Springtime updates at Perkins Houses

Spring has been a long time coming this year, which has put everything at the Perkins House into a rush. This year’s annual Ice Cream Social will again be on the last Sunday in June, the 25th, from 1 to 4 p.m.

After a one-year absence, the Snake River Six band will return. Loretta Paulson is in charge of foods to be offered. There will be Ferdinand’s ice cream to go along with the homemade pies and hamburger lunch.

In continuing to create a small “heritage” orchard, Dave Benscoter of the “Lost Apple Project” will be on hand to add two new trees this year. At 2 p.m., a “Palouse” apple will be dedicated in honor of Ken Vogel, former president of the Whitman County Historical Society who died last year. Vogel was a long-time supporter of the society. The hope is to plant the new addition within the flower bed dedicated to Vogel’s wife, Sally, for her many years of work to the Perkins House yard.

Friends from the Colton School District where she was a teacher will collectively present a plaque that will be added near the tree.

Volunteer help is still needed to ready the yard for the social, as well as the rest of the summer season. Staff can be contacted in regard to volunteering.

In the coming weeks, three more trees will be coming down at Perkins House. The dying horse chestnut tree on the east side of the yard has long needed to be removed. The Mountain Ash tree currently standing in Sally’s flower bed is diseased and will be taken down as well. Lastly, the Black Walnut next to the front walk will be removed. If no internal damage is found, the Black Walnut wood will be sold.

Iris bulbs, daylilies and daffodils are available for adoption along with snow on the mountain. If interested in collecting these, make an appointment to dig up the bulbs by calling or e-mailing the Perkins House. The reason behind the flower removal is to allow for the addition of plants that would have been surrounding a Victorian home in the late 1800s through the early 1900s.

At that time, there were no local drug stores, so what was used were a lot of herbal remedies. Mr. and Mrs. Perkins had a larger number of fruit trees and bushes. They would have had raspberries, gooseberries and currants, to name a few. They would have grown broom corn, pumpkins, turnips and onions, along with many of their own spices. It is also hoped to add some native plants, such as Indian Paint Brush and Camas root.

Hannah Strong has been named clothing/textiles coordinator for the Perkins collection. She has a keen interest in clothing from the late Victorian era through the early 20th century. She has been going through the large clothing collection, inventorying and dividing it by era, gender and age. She is taking careful note of the condition of each piece and properly storing the pieces by either hanging them on newly padded hangers or folding them in special paper for storage. Strong hopes to offer special shows highlighting wedding dresses through the years as a start. She is married to Ben Strong, math teacher in the Oakesdale School District.

In addition to Strong, Nancy Rothwell has joined the staff as a docent for the house, cabin and grounds. She and companion Jim dress in Victorian costume and have a reproduction row boat that they take to local functions.

In other news for the Perkins House, there has been an addition of an online tour of the house and cabin on the Whitman County Historical Society website. National award-winning photographer Bruce Ikenberry of Lacey visited the house last summer during one of the First Thursday celebrations. He was fascinated with the house and cabin and enjoys taking photos of various architectural elements which he made available to the WCHS at a minimal cost.

Valoree Gregory, Colfax unified executive director, has her office in the Perkins House, and that leads to an influx of visitors. More visitors means more donations, but even with this there is still a large gap in funds to care for the house. After many years of lacking regular care, both the foundation of the house and roof are now in need of real care. In 131 years, the house has settled in such a way that floors are slanting, doors do not close and the roof has been leaking. Without care, these problems will only become more profound.

Contractors have been called in to give estimates for the required work. The state has been contacted regarding any funds that could be used for both repairs. Like many other departments, funds for the care and upkeep of nationally registered historic sites have been cut. Other sources for funding are being explored.

In an effort to make the house more available to the public, non-profit groups looking for a place to hold meetings will be able to reserve the house for groups of 30 or less at no cost. Several groups including the Colfax Rotary have been using the house.

Contact Dale if interested in using the house or removing bulbs. She can be reached at perkinscoordinator@gmail.com or 509-397-2555