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Oral history interview with Margaret M. Cabell, 1976 March 4

Overview of the Collection

Interviewee
Cabell, Margaret M. (Margaret Malarkey), 1894-1985
Title
Oral history interview with Margaret M. Cabell
Dates
1976 March 4
Quantity
0.1 cubic feet, (1 audiocassette (1 hr., 1 min., 49 sec.))
Collection Number
SR 9390
Summary
Oral history interview with Margaret M. Cabell conducted by Marian W. Kolisch on March 4, 1976. Cabell discusses her involvement with the Portland Garden Club, the Pittock Mansion, and the Portland Japanese Garden.
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

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Margaret Malarkey Cabell, nee Margaret Malarkey, was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1894. In 1914, she and Vernon Alexander Cartwright were married; they later had two children, then divorced in 1928. In 1931, she remarried to Henry Failing Cabell. She was a charter member of the Portland Garden Club, and later served as secretary and president of the club's board. She also served as director of the board of the Garden Club of America, and was involved in the founding of Portland's Japanese Garden, as well as a Portland chapter of the Bonsai Society. She was a member of the Junior League and a charter member of the Town Club. She died in 1985.

Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Cabell in her interview.

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Other Descriptive Information

Forms part of the Marian Wood Kolisch Oral History Collection.

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Other Descriptive Information

An incomplete transcript (10 pages) is available for in-person use at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

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Content Description

This oral history interview with Margaret M. Cabell was conducted at Cabell's home in Portland, Oregon, on March 4, 1976. The interview was part of a series conducted by Oregon photographer Marian W. Kolisch to accompany portraits of Oregon artists, businesspeople, and politicians.

In this interview, Cabell discusses her family background and early life in Portland. She talks about her early interest in gardening, and about her early education. She shares her memories of buying tamales from street vendors in Portland. She talks about living in London, England, during World War I, and about her marriage to Vernon Alexander Cartwright. She discusses her role in the founding of the Portland Garden Club, and speaks at length about her involvement with the organization. She also talks about her involvement with the Pittock Mansion, about her work with the Portland Japanese Garden, and about items of clothing she donated to the Oregon Historical Society. She speaks at length about her interest in bonsai trees. She closes the interview by discussing entertaining guests at her home.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

Audio available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Preferred Citation

Oral history interview with Margaret M. Cabell, by Marian W. Kolisch, SR 9390, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the estates of Margaret M. Cabell and Marian W. Kolisch. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright - https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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Administrative Information

Related Materials

Two additional oral history interviews with Margaret M. Cabell, SR 9608 and SR 9672, are also held at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Gardening--Oregon--Portland
  • Gardens--Oregon--Portland
  • Horticulture--Oregon--Portland

Personal Names

  • Cabell, Margaret M. (Margaret Malarkey), 1894-1985

Corporate Names

  • Japanese Garden Society of Oregon
  • Pittock Mansion (Portland, Or.)
  • Portland Garden Club

Geographical Names

  • Japanese Garden (Portland, Or.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • interviews
  • oral histories (literary works)

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Kolisch, Marian W. (interviewer)
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