Ashland, Ore. — If you look closely, all around the Rogue Valley you’ll notice remnants of the past.
On Tuesday NBC5 News aired part two of our special five part series highlighting historical structures you may not know about. Weshed light on what local historians say is significant about a seemingly insignificant bollard, or short column, in Ashland.
A single column watches and waits for anyone in Ashland to notice it. These days, life has become lonely for a more than five-foot-tall column thatstands unnoticed and crumbling at the corner of Siskiyou Boulevard and Normal Avenue.
NBC5 News spoke with Ashland resident Jill Matthews and SOU Senior Kevin Jorgensen; both were walking in the area. We asked if they every noticed the bollard. Both said they had not given it much thought.
Every day hundreds of cars pass and every day people walk by not knowing the historical significance of the solitary structure.
“If they notice at all, they probably think wow it must be part of the hotel behind it,” said local historian George Kramer.
“There’s no markings on it. Nobody knows what it is. I’ve watched it for 30years slowly degrade as people chip away some of the plaster that covers the stone,” he continued.
Kramer said the bollard is not part of the hotel, and beneath the aged and cracked plaster, lies an important part of Ashland history.
“It’s an unusual survivor. It’s over 100 years old,” said Kramer.
According to Kramer, the bollard was probably built in the late-1880s.
“Before Southern Oregon University, before Southern Oregon State College, before Southern Oregon Normal School, there was another Normal School,” explained Kramer.
At the time, “normal” meant the school taught people to become teachers.
“That bollard, that little unassuming stone and concrete thing, is one of the two columns [or] bollards that marked the entrance to the Normal School, which is why Normal Avenue is called Normal,” Kramer said.
After learning the history of the bollard, both Jorgensen and Matthews say from here on out, they’ll look at the column a bit differently.
“Wow! It should be highlighted,” exclaimed Matthews.
“Wow that’s amazing,” said Jorgensen.
Now that more people know its history, maybe the short column will get spoiled with a bit of attention… attention it hasn’t received in decades.
Coming up on Wednesday night in our special series, NBC5 News will take go to Josephine County to highlight a beautiful building that once played a pivotal role in the county’s healthcare system.
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