SOU anthropology team uncovers details about historic Jacksonville property

JACKSONVILLE, Ore. —Two Jacksonville property owners are learning more about the history of their property. That’s thanks to the Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology.

What is now a private residence along Oregon street was once the Eagle Brewery and Saloon. It was one of the earliest saloons in the state of Oregon, dating back to 1852. A team of SOU Professional Archaeologists, students, and community volunteers all devoted time to the project to learn more.

They were able to uncover remnants of the original flooring foundation and learn more about the past owner.

“We were lucky enough to figure out that there’s a woman at the heart of this story and that’s Frederica Wetterer who was the wife of the German brewer who was one of the early owners, so we know there were women at the heart of the early brewing industry in Oregon,” said SOU Archaeologist Chelsea Rose.

Rose says archeology comes up a lot in Jacksonville when people are looking to develop properties.

It’s smart to have knowledge of what’s underground because you never know what you might find.

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Jenna King is the 6pm and 11pm anchor for NBC5 News. Jenna is a Burbank, CA native. She graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Sports Business. During her time at Oregon she was part of the student-run television station, Duck TV. She also grew her passion for sports through her internship with the PAC 12 Network. When Jenna is not in the newsroom you can find her rooting for her hometown Dodgers, exploring the outdoors or binging on the latest Netflix release.
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