Past Grantees - Community History
The Foundation’s funding helped the Museum of Ventura County research, create and disseminate a scholarly journal, titled Bootleggers, Rumrunners, and Blind-Piggers: Prohibition in Ventura County. The Journal tells the story of the impact of Prohibition on Ventura County residents. The journal complemented the Museum’s major history exhibit All That Glitters is not Gold, which grew out of the same historical research into the county’s history during the 1920’s.
Eugene Debbs Potts Foundation: Pottsville is home to thousands of items commemorating Oregon's history, and the Eugene Debbs Potts Foundation is dedicated to preserving and making improvements to the historical Pottsville pioneer town and museum. The Schwemm Family Foundation supported the purchase and installation of 43 all-weather historical signs for the EDPF’s outdoor and indoor displays. These historical informational signs provide visitors with the opportunity to "take a walk through history" and learn about the fascinating history of Pottsville.
Preserving historic films is critical for the long-term protection of historical documentation. The SFF supported the Museum of Ventura County in their efforts to digitize the film archive of Herman Keene, a Ventura County landowner who documented backcountry life and in particular the abundant wildlife resources present in the early part of the last century. These films are now available to the public on the museum website.
The Takelma people lived in the Rogue Valley of southern Oregon when they were met by Euroamericans in the mid-1850s and mostly sent to reservations. The SFF helped fund the production of a beautifully-illustrated book entitled “Upriver to Morning”, written by Tish McFadden and based on the teachings of Takelma elder Agnes Baker Pilgrim. The project also included an audiobook, songs, and curriculum content.
Fort Umpqua, near Elkton, Oregon, was the southernmost site established by the Hudson’s Bay Company around 1832. The current buildings are replicas constructed by volunteers from original designs, and volunteers provide many tours and participate in living history demonstrations. The SFF has partnered with the Elkton Community Education Center to create new signs and develop additional walking path and interpretive materials.
The French Prairie region of central Oregon includes a rich history of Native American, Canadian, and European experiences. The SFF funded the St. Paul Mission Historical Society to develop a digital collection of writings, photographs, and other records of family histories in the region during the 1800s. This project digitally preserved these items, and the collection is now available for public search on the SPMHS website.
Lord & Schryver Conservancy undertook a project documenting the incredible careers of landscape architects Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver. These landscape architects worked in Oregon from 1929 - 1969 and designed over 200 gardens throughout the region. With help from the Schwemm Family Foundation, the Conservancy created a digital map (link) where visitors can explore the designs, locations, and rich history behind their gardens.
Friends of Historic Butteville (FOHB) is an organization dedicated to the preservation, documentation, and presentation of the history of this town, which sits alongside the Willamette River in northern Oregon. Butteville was once a major loading point for agriculture being shipped into Portland, and today, one of FOHB’s main projects is to restore the historic Butteville Landing so that the general public will once again have access to this portion of the river. A grant from the Schwemm Family Foundation has helped support this work, which will provide visitors with areas to picnic, learn about the history and Butteville, and dock their kayak or small boat along the Willamette River, all at no charge.
The Wolf Creek Community Alliance works to protect the natural and cultural history of the Wolf Creek Watershed in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. For this project the Schwemm Family Foundation supported the design and construction of two interpretive panels that were placed along a public stretch of the creek. The signs describe the geography of the watershed as well as the history of the Nisenan tribe, whose ancestors occupied the region for thousands of years prior to the Gold Rush era. Displaying signage at this well-traveled location will help more people understand the history and culture of the watershed.