Albina House History Workshop

Have you ever wondered who built your house or lived in it before you? Are you curious about how your neighborhood has changed over the decades? If so, then please join us for our Albina House History Research Workshop on August 12 and learn new research skills while also potentially helping to document and preserve Albina’s historic resources!

As part of the Albina Preservation Initiative, in hopes of documenting previously unrecorded Black history in Portland’s Albina neighborhoods, Restore Oregon, the Architectural Heritage Center, and Moreland Resource Consulting are teaming up to offer this one-day house history research workshop.

Scholarships Available!

Anyone is welcome to attend to learn the basics of historic house research. We are offering a limited number of scholarships to Albina residents (current or former) and students, allowing them to attend free of charge ($50 value.)

Special consideration will be given to anyone willing to assist the Albina Preservation Initiative with researching house history in the Albina neighborhoods of Portland. In return for agreeing to research one house and share your findings with our team, you can attend the workshop free of charge by filling out this form.

Research conducted as a result of this process will augment other research into Albina’s historically and culturally significant resources being conducted by Kimberly Moreland of Moreland Resource Consulting. We expect that much of what will be uncovered as a result of

Ms. Moreland’s work, as well as the fruits of this workshop offering, will be included in a future digital StoryMap exhibit hosted online by Oregon Black Pioneers.

Albina House History Workshop Agenda

Morning Session from 10 am - Noon

• Introduction by Val Ballestrem - Education Manager for the Architectural Heritage Center, and historian Kim Moreland of Moreland Resource Consulting, discussing the goals of the Albina Preservation Initiative and how this workshop will help augment the research being conducted in Albina as part of the Albina Preservation Initiative.
• Overview of some of the steps necessary to uncover the history of most buildings in the Portland area, including online sources, local archives and libraries.
• Assistance with getting started on your research project using several helpful and freely accessible web resources.
• Discussion of old versus new Portland addresses and researching permits
• Sharing of a variety of helpful print and online map resources that can help illustrate how historic properties, neighborhoods and the city have changed over time.

Afternoon Session from 1 pm - 3pm

• Delve into a a variety of newspaper research options, city directories, and census records.
• Explore useful secondary resources like house plan catalogs.
• Learn how you can share the results of your research into historic Albina buildings with the Albina Preservation Initiative team.