, "YES!" It
sounded like so much more fun than just sitting at home,
as Larry and I had made no special plans.

Well, Edgefield turned out to be so much more than I
could have imagined. It turned out to be a Hotel,
Winery, Brewery, Distillery, Spa, Movie Theater,
Golf courses, Restaurants, Gardens, Gift Shop and
an active 74 acre Farm and so many other things.
We were there for hours and didn't see half of all
there was to be seen and do. There were also two
Weddings taking place while we were there.

Edgefield is on Oregon's National Registry of
Historic Places and just Celebrated it's 103rd
B-Day.  But it has only been owned and operated
by McMinemans since 1993.

It was a very fun and educational place to roam
around. We had lunch in the main lodge and
shopped in their fabulous and large gift shop
then walked the herb and vegetable gardens.
It was a really great day!

BUT later in the week I was to find out that
I have a connection to Edgefield that I never
knew I had. Especially since I had never even
heard of the place before July 4th.

First of all let me say that for two days after
we visited there...I kept hearing the voices of
old men talking. Once I looked to make sure
that I hadn't left the Porch door open or a window.
No, I hadn't. I just shrugged and thought, "well that
was weird". Then the next evening I was loading
the dishwasher and I thought Larry had come in and
turned on the TV and I yelled at him that he had it
up too loudly.  He didn't answer me so I turned
around and looked and he wasn't in the living room
and the TV was off. But still there were those old
men voices again. Weird! I jokingly thought to
myself...maybe one or two of their acclaimed
ghosts had followed me home.  How come it had
to be the Old Ones???  LOL

On Thursday afternoon I talked to my Aunt who
lives in Gresham, she had called while we were
at Edgefield and we had missed each other on
several more phone attempts.  But she asked me
what we did on the Fourth and so I started to tell
her and she said,  "Oh, that is where my dad died
in the 1940's."  I sat on the other end of the phone
stunned and thinking, well if that was your dad, then
that was my Grandfather.  I had never known my grand-
father as he died before I was born.  But my
Aunt went on to tell me that the Edgefield use
to be what they called The Poor Farm or Poor
House and then later it became Egdefield Manor
Nursing Home.

After WW II (1943-1944 U.S. involvement)
people who were down on their luck and came
home mentally, emotionally and physically
crippled could go to Edgefield and work on
the Farm to pay for their room and board and
give them-selves time to heal and mend.
Later in the 1960's it became a State Owned
and operated Nursing Home.

My grandfather had a heart attack that he survived
but it had caused a debilitating stroke.  Once he was
released from the Hospital and sent home...he
had it in his head that my Grandmother was trying
to poison him.  So, he would only let my Mother
who was then a Sophomore in High School care
for him. She almost had a mental breakdown from
the stress of School and the added stresses of coming
home everyday to care for her dad until late into the
night. She finally talked her mom into seeing if  he
could be taken in at The Poor Farm and that is where
he remained until he died.  My mother always felt
guilty though because she found the place so dark
and dingy and depressing every time she went to
visit her dad.  To this day she will barely even
talk about it.  And swears she will never be sent
to a Nursing Home when she is too old to care
for herself.

After my Aunt told me all this about my Grandfather,
I got to thinking how interesting destiny is. I bet
my grandfather in the years he lived there never
thought that in 70 + years his own grand-daughter
(Me) and his Great Grandson (Shane) and his
Great-Great Grandson Elijah would be there
walking those same halls and visiting the
History of EdgeField Poor Farm.  Granted it has
a much more pleasant persona in 2014 but there
are still pictures of some of the people who lived
on The Poor Farm and the Nursing Home...and I
keep wondering if I saw him in one of those pictures...
but I wouldn't have known if I had....as I don't think I
have ever seen a picture of him.

Since my Aunt shared Grandpa's Story with me...
I have no longer heard Old Men's Voices,
in my house or in my head I'm happy to say.
Only my husbands. LOL
I know that my Grandfather died in his 60's in
the late 1940's and he was pretty much not in his
right mind from the stroke he suffered.

They say that there are ghosts in Edgefield and you
can go on the Internet and read stories....but it is on
the Registry of the Top Ten Most Haunted Places in the  U.S.
Which I found interesting. I don't know how I feel
about the whole subject of ghosts... But I feel
like I got to bump into him so to speak through
our visit to Edgefield on the 4th of July. And
I feel a lot closer connection to him because of
having been there and then hearing my Aunt and
Mother's stories and comments about their dad.

It is almost like my family story has come full
circle. And I was happy and intrigued to hear
and see with my own eyes a part of our Families
History. And let me just say that the day turned out
to be a Fourth of July I am not soon to forget!!!