| C.C. Beekman House
Cornelius C. Beekman, Jacksonville's prominent banker, built this large, Gothic style home around 1870 for his wife, Julia, and children, Ben, Carrie, and Lydia. The house features stained glass windows, a steep gabled roof, and two porches. The Beekmans were the only family to occupy this home and their furnishings remain in place for modern day callers. Costumed interpreters take you back in time to meet the Beekmans and learn about early day Jacksonville.
Jackson County Courthouse
False teeth, two quarts of whiskey, and a $20 Confederate bill were among the mementos placed in the cornerstone of the Jackson County Courthouse on June 3, 1883. It took 150,000 bricks and $32,000 to build this Italianate building that symbolized the end of the pioneer age in southern Oregon. After 1927, when county government business moved to Medford, community groups used the courthouse. In 1950, the Jacksonville Museum opened to the public. The museum continues to offer a glimpse into the history of Jacksonville and southern Oregon through changing exhibits and programs.
Jackson County Jail
Children's Museum
Three different Jackson County Jail buildings have stood on the spot next to the courthouse. A miner serving a ten-day sentence in the oldest jail didn't want to leave when he discovered gold in the dirt floor! After three prisoners died in a tragic fire that destroyed the second jail, this building was constructed in 1911. In 1979, the Southern Oregon Historical Society converted the building into the Children's Museum which brings history to life with two floors of hands-on exhibits.
United States Hotel
George Holt, local brick mason and builder, and his wife Jeanne, proprietress of the long-standing Franco American Hotel in Jacksonville, bought the U.S. Hotel site in 1875 with plans to create a grand brick and stone hotel. Five years later the local newspaper gave tribute to Holt's "industry and perseverance" in building "the most aristocratic hotel on this coast." Even while under construction in 1880, this hotel attracted distinguished visitors. A suite of rooms was made expressly for President Rutherford B. Hayes and his party for an overnight stay.
Beekman Bank
34 million dollars in gold passed through the first bank in southern Oregon. Built in 1863, the bank featured a hard sandstone vault including a stone floor to prevent robbers from tunneling underneath. C.C. Beekman bought, stored, and shipped gold, served as the Wells Fargo express agent, sold insurance and school supplies, and dealt in real estate, among other business ventures. When the bank closed in 1912 some loyal depositors refused to withdraw their money! The original furnishings remain on view from front and rear porches.
Catholic Rectory
Originally constructed as a private home in the 1860s, this building was purchased in 1875 by Rev. Francis X. Blanchet at a sheriff's sale. He used it as the parish rectory and library. In following years other pastors lived in the home and a small rear addition and front porch were added. In 1908, the Jacksonville parish became a mission of Medford and the rectory became a private home again. Look through the windows to see furnishings from the Southern Oregon Historical Society's collections.
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