Southern Oregon Historical Society

10/20/2026

The Southern Oregon Historical Society is preserving the Medford Mail Tribune’s archives, keeping more than a century of local reporting after the newspaper closed in 2023.

The collection reaches beyond published stories. Research files, reporter correspondence, photographs and an in-house reference library document how journalists covered Southern Oregon and the work behind what readers saw in print.

READ MORE or listen to the story at JPR Underground History. URL in the comments. 📻🎙

10/14/2026

**Happy National Ask an Archivist Day!** 📜🔎

October 14 is National Ask an Archivist Day! Have a question about Southern Oregon history? Our archivist is here to help you uncover the past! Stop by the Southern Oregon Historical Society's Research Library and Archives or submit your question through our website at **sohs.org**. Whether you're researching local history or just curious about the past, we'd love to hear from you!

10/11/2026

As It Was! "When the wind blew from the southwest and the clouds scudded across a new moon, she screamed!"

SOHS and Jefferson Public Radio volunteers wrote over 3000 "As It Was" stories that were produced by JPR and presented five days a week over many years . Read the full text of this story by SOHS volunteer Alice Mullaly, or listen to the JPR audio version. https://research.sohs.org/node/14227

10/08/2026

Don't miss out! Tickets sell quickly!

Attention history-loving ghosts, goblins, and ghouls: tickets are now LIVE for this year's Hanley Halloween Prowl! Join us on the evening of Saturday, October 24th for a family-friendly lantern-lit adventure walk where you will encounter benevolent spirits teaching about about jack-o-lanterns, bats, owls, and other Halloween friends and traditions. At the end of your prowl, grab a hot chocolate or apple c***r from the concession stand and join us for a campfire circle singalong with tunes from Halloweens past.

Timed tours leave every 15 minutes from 4:30 until 7:30 PM. This is a ticketed event ($5 per person), and you must reserve your spot online in advance. We sold out last year, so don't delay! Tickets and more information available here: https://app.gopassage.com/events/halloween-history-prowl

10/05/2026

Step back in time with Windows in Time: Our Story: The Barter Fair, exploring the history of Southern Oregon’s Barter Fair, which began in 1978 as a small harvest-time gathering in Williams and grew into a major three-day festival attracting thousands. Three early participants, Jessie Spero, Maya Reames, and Michelle Scherer, will share their memories from the Fair’s years through the 1990s. Join us October 7 at the Medford Library or October 14 at the Ashland Library, noon–1 p.m.

09/26/2026

Come visit the SOHS table at today’s Books and Brews Nostalgic Book Fair at ScienceWorks Museum in Ashland! We have a selection of new and old titles on sale at excellent prices. Get your latest local history read, pick up a fun sticker, and peruse old photographs, all while supporting SOHS!

09/24/2026

GIVE AWAY EXTENDED! Come on down to the Southern Oregon Historical Society at 106 N Central, Medford, today and next week to pick up a piece of Medford history! September 24, 28-30, and Oct 1-2, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM! Don't miss out! Supply is limited! 📰 🗞

09/23/2026

Preserving the Details of the Past

What does it take to care for a historic textile? Careful handling, attention to detail, and a little detective work.

In this photo, SOHS volunteer Tylar Penney is working on the inventory and cataloging of the Society’s extensive textiles collection. She is examining petticoat 1987.1.2730, a garment with very little known history. We do know that it was manufactured by “Mar-Lo Lingerie” and dates to sometime between the 1950s and 1960s.

As part of the cataloging process, Tylar is carefully examining the textile to help identify its fabric. For this work, she uses freshly washed, bare hands. Nitrile gloves are recommended for the general handling of textiles.

Every artifact has a story, even when much of that story has yet to be discovered. Through the careful work of volunteers like Tylar, these objects can be documented and preserved for the future.

📷 Photo courtesy of Gayle Lewis.

09/21/2026

Starting today at 9:00 AM, Southern Oregon Historical Society, 106 N Central, Medford!

05/27/2026

Windows in Time: The History and Evolution of the Mt. Ashland Ski Area

MEDFORD: 06/03/2026, 12:00pm - 1:00pm
ASHLAND: 06/10/2026, 12:00pm - 1:00pm

The Mt. Ashland Ski Area, which encompasses over 240 acres of national forestland, is situated on and near the summit of Oregon’s highest peak west of the Cascade Range. Started largely by local ski enthusiasts, the ski area has been an important community and regional asset since the early 1960s. With five lifts, forty-four ski runs, and a ski lodge, the area operates under a U.S. Forest Service special-use permit and draws skiers and boarders primarily from southwestern Oregon and northern California. The area is managed as a non-profit by the all-volunteer Mt. Ashland Association Board of Directors. Mt. Ashland Association recently initiated year-round activities, including weddings, summer day camps for kids, concerts, disc golf, and business meetings. Join us to learn more about the history of this beloved destination of our region.

Presenter Blair Moody retired after 38 years of practicing forestry in both private industry and government land management agencies in Northern Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Southern Oregon. Blair has served on the Board of Directors for Mt. Ashland for 26 years, is a past President, and currently is the Chair of the Development Committee.

The monthly Windows in Time lunchtime lectures feature well-known writers and historians and bring alive the people, values, and events that shaped our Southern Oregon heritage. Lectures are jointly sponsored by the Southern Oregon Historical Society (SOHS) and Jackson County Library Services. Programs are presented in Medford (first Wednesdays) and again in Ashland (second Wednesdays). Recordings of Medford presentations are available on the JCLS Beyond YouTube channel.