For National Preservation Month the Friends of Historic Albany (FOHA) and the Albany Regional Museum have partnered to present a Virtual History Bites on Albany’s Cast-iron Storefronts & Foundries. Bernadette Niederer, FOHA board member, will be discussing the development of cast-iron foundries in Oregon during the 1800’s. She will discuss the two foundries from Albany, Cherry & Parkes Albany Iron Works and the Albany Iron Works, with the greatest number of identifiable buildings in Oregon.

The presentation is free and will be streamed on Facebook Live at noon on May 12. It will be recorded for the Albany Regional Museum YouTube channel and website.

Our presenter Bernadette completed a Masters in Historic Preservation at the University of Oregon. Her thesis was Oregon’s Cast-Iron Storefronts. Bernadette works as a preservation consultant at Historic Preservation Northwest and recently joined the board of FOHA.

FOHA was founded in 1981, around the time Albany’s historic districts were created. The group petered out in 1999, only to be reestablished in January 2019 due to development pressures on our threatened historic resources here in Albany. Our mission is to support Albany’s historic resources through advocacy and education. To learn more about FOHA visit: https://friendsofhistoricalbany.wordpress.com/about/