John Phillips House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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John Phillips House
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| Location | 6565 Spring Valley Rd. NW Salem, Oregon |
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| Nearest city | Salem, Oregon |
| Built | 1853 |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival/Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 76001588 |
| Added to NRHP | March 15, 1976 |
The John Phillips House is a very old home built in 1853. It's located in the Spring Valley area of Polk County, Oregon, in the United States. This house is a great example of a style called Greek Revival.
It was built for a brave pioneer named John Phillips. He traveled all the way to Oregon in 1845. His journey was part of the famous Oregon Trail, and he even took a difficult shortcut called the Meek Cutoff. This shortcut was part of Stephen Meek's "lost wagon train" adventure.
The Phillips Family Home
John Phillips was born in 1814 in Wiltshire, England. He moved to the U.S. in 1834 and first lived in Florida. Later, he lived in New Orleans, where he married Elizabeth Hibbard in 1839. They also lived in St. Louis.
In 1845, John Phillips arrived in Oregon. He bought a piece of land in Polk County for $100. This land was known as the Turner donation land claim. The area where his home was built was once called Spring Valley Ranch.
Building the House
John Phillips hired a skilled carpenter named Samuel Coad to build his new home. The house is a story and a half tall and has horizontal wood siding.
Samuel Coad was an important person in the area. He served in the Cayuse War in 1855. He also helped build structures at Fort Hoskins. One of these buildings was ordered by Lieutenant Philip Sheridan, who later became a famous general. This building was moved near Pedee and is now being restored at Fort Hoskins.
Samuel Coad married Henrietta, the daughter of General Cornelius Gilliam, in 1853. Coad also built a woolen mill in a place called Ellendale.
A Lasting Legacy
As of 1980, the John Phillips House was the oldest home in Polk County. What's even more amazing is that it was still owned by the Phillips family!
The house has a mailing address in Salem, but it's actually closer to a small community called Zena. Zena is about a mile southwest of the house. John Phillips himself is buried in the Zena Cemetery, which is located at the Spring Valley Presbyterian Church.
Images for kids
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Three-quarter view of house showing the Eola Hills rising behind it
