Laurel is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States. Settled in 1872, the community is located between Hillsboro and Newberg, in the southern portion of the Tualatin Valley in the foothills of the Chehalem Mountains. The community retains its agricultural heritage.[2] Laurel is served by the Hillsboro School District and includes the century-old Laurel Valley Store.
History
In 1872, the Mulloy family settled the area that is now Laurel.[3] In May 1879, the Laurel post office was established with Alfred Mulloy, Sr. as postmaster.[3] Mail was delivered once per week until 1881 when deliveries increased to twice per week.[3] The Laurel Valley Store was opened in 1893 by Gus, Maud, and Jacob Messinger.[4] A small one-room schoolhouse was built latter.citation needed A telephone line was extended to Laurel in 1904 from Hillsboro with four customers.[3] In 1923, Laurel Community Hall was constructed for about $5,000.[3]
Churches
In 1876, community members started a congregation at Mountain Top with W.C. Kantner as preacher.[5] A Baptist church was also started that year by the Brown, Steventon, Shamly, and Messinger families.[3] The Mulloy family donated two acres to the church in 1878 for a chapel and cemetery, and a church was built and named the Mount Olive Baptist Church during the summer.[3] The cemetery was laid out in 1880.[3]
Laurel Church had its beginnings around 1888 when J.M. Beaumont, an Evangelical preacher, started preaching at the Baptist church.[5][3] In 1892, the church was transferred to the Hillsboro mission of the church from the Newberg mission.[5] In 1897, Rosilla and George Hathorn donated land and a new church was built, named Bethany United Evangelical Church.[5] In 1800, the United Brethren Church was organized by Phillip Otterbein, with the churches merging in 1946.[5]
In 1947, Lester Moore began the church's first full-time pastor.[5] On September 22, 1948, the original church building burned down.[5] A new structure was erected, and a dedication ceremony was held on January 29, 1950.[5] In 1960, a new parsonage was added, followed by an expansion started in 1974.[5]
Present
Laurel lost its post office, school, and its recognition as a town in the early 1900s.citation needed The community has several agricultural farms and plant nurseries, although most of its residents commute to Portland, Hillsboro, or Beaverton for work. The Laurel Valley School of Dance has provided dance lessons in the Laurel Hall for over 30 years.[6] The old school building has been turned into the Laurel Apartments. Children attend schools in the Hillsboro School District, with Farmington View serving as the elementary school.[7] Fire protection services are provided by Washington County Fire District 2.[8]
The two main cross streets in Laurel are SW Laurel Road, and SW Campbell Road. These used to be Laurel Road North, Laurel Road South, Laurel Road East, and Laurel Road West.[4] These were changed to their present name when the county got rid of the old route/box number of addresses and implemented the present street address system, which is more common in the western United States. Laurel is located along the Washington County Scenic Loop.[4]
At the northwest corner of the main intersection in Laurel is the largest contiguous walnut orchard in Oregon's Washington County.citation needed Laurel Valley Store is located at the same intersection and has been in operation since 1893.[4][9] The current two-story building was constructed in 1913.[10]
References
- ^ "Laurel, Oregon". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved on 2008-07-29.
- ^ Mandel, Michelle. Scenic sojourn. The Oregonian, November 4, 1999.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Mulloy, E.C. "Laurel receives post office in 1879 after long wait". Hillsboro Argus, October 19, 1976, Communities, p. 12.
- ^ a b c d Gardner, Fran. Laurel Valley Store has survived nearly a Century. The Oregonian, August 1, 1991.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Felton, Charles. “Evangelical mission work started Laurel Church in early 1870s”. Hillsboro Argus, October 19, 1976, Schools and Churches, p. 6.
- ^ Luedloff, Rebecca. Neighborhood Roundup – Metro West Hillsboro. The Oregonian, July 26, 2007.
- ^ Farmington View Elementary Attendance Boundary Area effective fall 2008. Hillsboro School District. Retrieved on July 29, 2008.
- ^ Tareen, Sophia. Fire district will lay off one-third of its staff. The Oregonian, November 25, 2004.
- ^ Luedloff, Rebecca. Neighborhood Roundup – Metro West Hillsboro. The Oregonian, November 23, 2006.
- ^ "Site Information: Laurel Valley Store". Oregon Historic Sites Database. Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved on 2008-08-23.
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