This content was published: December 7, 2007. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Lecturer explores Bethany community's past and present
Photos and story by James Hill
The Wednesday, Dec. 19 Crossroads Lecture at the Washington County Museum will feature local historical researcher, writer and author Don Nelson. He will present “The Bethany Community as It Was and Is Today,” which is also the title of his new book. Nelson has lived in Bethany for the past 30 years.
Admission to the 3:30 p.m. Crossroads Lecture is $3 per person and free to WCHS members, employees or corporate members and PCC faculty, students and staff. Parking in Lot A in front of the museum is free with a museum permit. The Washington County Museum is located on the Rock Creek Campus. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, except major holidays.
Nelson and his wife moved to the Bethany area in the mid-1970s. He became fascinated with the area’s history when he heard stories of early day Bethany from his wife’s uncle, whose grandfather was the proprietor of the Bethany general store from the late 1870s until 1900. Nelson began photographing old farmhouses and collecting oral histories and documents of the community’s past, which became the subject of his book.
For the past seven years, Nelson has devoted himself full-time to historical research and writing. His articles have appeared in The Oregonian and the Northwest Examiner. He previously published two books on Portland history and also wrote the captions for a coffee table photo book about Portland.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »