Homesteader’s Dream
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Published August 2012
Price: $99,900
Location: Tillamook, Oreg.
Contact: Kathy Monaco, 503-842-7515
The history: It was 1863 when Eli Goodspeed, his wife, Emmarett, and their three children arrived in Oregon after a four-month journey from Iowa by ox-drawn wagon. After farming rented land in the eastern part of the state for a while, Eli took advantage of the Homestead Act and, in 1876, acquired 164 acres of hilly farmland in the coastal town of Tillamook.
Shown: The three-bedroom, two-bath house has 1,687 square feet of living space and features a two-tiered front porch.
A Wealthy Farmer’s Home
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In no time, Eli turned that land into a prosperous dairy farm and used his earnings to build this charming Queen Anne, which would remain in his family through the 1970s.
Shown: You’ll have to replace the picket fence and the small widow’s walk shown in this 1920s photo.
European Touches
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Why save it? Eli intended his house to be a town showpiece, outfitting it with exquisite hand-carved millwork, including an oak staircase imported from Europe. Interior doors and mantels feature floral motifs that mimic the balustrade’s carvings.
Shown: Predating the Panama Canal, this imported oak staircase made the long trip from Europe via Cape Horn.
Exquisite Details
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Though coated with layers of paint, the pilasters of this mantel have the same floral motifs as the staircase.
Grand Victorian
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What it needs: The house, which has been occupied since 1890, needs some serious sprucing up. Faux-wood paneling and dropped ceilings should be removed, and the large kitchen and the bathrooms brought back to Victorian-period style. It also requires a new roof and repairs to its wood siding. Located 74 miles west of Portland, Tillamook is a small town known for logging, commercial fishing, and dairy farming and as home to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, which draws a million tourists annually. It’s also a destination for sport fishermen, who come for its five salmon-filled rivers. Now’s your chance to move here and restore a fading beauty back into the proud farmhouse it was in Eli’s day.
Height of Style
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The bay window off the parlor, with bracketed eaves and one-over-one sash, is just one of the house’s charming original Queen Anne adornments.
Second Story Outlook
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A balcony off over the dining room bump-out provides an outdoor escape from the master bedroom.