Historic Hood River
Masonic Hall, 1940
3-17-2015
Notes
When Albert Reed visited Hood River in 1940 he took this shot of his law office of several decades earlier. His office had become the Hood River Variety Store, and they were having a sale on Mazda light bulbs. Now this is the offices of “Downtown Chiropractic.”
Longshot
I see the Freemason Symbol on the banner and the Cross and Crown, what are the others?
L.E.
An add in a February 1915 Hood River Glacier places the law office of Louis A.Reed, Albert P Reed and L.A. Henderson as "Two Doors North of Post Office".
Where was the post office?
Arthur
L.E., that’s easy– the post office was two doors south of their office! You can see it in image #4 (https://www.hoodriverhistorymuseum.org?showimage=4) at the corner of 2nd and State.
rwf
The Post office on 2nd had a "walk up service" window which is still there today.
Ellen
Recently took a picture of that colorful sign. Did not know it was original and that it had been there so long. Would also like to know what the symbols mean. Anyone?
L.E.
Arthur, is there any chance you can add the "Google view of today"?
I took a look and it is very interesting.
I was able to "count the doors".
You have been showing us updated buildings and this one has been updated beautifully. I could also see the "pay window".
Arthur
Good idea– I’ve embedded the Google street view.
Jeffrey Bryant
The Hood River Glacier, September 24, 1908
Perambulations of Local Postoffice
From Geo. T. Prather, secretary of the Hood River Pioneer Historical Association some interesting information in regard to the Hood River postoffice and its postmasters is obtained. The first postmaster at Hood River is said to have been James M. Benson who established the first postoffice here in 1859 and conducted it on what is now the Button place which he then owned. Succeeding him Chas. Coe became postmaster and moved the office to the Coe place, a short distance west of town. Henry Coe succeeded Charlie Coe and after him the office was taken by W. P. Watson, Gaines Adams, Mrs. O. l. Stranahan, R. J. Rogers, Geo. T. Prather, Mrs. Jennie Champlain, L. E. Morse and Wm. Yates.
In addition to the locations already mentioned, the postoffice here has been on the Adams place, on the hill about where Gill’s store is now located in the building, now at the corner of First and Oak streets owned by the Oregon Lumber Co. From there it was moved to the building now occupied by Carl Ross. The next change took it back to where the Eliot building now stands, but as the succeeding postmaster evidently thought variety was the spice of life he hopped it across the street to the Brosius building. In order to keep up the game of postoffice, where is the postoffice, from the Brosius building it was moved down to the Prather building, corner of First and Oak, by Mrs. Champlin. However, as it had no quite made the rounds of town, it was brought by the next postmaster back up the street to where Cram’s store is now. Before deciding finally, however, to quit perambulating for awhile the office was moved to the building now occupied as an office by John Leland Henderson and later was slipped around he corner to the Masonic block.
Jann Halstead
For the car nuts in Hood River: The car on the left is a 1936 Plymouth P2; the car on the right is a 1939 Chevrolet Master Deluxe. I cannot determine the year or make of the car to the left of the Plymouth.