May is National Historic Preservation Month. To celebrate, the Monmouth Historic Commission is sponsoring a Walk Through History event in conjunction with the historic Gentle House at Western Oregon University. The event begins at the Gentle House at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 18, 2014. The Gentle House is located at 855 Monmouth Avenue N.
From the Gentle House, visitors can take a self-guided tour that links all three routes of the Monmouth Historic Walking Tour. Along the tour route, several historic buildings will be open for touring until 4:00 p.m. For those who complete the 1.8 mile walking tour, shuttle buses will return them to the Gentle House
Buildings open for touring include Maple Hall on the WOU campus, the Main Street ballroom - located above Crush Wine Bar, the Howell House, the Eleanor Sherman House, and the Ackerman House. The Howell House and the Eleanor Sherman House are both included on the National Register of Historic Places.
Following the tour at 4:00 p.m. a reception will be held at the Gentle House. The reception will include walks through the Gentle House gardens, refreshments and presentations by Polk Cemetery Savers and Erin Stoddart, Western Oregon University Archivist.
For more information, contact Mark Fancey, Monmouth Community Development Director, at (503) 751-0147.