Actually, you go a little bit on Route 212 also.
These three stops are within 12 miles of each other, with a pretty easy route.
Despite that, they are all very different, in their history and in their current usage.
The Damascus Fiber Arts School started as an elementary school, built in 1876.
At almost 150 years old, it is impressive that it is still in service, and still teaching.
The current focus is on tapestry and weaving.
The other building that is still in regular use is Estacada City Hall, built in 1938.
Like the Municipal Elevator in Oregon City, it was build by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
It originally served as the library and fire station. It now acts as the center of local government.
While both buildings have certainly had updates over the years, they also show pretty sturdy construction and adaptability.
Between Damascus and Estacada is the Philip Foster Farm in Eagle Creek.
This is the oldest of the sites, established in 1847.
While many of the original buildings are intact, the site itself is a historical site, offering tours and field trips.
The farm is especially known for its association with the historic Barlow Road.
Obviously, not all of the buildings are the same age.
One of the houses was built when Barlow lured his daughter and her husband back from Southern Oregon.
The store is a recreation, and the starting place for tours.
While you are supposed to be able to customize your tour, we felt some pressure.
As we were looking at the outbuildings, we were accosted by a woman in historical clothing who told us when the next tour was starting, then insisted we had to pay whether we took the tour or not.
Then, the woman in the store said we did not have to pay to just look around.
We appreciated that, but the rest of our looking went faster because we did not have to deal with the first woman again.
I am sure she puts a lot into the tour-giving experience.
There is still a lot to look at, but you may want to watch out for thespians.
COVID: Mostly outdoors, but of course this depends on your usage.
If you are simply looking at the outside of the city hall and the school, that is one thing. These are working buildings though, with functions and activity inside.
Accessibility: For the two working buildings, getting around outside is easy, and it looks like they might be fine inside too, though we did not test this. (Neither was open when we were there.)
For the farm, things are mostly flat and there is a ramp to get into the store.
However, it is mostly not paved, and there would be activities like sawing and things that may not be accessible for anyone. Since the tours are so customizable, they should be able to answer questions about the options.
https://www.mthoodterritory.com/heritage-trail-map
https://damascusfiberartsschool.org/
https://www.cityofestacada.org/
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