History hiding in plain sight: Medford's oldest building revealed

Medford, Ore. — The places you see today have stories that began decades ago.

Monday NBC5 News aired the first of our special five part series looking at buildings or artifacts you may not have noticed before around the Rogue Valley, but still hold secrets about our past.

Everyday people in Medford drive and walk near the intersection of South Central Avenue and East 9th Street, and they never give a second glance to a piece of history partially hidden behind Tacos Mi Tierra restaurant in the heart of downtown.

“It’s the oldest building in Medford. It’s a little wooden building people don’t even know exists,” said local historian Ben Truwe.

The small building, which now houses the Kristine Elizabeth Salon, has been around for more than a hundred years.

“It’s one of the very few touchstones we have to Medford’s beginnings,” continued Truwe.

The structure was built in the spring of 1884.

“It’s important because it was the first school, it was the first Sunday school, the first church and it’s the oldest building in Medford built before the railroad,” Truwe explained.

It first operated as a private school, then a year or so after it was built, a new public school opened and there was no need for a private institution. After that, Truwe said there’s not a clear understandingof what the building was used for until later.

“Medford papers don’t survive before 1892,” said Truwe.

What we do know is according to the Medford Mail, a newspaper that came before the Medford Mail Tribune, by around 1901 a man named Elmer Elwood moved into the home. He was a jeweler and optician. He made additions and started his business out of what is Tacos Mi Tierra today.

Elwood owned the property for 80 years which is why local historians now commonly refer to the building as the Elwood House.

So next time you walk by the non-descript building located at 135 S. Central, you’ll know it was present way back when, when Medford became Medford.

Truwe said he thinks the Elwood House is also the scariest building in Medford only because someday it could be forgotten and torn down to make way for new businesses.

Coming up on Tuesday night, NBC5 News will take you to Ashland where a peculiar and seemingly randomly placed short column still stands as a reminder of the past.