By Cathy Ingalls, Albany Regional Museum board member & Kay Burt, Museum Member
After a year hiatus, the next Albany Regional Museum-sponsored History Through Headstones Tour is planned for Wednesday, July 28 at Riverside Cemetery.
This is the 11th year for the free event that will run from 7 p.m. to dusk.
The cemetery is on Seventh Avenue S.W., west of Samaritan Albany General Hospital. There is plenty of parking on both sides of the street.
Tourgoers can enter the cemetery through either gate, and a cart will be available for those with health or mobility issues.
“In 2017 we focused on people who were caught up a century ago in the Spanish Flu pandemic and seeing Linn County young men off to fight in World War I in Europe,” said Kay Burt, who is coordinating this year’s tour.
“We thought it would be fun to lighten things up this year by featuring Albany citizens who were beginning to enjoy life again in the Roaring Twenties, much as we are all beginning to do,” she said.
This year, eight people are being featured, including a popular Democrat-Herald newspaper editor and a North Albany-area farmer who was touted as growing the biggest strawberries in Benton County.
Here is a list of those to be honored along with the names of the docents who will talk about each one:
Fred Pike Nutting (1856-1938).
Nutting was born in Guilford, N.Y., and his obituary states that he “led a clean active life and worked hard all the days of his ownership of the old Albany Democrat, and he played hard. During his newspaper career, he took no more than two weeks vacation.”
Presenter will be Hasso Hering, retired editor of the Albany Democrat-Herald and museum member.
John M. Ralston (1856-1930).
Ralston was born in Lebanon to parents who crossed the plains in 1847. After taking a business course in Portland, Ralston operated a mercantile store in Lebanon. Later, he was associated with the Bank of Lebanon and the Linn County Bank, all before working in insurance and real estate and then forming a partnership with W.W. Crawford, who had previously acquired the Ford agency.
Presenter will be Tom Cutsforth, retired owner of the Nissen Ford car dealership and museum member.
William L. Eagles (1878-1968).
Eagles was born in San Francisco and arrived in Albany in 1900 from Baker City. In Albany, he was employed by Julius Joseph, a cigar manufacturer. When Joseph died, Eagles bought the firm and operated it and a cigar store on West First Avenue.
He was an exalted ruler of the Elks and a member of the Knights of Columbus.
Presenter will be Eagles’ grandson Harry Eagles.
Kasper Vandran (1868-1905).
The Vandrans and the Monteith families were well known in the Albany community during its early history. Members of the Vandran family were proprietors of the Depot Hotel and the VanDran Hotel.
When Kasper and Minnie Monteith married, the two families experienced joy, mystery and controversy. The story at the cemetery is about the life and tragic deaths of Kasper and Minnie.
Presenter will be Bill Maddy, retired museum director and museum member.
Fred Veal (1868-1933) and Ida Veal (1872-1964).
The two owned Veal Furniture, which manufactured fine hardwood pieces. The factory moved to Albany from Stayton in 1888. A fire destroyed the buildings at the first Albany location so the company moved to a 5.5-acre site near Main Street and Santiam Road.
Presenter will be retired judge and museum member Dan Murphy.
John J. Barrett (1876-1952).
Barrett was born in Geneva, Ohio. He and his brother W.A. Barrett began Barrett Brothers in 1906, specializing in farm machinery and later adding automotive equipment to their inventory.
John Barrett was appointed county judge in 1935 and was elected in 1936.
Presenter will be Ed Loy, author and museum member.
Leighton E. Blain (1842-1927).
Blain was born in Porter County, Indiana, and after moving to Albany owned Blain Clothing Co., located in the Flinn Block.
He served on the Albany City Council, and when he died he was the oldest former councilor still living.
Presenter will be Debbie Maddy, museum member.
William Fairweather Peacock (1845-1941).
Peacock was born in Arbroth, Scotland, moving to Oregon in 1874. In 1882, he bought 20 acres in north Benton County. He was praised for his fruit and vegetable crops, developing a large variety of horticultural products.
Presenter will be Larry Bardell, museum member.
Riverside Cemetery is comprised of four former cemeteries: Albany Cemetery, Riverside Cemetery, City Cemetery and the Parkview Addition.
The 9.5-acre site contains about 5,000 graves, said Pam Dodson, who along with her husband, Ron, are the cemetery’s sextons.
She said the Riverside Cemetery Association of Albany applied for and received a $3,500 grant to help with the restoration of 26 markers. The project is supported in part by a grant from the Oregon Commission on Historic Cemeteries and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
The cemetery association is contributing $1,000 toward the effort.
Albany resident David Pinyerd of Historic Preservation Northwest will perform the restorations, and he expects to have the work completed by the end of November.
Those wishing more information about the cemetery or the project can contact Pam Dodson at 541-926-7343.
Donations for the cemetery can be sent to the Riverside Cemetery Association of Albany, P.O. Box 687, Albany, OR 97321.