Research Report
4595 Salem-Dallas Hwy | Reason Brunk – Vivian Carr Home
East side view of historic home at 4595 Salem-Dallas Hwy. WPA Collection, ID 20060011405, Oregon State Library.
Westside view of historic home at 4595 Salem-Dallas Hwy. Willamette Valley MLS listing, 2012.
Property Description
Twp 7S, Range 4W, Section 25D, Block 21, Lots 1, 8
Tax Lot #3200
Summary
This home is the oldest remaining structure in the historic town of Cincinnati/Eola and dates to 1856. It stands on Lots 1 and 8 in Block 21 of the original town plat and was a portion of the William Duran donation land claim. The property was purchased by Thomas Riggs in 1855 and passed through a succession of owners until 1886 when it was acquired by Reason and Mary [Timmons] Brunk for their honeymoon cottage. Reason Brunk was the son of Harrison and Emily [Waller] Brunk whose home sits further west along Highway 22 and is owned and operated as a living history site by the Polk County Historical Society. They farmed and raised four children in the Eola area until their deaths in 1933 and 1942 respectively. Reason along with his father and brothers were active members of the Christian Church in Eola, and involved in the economic, social, and politics of Eola. Their farming operations at one time included over a thousand acres and extensive orchards. The Brunks lived in the home at 4595 Salem-Dallas Highway for 8 years before their family outgrew it. They retained possession until 1923 when it was sold to the Carr family.
Henry Carr was a civil engineer turned farmer. His wife Mattie was a mathematician and teacher who taught for over 50 years, primarily at the Oregon College of Education now known as Western Oregon University in Monmouth. Their daughter Vivian inherited the house after their deaths. She was also a teacher by profession. Following her graduation from Willamette University she taught English classes for the Salem Public School system, at Leslie Junior High and later North Salem High School. She is also recognized as a founding member of the Willamette Valley Humane Society. Vivian lived in the home until her death in 1992 and utilized the property as an animal rescue. An additional structure on the property built in the 1880-1890s as an egg-handling house, was used by Vivian to house animals too sick for the humane society, while she nursed them back to health. It is also of interest to note that the original gardens on the property were designed by Salem landscape architects Elizabeth Lord and Edith Schryver. After the death of Carr, the house was purchased by local preservationist Hazel Patton, who oversaw its historic renovation.
Report prepared 11 Sep 2022 by Kaylyn F. Mabey, Willamette Heritage Center. Permission must be obtained by author prior to use or reproduction of this report in any form.
Timeline |
Located in the William Duran Donation Land Claim |
| 1855 – Oct 29 | Purchased by Thomas J. Riggs for the sum of $1500 (included in a large land purchase)
Polk County Deed Book A, p. 132-133, Polk County Assessor’s Office |
| 1865 – Oct 14 | Purchased by William H. Ray for the sum of $50
Polk County Deed Book 4, p. 566, Polk County Assessor’s Office |
| 1870 – May 4 | Purchased by William Jones for the sum of $300
Polk County Deed Book 6, p. 381, Polk County Assessor’s Office |
| 1876 – Mar 7 | Purchased by John C. (or G.) Brown for the sum of $250
Polk County Deed Book 10, p. 114, Polk County Assessor’s Office |
| 1883 – Sep 25 | Purchased by Wm. A. Cox for the sum of $150
Polk County Deed Book 14, p. 558, Polk County Assessor’s Office |
| 1886 – Dec 2 | Wedding of Reason & Mary Brunk
Honeymoon cottage (lived there 8 years) Oregon, U.S. County Marriages, 1851-1975, FamilySearch |
| 1888 – July 9 | Purchased by Williams & England for the sum of $161.28
Polk County Deed Book 19, p. 96, Polk County Assessor’s Office |
| 1891 – Oct 26 | Purchased by Reason Brunk for the sum of $200
Polk County Deed Book 23, p. 88, Polk County Assessor’s Office |
| 1923 – Jun 15 | Purchased by Henry & Mattie Carr for the sum of $500
Polk County Deed Book 77, p. 130, Polk County Assessor’s Office |
| 1928 – Jan 5 | Improvements Made at Eola [Carr House]
