Hanley Farm
Hanley Farm: A True Southern Oregon Landmark
Published in Southern Oregon magazine
By Janet Eastman
TO fully appreciate Hanley Farm near Jacksonville, consider its fascinating history: Michael Hanley was a dreamer from Ohio who was lured west by the 1850s gold rush. He bought the farm that still bears his name in 1857 to shelter and feed his wife, Martha, and eventually their nine children. One of their sons, “Big” Bill Hanley, went on to build an agricultural and cattle empire in Eastern Oregon while his sister, Alice, and three spinster nieces, Mary, Martha and Claire Hanley, spent their lives nurturing the family farm.
When Mary died in the 1980s, the house, all its furnishings and what was left of the original 100-plus-acre property were given to the Southern Oregon Historical Society, which the nieces helped found in 1946. Populating the farm today are volunteer gardeners, caretakers and others dedicated to preserving Southern Oregon’s past.
To start an exploration of Hanley Farm, follow the peacocks to the chicken coop where a sign above the fence says it all: Hands-on History. Visit the original two-story white house, the still-active gardens filled with heritage plants, two weathered barns and a field of antique farm equipment. Then linger at the weeping willow tree, which was carried here by a Pony Express rider and planted by matriarch Martha Hanley in 1860 soon after Oregon became a state. The story goes that the tree lost a branch every time a member of the Hanley family passed away.
After walking to the top of Hanley Butte for a view of the Rogue Valley, wander back down for a self-guided tour. For a more colorful experience, find one of the docents who will share lively tales about the Native Americans who first occupied this site and the pioneering Hanley family who contributed to the area's gold rush lore. Buried boxes of stolen nuggets, girls dancing in dresses padded with ruffled pantalettes and hoops, macho men racing horses for a $2,000 prize when a day’s wage was less than one dollar—these are some of the saucy stories secreted in Hanley Farm's fabled past.
“Big” Bill Hanley said in his 1930 book Feelin’ Fine!” that his father, Michael, was his most important teacher. Michael believed that any problem could be solved by applying knowledge of nature’s ways and a sense of humor.
Big Bill’s nieces, often referred to as “the sisters,” were the driving force behind Jacksonville becoming a National Historic Landmark District in 1966. Their efforts to found the Southern Oregon Historical Society (SOHS ) were prompted in 1946 by their drive to preserve the old Jackson County Courthouse (now the Jacksonville Museum). In 1948, they were instrumental in getting a levy passed that funded SOHS for almost 60 years.
The nieces also took pride in making fruitcake, cookies and sausages rubbed with salt, brown sugar and pepper. “The women of Hanley Farm were farming organically over 100 years ago,” explains Allison Weiss, SOHS’s executive director.
Although aligned with the past, Weiss and the SOHS team present programs at the farm that spotlight many of today's interests. This year, the society has asked the staff of ScienceWorks Hands-on Museum in Ashland to create hands-in-the-soil activities that teach elementary students about farming and agriculture.
On April 17, Dutch-oven cooking instructor Will McLaughlin of That’s Good Cooking! school in Jacksonville will present a cowboy-cooking workshop at Hanley Farm. In May, the farm will host a barnyard dance and a native plant sale. In June, there will be a benefit concert celebrating the release of Historian Margaret LaPlante’s new book "Jacksonville” with a performance by Christina Duane, who writes and sings songs about Oregon’s history. In July, plan for a handcrafted and antique toy fair. August will feature a special Sunday afternoon picnic. In September, THRIVE will sponsor the annual Eat Local event here at the farm, showcasing foods, drinks and specialty items grown and made by local producers and farmers. In October, plan for get spooked by the Haunted Hanley Farm tour in partnership with Randall Theatre Company of Medford.
Now through fall, the Southern Oregon Draft and Harness Association will be onsite planting and harvesting red spring wheat, which is milled at Butte Creek Mill in Eagle Point and sold as Hanley Farm Horsepower Flour.
The historical society, which owns the farm and six other historic properties, has struggled financially since losing all county funding in 2007; economic woes continued last year, when SOHS lost its main tenant at the History Center in downtown Medford. To raise money for the society, the farm sells flour, produce, heritage plants and Christmas trees. In the Mercantile Store, there are packs of cards that contain the Hanley sisters’ recipes for rhubarb bread, crabapple jelly and old Jacksonville white cake.
Entrance fees to special events start at five dollars with discounts for SOHS members, with food and drinks sold separately. On non-event days, admission is free. “The farm is open to the public for picnics and to enjoy the serenity of the property,” says Weiss.
Set a snack out on a picnic table shaded by a wooden band shell. Or spread your blanket near heritage apple trees, a Dawn Redwood (extinct in Oregon for millions of years until a seed was brought here from China) or Hanley Farm's landmark water tower.
Hanley Farm
1053 Hanley Road (Highway 238)
Between Jacksonville and Central Point
541-773-2675