Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Battleship Oregon Collection, 1889-1979
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Battleship Oregon Collection
- Dates
- 1889-1979 (inclusive)18891979
- Quantity
- 4.3 cubic feet, (5 document cases, 4 flat boxes, and 1 oversize folder)
- Collection Number
- Mss 1399
- Summary
- Collection documenting the U.S.S. Oregon (Battleship), the Battleship Oregon Commission, and the Battleship Oregon Memorial and Museum.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Battleship U.S.S. Oregon was the third ship to carry the name of the state. The ship was originally classified as Coast Battleship No. 3, authorized in 1890, and built at Union Iron Works, San Francisco. Following her launch on October 26, 1893, she served in major conflicts for the following fifty years: the Spanish-American War (1898) and Philippine campaign (1899-1900), World War I, and World War II. The vessel was purchased by the state of Oregon for purposes of a memorial in 1925. It was recommissioned for World War II, used as a scrap and ammunition depot, and finally sold for scrap on March 15, 1956.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Collection contains correspondence, reports, scrapbooks, logs, personal papers, photographs and drawings, and mementos of the U.S.S. Oregon (Battleship), the Battleship Oregon Commission, and the Battleship Oregon Memorial and Museum. Includes materials concerning the vessel's construction, launching, Spanish-American War exploits, service as a memorial and museum in Portland, and dismantling following World War II. Includes correspondence with the National Auxiliary of the United Spanish War Veterans, the papers of Chester Lincoln Coon (1915-1919), and the 1898 diary of Sargent Weed in the Philippines. Also included is the 1898 logbook of the Spanish ship Cristobol Colon.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
Collection compiled by the Oregon Historical Society.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.
Preferred Citation
Battleship Oregon Collection, Mss 1399, Oregon Historical Society Research Library
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in the following series
- Series A: General materials
- Series B: Battleship Oregon Commission
Custodial History
Lib. Acc. 7662, 8992, 11399, 18197, 21557, and others.
Processing Note
Current finding aid reflects some reorganization of the collection.
Separated Materials
Photograph albums acquired with Lib.Acc. 8992 are part of the Spanish-American War photographs collection, Org. Lot 254 in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Related Materials
- Plans for the U.S.S. Oregon (Battleship) are filed as Mss 4062 in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
- The diary of E.T. Eagling is filed as Mss 2700 in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
- The logbook of M.A. Davenport is filed as Mss 6012 in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
- Other related items are found in the Military Collection, Mss 1514, in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Series A: General materials, 1889-1979Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | Assorted correspondence
|
1902; 1919; 1961; 1974 |
| 1/2 | Autograph book, Honolulu,
Hawaii |
1898 |
| 1/3 | Attendance record on Battleship
Oregon |
1925 June 16-1942 December 15 |
| 1/4 | Battleship Oregon Fund
ledger |
1937-1938 |
| 1/5 | Battleship Oregon Memorial
Association records |
1938 May - 1939 December |
| 1/6 | Battleship Oregon Memorial Park
dedication |
1944 |
| 1/8 | The Bulldog Vol. 1,
No. 1 |
1905 March |
| 1/9 | The Bulldog, U.S.S.
Oregon |
1918-1919 |
| 1/10 | Centennial
celebration |
1993 October 26 |
| 1/11 | Chester Lincoln Coon, USN,
papers |
1915-1919 |
| 2/1 | Cristobol Colon
logbook
Logbook taken from the Spanish ship Cristobol Colon, destroyed
at Santiago Bay, 1898 July 3.
|
1898 |
| 2/2 | Cruise of the U.S.
Flagship New York around the World, 1901-1902 |
circa 1902 |
| 2/3 | Diary of Sargent Weed,
Philippines |
1898 |
| 2/4 | Donation of anchor links to
Japan |
1979 June 8 |
| 2/5 | Duty Co. A 2nd Oregon Infantry,
Manila, register |
1898 |
| 2/6 | Ephemera |
1896-1942 |
| 2/7 | Histories and
Descriptions |
1942; undated |
| 2/8 | Invitation to launch |
1893 October 26 |
| 2/9 | Memorandum to U.S. Flagship New
York |
1898 |
| 2/10 | Log of Battleship Oregon
Museum |
1949 July 1 - 1954 November 1 |
| 3/1 | National Auxiliary, United
Spanish War Veterans -- Correspondence |
1935-1946 |
| 3/2 | Notebook of W.H.