Capital Journal 5 Jan 1928 p. 3, Newspapers.com The most noticeable improvement that has been made in Eola for some time is the Henry Carr place. After purchasing the property recently, the Carr’s have transformed an old dilapidated place to one of the noticeable beauty spots along the Salem-Dallas highway and now they are enjoying all the conveniences of a modern home, including electricity and spring water piped in their house. They have just recently built a modern Dutch kitchen. |
| 1930 – Dec 5 | Pioneer Couple Complimented
[44th Wedding Anniversary, Reason & Mary Timmons Brunk]
Capital Journal 5 Dec 1930 p. 5, Newspapers.com Complimenting Mr. and Mrs. R. Brunk on their 44th wedding anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Carr were hosts with a dinner at the Carr home Wednesday afternoon…On the day of their wedding they took up their residence in the same house where they celebrated their recent anniversary, where they resided for eight years…. |
| 1932 – Sep 13 | Death of Henry Carr
Capital Journal 13 Sep 1932 p. 9, Newspapers.com |
| 1933 – May 30 | Death of Reason Brunk
Capital Journal 30 May 1933, p. 8, Newspapers.com |
| 1942 – Apr | Death of Mary Brunk
Capital Journal 27 Apr 1942, p. 12, Newspapers.com |
| 1949 – Aug | Death of Mattie Carr
Capital Journal 4 Aug 1949 p. 21, Newspapers.com |
| 1960 – Aug 22 | Historic Homes In Eola Toured
Capital Journal 22 Aug 1960, p. 1, Newspapers.com Listed among homes in Eola toured by members of the Marion County Historical Society. |
| 1968 – July 28 | Humane Society Really a Friend to Animals [Vivian Carr]
Statesman Journal 28 July 1968, p. 5, Newspapers.com |
| 1977 – Nov 16 | Vivian Carr walking dogs along highway [Photo]
Capital Journal 16 Nov 1977, p. 1, Newspapers.com |
| 1978 – Mar 12 | She Talks to the Animals [Vivian Carr interview]
Statesman Journal 12 Mar 1978 p. 57, Newspapers.com |
| 1992 – Oct 1 | Death of Vivian Carr
Statesman Journal 2 Oct 1992, p. 27, Newspapers.com |
| 1993 – Mar 24 | Purchased by Roy B. and Hazel Patton for the sum of $45,000
Polk County Deed Book 265, p. 1657, Polk County Assessor’s Office |
| 1998 – Jun 4 | Death of Roy B. Patton |
| 2000 – Sep 15 | Peek Inside an Artist’s Haven [Ron Parvin art studio]
Statesman Journal 15 Sep 2000, p. 29, Newspapers.com Parvin has turned a former dog kennel on the property into a studio. Glass blower and bronze worker who rented the home and property from Pattons. |
| 2000 – Dec 24 | The Carr House, 1856
Statesman Journal 24 Dec 2000 p. 29, Newspapers.com The simple wood-frame home is named for Vivian Carr, a teacher at North Salem High School and a founder of the Humane Society of the Mid-Willamette Valley. To the rear of the house is the “egg-handling house,” a Victorian era wood building added in the 1880s-1890s. To the rear of the egg-handling house is a kind of private humane society, a building with pens that Carr used to house animals too sick for the humane society; today the building is the studio for resident Ron Parvin, a glass-blowing artist who plans to buy the home from Hazel Patton, who bought it in the early 1990s. The original 20 by 30 foot house was part of the Brunk Estate, and was first occupied by Reason Brunk. The building lost its porch, had new additions through the 1920s and survived submersion in at least two floods but is still essentially intact. The simple structure has hand hewn floorboards and small rooms. “We tease everybody that this was your true poor working family home,” Parvin said. “We love it. It’s like you’re living part of history to me.” There once were two outhouses, overhanging nearby Hayden Creek, a primitive early form of hygiene. The gardens, laid out by the designer of the Bush House gardens, still bloom each spring with more than 50 different varieties of daffodils. |
| 2006 – Oct 12 | Interview with Hazel Patton
Statesman Journal 12 Oct 2006 p. 42, Newspapers.com In response to historic properties she has renovated…” the oldest was built in 1856, which in Oregon is pretty rare. It’s in Polk County and was owned by Reason Brunk….” |
| 2012 – Mar 23 | Purchased by Robert B and Shannon J. Bese for $90,000
Doc No. 2012-002720, Polk County Assessor’s Office – online database |
Historic Images
References
General Land Office Records
—Bureau of Land Management. “Land Patent Search.” Database and images. General Land Office Records. https://glorecords.blm.gov : 2022.
