The Cornucopia Jailhouse in Baker County is among Oregon’s latest entries in the National Register of Historic Places. The Cornucopia Jailhouse was originally built around 1885 at the former Allentown site, upslope from Pine Valley, to meet the community’s need to establish and maintain general law-and-order in the quickly-growing gold-mining boom town. Along with Allentown’s residents and buildings, the rustic two-story wood-frame Jailhouse moved upslope and closer to the most productive mines to Cornucopia in 1889. While Cornucopia was not as lawless as many other notorious frontier communities, the Jailhouse was an important institution that fostered stability in a town with numerous saloons and bordellos, and served as a temporary holding place for disorderly citizens and criminals waiting for trial. As the last remaining public building in one of Baker County’s most significant mining communities, the Jailhouse is the key resource representing the history and governance of this former mining community. Oregon’s State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation recommended the building’s nomination at its June 2014 meeting. Thirteen properties in Baker County are now listed in the National Register, which is maintained by the National Park Service under the authority of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. More information about the National Register and recent Oregon lists is online at HYPERLINK oregonheritage.org oregonheritage.org (click on “National Register” at left of page).
Posted on: Mon, 15 Dec 2014 20:21:10 +0000
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