Brannan
Contains photographs, notes, and drawings.
|
1900-1904 |
| 3/3 | Photograph of Portland showing
ship's location |
undated |
| 3/4 | Poetry and song
lyrics |
1923; 1942; undated |
| 3/5 | Postcard set -- Pacific
Islands |
circa 1899 |
| 3/6 | Postcards |
1905-circa 1925; undated |
| 3/7 | Reports |
1950-1955 |
| 3/8 | Rosters and lists |
undated |
| 3/9 | Rough Log of the U.S.S. Oregon,
Bremerton, Wash. to Portland, Or. |
1925 June |
| 3/10 | Scrapbook |
1898 |
| 3/11 | Signal book |
undated |
| 3/12 | Signals - Notes |
1897 |
| 3/13 | U.S.S. Detroit signal
logbook |
1898 May-August |
| 6/1 | Art on Paper |
1931; undated |
| 6/7 | Photographs |
1904 |
| Box 7 | Visitors Register, Captain Cabin
#58 |
1897-1950 |
| Box 8 | Scrapbook Compiled by Cora A. Thompson and Dr. George F.A.
Walker, longtime curator of the Battleship Oregon Museum.
|
1913-1956 |
| Box 8 | Scrapbook, Save the Battleship Oregon
Campaign |
1938 |
| Box 8 | Donor's Book
Alphabetical index of donors.
|
undated |
| 9/1 | Battleship Oregon Memorial
poster |
undated |
| 9/1 | Letter to Henry T. Scott from
John Davis Long, Secretary of Navy Department, re: construction of Battleship
Oregon |
21 July 1898 |
| 9/1 | Lithograph of Battleship Oregon
signed Myrah, Agency Lithograph Co, Portland, Oregon |
undated |
| 9/2 | The Pacific Commercial
Advertiser (Honolulu, Hawaii Territory) |
1903 December 17 |
| Box 9 | Roll of Honor, Battleship Oregon
Memorial Park |
1938 |
| Oversize folder 1 | Poster: "Long Live the Oregon,"
promoting United States War Savings Bonds Stamps, Daily Journal of Commerce;
and poster "Don't give up the ship!" for the 1938 campaign to create a
Battleship Oregon Park on the Portland waterfront |
circa 1938; circa 1942 |
| Oversize folder 1 | Resolution, Scout Young Camp No.
2, Department of Oregon, United Spanish War Veterans, Portland,
Oregon
Includes photograph of Battleship Oregon with inset image of
Captain C.E. Clark
|
1933 June 20 |
Series B: Battleship Oregon Commission, 1918-1957Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/1 | Audits |
1946-1951 |
| 4/2 | Audits |
1952-1955 |
| 4/3 | Ownership acceptance
documents |
1923 |
| 4/4 | Correspondence |
1918-1933 |
| 4/5 | Correspondence |
1935 |
| 4/6 | Correspondence |
1937 |
| 4/7 | Correspondence |
1938 |
| 4/8 | Correspondence |
1939-1942 |
| 4/9 | Correspondence |
1942-1946 |
| 5/1 | Correspondence |
1947-1949 |
| 5/2 | Correspondence |
1954-1956 |
| 5/3 | Correspondence, legislation,
budget figures |
1938-1940 |
| 5/4-5/7 | Donations (Folders 1-4 of
4) |
1929-1942 |
| 5/8 | Historical address by Governor
Walter M. Pierce |
1925 July 3 |
| 5/9 | Inventories |
1927-1938 |
| 5/10 | Members |
1943 |
| 5/11 | Minutes |
1925-1943 |
| 5/12 | Minutes |
1944-1957 |
| 6/2 | Budget |
1929-1938 |
| 6/3 | Budget |
1936 |
| 6/4 | Budget |
1937 |
| 6/5 | Budget |
1937-1939 |
| 6/6 | Budget |
1938 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Battleships--United States
- Spanish-American War, 1898--Campaigns--Cuba
Corporate Names
- Oregon (Battleship)--Archives
- Battleship Oregon Commission--Archives
Geographical Names
- Philippines--History--Philippine American War, 1899-1902
Form or Genre Terms
- Financial records
- Letters (correspondence)
- Minutes
- Photographs
- Scrapbooks
- Ships' logs
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Coon, Chester Lincoln (creator)
Corporate Names
- United Spanish War Veterans. National Auxiliary--Correspondence. (creator)
