History Talk Lectures

 In the Roaring '20s, Gresham had a reputation for teetotaling - respectable citizens did not drink and seldom danced. Outside city limits, however, the countryside was filled with roadhouses, speakeasies, dance halls, and moonshine stills. Join Podcast Intern Melissa Bevency to learn about Gresham and its surroundings during this tumultuous era in Gresham's history. 

 Public Historian Stephanie Vallance interviews Liz Jones, Joe Breniser, Jennifer Byrne, and Michael Lasfetto - representing four generations of Greshamites - about what it means to grow up in Gresham.  Hear them discuss berry picking, local schools, urban expansion, fun, hardship, and everything in between. Childhood may look very different now from how it did in the 1930s, but perhaps kids though the years have more in common than we might think. 

 In 1902, one event would transform Gresham forever - the introduction of the electric railway. This lifeline to Portland brought about an age of prosperity with increased trade for farmers, more businesses, and better access to arts and high society. Kathleen Williamson presents her research on this important period in Gresham's development. 

Join longtime community journalist and Gresham resident Anne Endicott for an enlightening presentation on Zim's Twelve-Mile Store. Carl and Ada Zimmerman were more than just owners of a neighborhood grocery store. In the 1940s and 50s, Carl's creative marketing became as iconic as the landmark rotating rooftop sign that once marked 12-Mile Corner (223rd and Stark). Using photos and research from the GHS archives, Anne discusses the Zimmermans' incredible legacy and why it remains important today.

 At this event, Public Historian Stephanie Vallance describes the process of writing and launching Voices of Gresham.  This new podcast tells the history of Gresham in the voices of those who have lived it.  This video, taped during the podcast launch party on 6/29/2024, includes a full recording of the first episode, followed by a Q&A with podcast hosts Stephanie Vallance and Melissa Bevency.

Learn how to read the clothing of the past with Rose Caughie, the curator of our current fashion history exhibition: Making and Mending. This talk looks at the history of how Gresham's people presented themselves through their clothing in photographs around the turn of the 20th century. What did these people hope to say about themselves? How did they want to be remembered? Rose answers these questions and more, teaching you how to read clothing like a book.

Presented by Brendan Bender, this lecture spotlights Gresham’s Mt. Hood Festival of Jazz as preserved on professionally shot videotape footage. It discusses the history of the festival, its impact on Gresham, and the invaluable contents of this audiovisual collection. Includes a look at the technical processes behind preserving these surviving videotapes. The lecture concludes with a screening of specially curated footage from the collection, much of which has not been seen by the general public.