Francis Ermatinger House

History

Built in the Greek Revival style, the house was originally located near the Willamette River, in the downtown area near Willamette Falls. Francis Ermatinger, an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company, remained in Oregon City after the company abandoned its operations there in 1845.

The house was moved in 1910 to the corner of 11th and Center streets, and again in 1986 to its current location at the corner of 6th and John Adams streets, adjacent to the Stevens Crawford House museum.

Damage from being moved twice had left the house unstable, resulting in the windows being removed. In 2011, it was closed to the public. After repairs, the house was re-opened on July 7, 2018 by the City of Oregon City Parks and Recreation Department.

The house is open for both guided and self-guided tours of Fridays and Saturdays, with various events held at different times.

Portland naming site

Main article: Portland Penny

It is believed to have been the Ermatinger House's left parlor that the famous coin toss between Francis Pettygrove and Asa Lovejoy occurred, reputedly during a dinner party held in the house in 1845. The two were arguing about whether the town they envisioned on their land claim, then called The Clearing, should be incorporated as Boston—Lovejoy's hometown in Massachusetts—or Portland—Pettygrove's hometown in Maine. Pettygrove won two out of three tosses, resulting in the city of Portland, Oregon.

References

References

1. (January 5, 2009). "Oregon National Register List". [[Oregon Parks and Recreation Department]].
2. "Portfolio {{!}} Francis Ermatinger House".
3. "Francis Ermatinger House". Waymarking.com.
4. Hawkins, William John. (1999). "Classic Houses of Portland, Oregon: 1850–1950". [[Timber Press]].
5. (2011). "Most Endangered Places 2011 - Ermatinger House". [[Historic Preservation League of Oregon]].
6. (2018-07-06). "Ermatinger House, where coin toss determined Portland's name, to reopen".
7. "Ermatinger House {{!}} Oregon City, OR".