—Bureau of Land Management. “Survey Plats and Field Notes.” Database and images. General Land Office Records. https://glorecords.blm.gov : 2022.
Donation Land Claim Records
—Genealogical Forum of Oregon. “Donation Land Claims.” Database and images. Oregon Donation Land Claims. https://gfo.org/resources/indexes/pioneer/donation-land-claims.html : 2022.
Maps
—Metsker Maps (1929). Metsker’s map of Polk County, Oregon [map]. (scale 2in=1 mile) Tacoma, WA: Metsker Maps
—Metsker Maps (1942). Metsker’s map of Polk County, Oregon [map]. (scale 2in=1 mile) Tacoma, WA: Metsker Maps
— Metsker Maps (1962). Metsker’s map of Polk County, Oregon [map]. (scale 2in=1 mile) Tacoma, WA: Metsker Maps
GIS / Land Records
—Oregon. Polk County. Deed Books, 1850-present. Polk County Assessor’s Office, Dallas, OR. – available thru Polk County Assessors Site. https://www.co.polk.or.us/clerk/direct/indirect-search-historical-index : 2022.
Census Records
—Oregon. Polk County. 1880-1950 state census, population schedule. Ancestry.com
Biographical Records
—Early Oregonians Database Index [1800-1860], Oregon State Archives, Salem, Oregon.
https://secure.sos.state.or.us/prs/personProfileSearch.do : 2022
Newspapers
—“Improvements Made at Eola,” Capital Journal, Salem, OR, 5 Jan 1928, p. 3
—“Pioneer Couple Complimented” [Brunk 44th Wedding Anniversary], Capital Journal, Salem, OR, 5 Dec 1930, p. 5
—“Brunk Recalls Eola In Days of Three Saloons, Two Hotels and Stores,” Capital Journal, Salem, OR, 20 Dec 1932, p. 3
—“Historic Homes in Eola Toured,” Capital Journal, Salem, OR, 22 Aug 1960, p. 1
—“Humane Society Really a Friend to Animals,” [Vivian Carr], Statesman Journal, Salem, OR, 28 July 1968, p. 5
—“She Talks to the Animals,” [Vivian Carr], Statesman Journal, Salem, OR, 12 Mar 1978, p. 57
—“Peek Inside an Artist Haven,” [Ron Parvin], Statesman Journal, Salem, OR, 15 Sep 2000, p. 29
—“The Carr House, 1856,” Statesman Journal, Salem, OR, 24 Dec 2000, p. 29
—“Hazel Patton Makes Things Happen,” Statesman Journal, Salem, OR, 12 Oct 2006, p. 42
Obituaries
—Henry Carr, Obituary, Capital Journal, Salem, OR, 13 Sep 1932, p. 9
Page 20 of 20
—“Reason Brunk, 83 of Eola Passes,” Reason Brunk, Obituary, Capital Journal, Salem, OR, 30 May 1933, p. 8
—“Mrs. Mary Brunk Passes Away,” Mary Brunk, Obituary, Capital Journal, Salem, OR, 27 Apr 1942, p. 12
—“Services Held For Mrs. Carr,” Mattie Carr, Obituary, Oregon Statesman, Salem, OR, 5 Aug 1949, p. 5
—Vivian F. Carr, Obituary, Statesman Journal, Salem, OR, 2 Oct 1992, p. 27
Images
—House at Eola, Oregon, WPA Staff photographer, 1939, Oregon State Library image,
https://ccrls.ent.sirsi.net/client/en_US/search/asset/28621/0
—Willamette Valley MLS listing, 2012, Redfin Real Estate, 4595 Salem Dallas Hwy NW, Salem, OR 97304 | MLS#648086 | Redfin
—Polk County Assessors Office image
