1841 The Jason Lee House

The first house built in Salem was constructed in the summer of 1841 by Jason Lee, the leader of the Methodist Mission, and other missionaries. The new settlement was on a waterway named Mill Creek where a small saw mill fashioned lumber from the surrounding forest.
The house was designed for several missionary families. Jason Lee lived there with his second wife Lucy, who died in 1842 a few weeks after giving birth to their daughter, Lucy Anna Maria. He left Oregon shortly afterward, to defend his leadership after being replaced by another minister. He died in his native Canada in 1845 and the mission establishment was closed four years later. However, the church-owned properties were distributed among the missionary settlers and the village grew. The Lee House is said to have housed planning for the 1850s Provisional Government and the actions of the first judiciary, first post office, and second store in the Salem area.
Among the families who lived there in the late 1800s was that of Judge Reuben Boise (1819-1907) who arrived in Oregon in 1850. He was appointed to the Territorial Supreme Court in 1857 and served on the State Supreme Court intermittently until 1880.
The picture above was taken in the 1930s when the house was still occupied and by that time designated as 960 Broadway, just north of the creek. Over the years, the house had many alterations and was hardly recognizable.
The house was in danger of demolition when local historical preservationists, led by Oregon State Archivist, David Duniway, made arrangements to have the house moved. It was temporarily placed on Front Street and then permanently settled on the Mission Mill Museum property (now Willamette Heritage Center) where it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Restored to its original configuration, it appears today as seen in the photograph below.

1841 Methodist Parsonage

This is a 1903 photograph of the 1841 Methodist Parsonage, the second building constructed in Salem. The Jason Lee residence preceded it by just a few months in the same year. The earliest families to occupy the building were those of Reverend Gustavus Hines and Reverend David Leslie who shared it with visiting teachers and circuit riders. It became the official boarding house of the Willamette Station.

The Parsonage was built originally where the water tower stands on 12th Street, north of Mission Mill Museum (now Willamette Heritage Center). This location was convenient to the Institute that was the center of early Methodist educational efforts, now Willamette University. The Parsonage may have served as the Indian Manual Labor School while the Institute was being built.

By the 1920s, the Parsonage had been moved to 1325 Ferry Street, a couple of blocks from its original location. In 1966, to preserve this historic building, which had remained relatively unchanged, the Parsonage was temporarily relocated back to its original site on the grounds of the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill. By 1974, in its present location, the Parsonage was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Like the Jason Lee House, it is part of the historical exhibits at the Willamette Heritage Center where it appears as seen in the photograph below.

1847 The John D. Boon House

The John D. Boon house, center above, is likely the oldest single family dwelling in Salem. This photograph, taken about 1940, shows it as it was originally located on Liberty Street.
The building on the left housed the Boon Stone, built in 1860, which became the First State Treasury, and in later years was known as Karr's Tavern. Since the late 1970s it has been known as Boon's Treasury and is a popular local restaurant and hosts popular musical entertainment.
The small house to the right, the home of John D. Boon and his wife Martha Hawkins, was built in 1847. Mr. Boon was elected Treasurer by the Oregon Territorial Legislature in 1851, and when Oregon became a state in 1859, he became the first Oregon State Treasurer, serving until 1862. The house was moved to the Mission Mill Museum complex (now Willamette Heritage Center) in 1973 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The wooden porch and four columns are gone, as is the roof over the porch.
The two-story building in the foreground was used as a furniture factory.
The photograph below shows the house as it appears today.

1869-07 William Lincoln Wade House

This photo of the Wade house was taken when it was located at 862 Liberty Street NE, near Boon's Treasury where Broadway becomes High Street. It was moved to 1305 John Street by owners Mr. and Mrs Richard Neuman shortly after this photograph was taken.
The residence was built in the Liberty Street location in 1870 by William L. Wade, owner of a dry goods store at 888 N. Liberty Street where Salem first developed. The first mill was built on the creek there and the first homes and businesses began in the immediate vicinity, including the Boone's Treasury building. Mr. Wade (1831-1908) came to Oregon in 1867 and opened a dry goods store in Boon's Treasury where he sold "dry goods, clothing, groceries, boots and shoes, country produce, hardware and queensware". The house was later occupied by his son, Murray, who was a well-known newspaper cartoonist in California and Oregon and published the Oregon Magazine for 45 years.
The house was rescued from the wrecker's ball in 1971 and moved to John Street, a few houses away from another Carpenter Gothic cottage, the David McCully house, which is also on the National Register. The hillside lot they are both on could not accommodate the entire house and an added bedroom off the back parlor and a stem off the kitchen were left behind. The ceiling in the wing was lowered to accommodate a master bedroom and bath on the second floor. The balustrade railing was added to the second story porch in recent years. The William Lincoln Wade house was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

The photograph below was taken in 2008.

1895 Collins Downing House

This 1963 photograph shows the Collins Downing residence in its original 1886 location at 245 Church Street NE, between Court and Chemeketa Streets. It was built by George Collins (1834-1913), successful contractor and brick manufacturer, who later served as Warden of the Oregon State Penitentiary and then as Superintendent of Prisons for the State of Oregon.
In 1895 the home was sold to Robert E. Downing, whose listings in Polk's directories through the years changed from insurance agent to capitalist to farmer. His family owned the house for more than 80 years.
For many of these years, it was the only large, well maintained residence remaining in the downtown business district. The clock tower of the old Salem City Hall on High St. can be seen on the right side of the photograph. The fire escapes of the concrete building on the left are on the old Senator Hotel building. The house displays distinctive Eastlake/Queen Anne architectural details such as bay windows; varied siding designs; multi-gabled roof; and finely detailed porch, balcony supports and railings.
Following the 1980s deaths of Hazel Downing Isbell and her husband, Leonard M. Isbell, their home was moved from its original location opposite the Statesman-Journal Building to 1340 Chemeketa Street (as seen below). The exterior was restored; the interior remodeled into professional offices and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.