McMenamins Edgefield: History, Hospitality, and Halloween 🎨🎃👻
How did this historic resort transform from a poor farm to a wonderland of art, gardens, and entertainment?
What secrets and stories lie behind the walls of McMenamins Edgefield?
Find out in this article and discover the history, hospitality, and Halloween fun of McMenamins Edgefield.
Experience Edgefield
Welcome to McMenamins Edgefield, a historic resort in the Pacific Northwest, where you can explore history, enjoy the many attractions, and experience the beauty of Oregon. Edgefield is only 20 minutes from downtown Portland at the gateway to the Columbia River Gorge.🌲1
Edgefield, once a poor farm and an old folks’ home, today is a wonderland for entertainment, relaxation, and adventure. Stroll on a walking tour through lush gardens, and look back through history viewing artwork on almost every wall, door, nook, and cranny with original paintings and photographs. There are gardens, a spa and pool, two golf courses, a movie theatre, summer concerts, a winery, brewery, and distillery, a gift shop, a hotel and hostel, and several dining options including the Black Rabbit restaurant, a classic pub, bars, and a summer grill. 🌻 🎨 ⛳🎥🎵
Book your stay at the hotel or hostel, and explore the “historical surrealistic” art that expresses the rich history and covers the walls, doors, ceilings, and floors.
Dine at the Black Rabbit restaurant, open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner featuring Northwest cuisine and traditional dishes with seasonal organic ingredients, herbs, vegetables, fruits, and flowers grown from the lush Edgefield gardens. 🥗
History and Art
Visit Edgefield and learn from the art to experience its history.
Edgefield was built in 1911 as the Multnomah County Poor Farm. Local folks down on their luck came to work the land, earn their room and board, and get back on their feet. The people who opened “the poor farm” believed in helping others less fortunate with self-sufficiency through farming, fresh air, and country living.
From 1911-1947, Edgefield was the largest county-funded relief organization in Oregon. The residents, were Germans, Italians, Japanese, Chinese, Native Americans, African Americans; Catholics, Protestants, Muslims, and Buddhists. They worked the farm providing fruit, vegetables, dairy, hogs, and poultry to feed those in need.🍎🥕🥛🐷🐔
The population swelled in the early 1930s during the Great Depression with over 600 people sharing 3 people in a room and in closets. The basement became a bazaar of artists, creatives, and craftsmen. 👩🎨💡🔨
The McMenamin Brothers
After many decades as a place for refuge for thousands of people in need, the times changed and the property had become a liability to the county with plans to demolish the historic buildings.
Fortunately, the Troutdale Historical Society put up a 5-year fight to delay the destruction of history. Then the McMenamin brothers, Mike and Brian, saw the vision to restore, reinvent, and renovate the ruins and create a vision for people to gather in a community created for artists, artisans, gardeners, craftspeople, musicians, and people from the surrounding community. As people came to visit, more creative ideas and hard work produced the transformation that continues today. The lodge was converted into hotel rooms, restaurants, and specialty bars; sheds, root cellars, and outbuildings were turned into gardens, golf courses, and festive spaces for fun. The blending of art and history first germinated at Edgefield and is a common theme across all the McMenamin venues today.✨🔧💪👩🎨⛳️ 2
McMenamins Halloween Events
If you are looking for an incredible place to celebrate Halloween in Oregon, check out one of the many Halloween party events at McMenamins with costumes, music, dancing, and more!👻 🎶💃🏻3
https://www.mcmenamins.com
https://www.mcmenamins.com/history
https://portlandghosts.com/mcmenamins-edgefield/