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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Herb Rothschild Jr.: Making sense of UCC ... Police giving away trick-or-treat bags ... Ashland author memorializes slain UCC professor in poem ... Herb Rothschild Jr.: Making sense of UCC ... Police giving away trick-or-treat bags ... Ashland author memorializes slain UCC professor in poem ... AS IT WAS As It Was: The Colver House in Phoenix was one of Oregon's oldest buildings Comment By Marjorie O'Harra Southern Oregon Historical Society DailyTidings.com By Marjorie O'Harra Southern Oregon Historical Society Posted Jul. 30, 2015 at 12:05 PM Updated Jul 30, 2015 at 1:06 PM By Marjorie O'Harra Southern Oregon Historical Society Posted Jul. 30, 2015 at 12:05 PM Updated Jul 30, 2015 at 1:06 PM » RELATED CONTENT • As It Was: A woman ahead of her time » Social News Phoenix, Oregon, was one of the first settlements in Southern Oregon. It grew around the house Sam and Huldah Colver (hul-duh coal-ver) built on their Donation Land Claim in the 1850s. Constructed of timbers 14 inches thick, the sturdy house still stands on Main Street, near the center of town. By the late 1850s, the scattered settlement that had developed around the Colver home boasted a sawmill, a gristmill, wagon shop, saloon and billiard hall. It had between 75 and 80 residents — but as yet no name. When a mail route was established through the valley, a post office opened and the postmaster, in need of a name to identify the place, took "Phoenix" from the moniker on his fire insurance sign. The name lived on. The Colver House served as a place of safety for settlers during the Indian Wars, as a church, school, store, hotel and meeting hall. One of its most noted guests was Abigail Scott Duniway, who carried her fight for women's rights to Southern Oregon in the 1870s. History notes that she was "received with respect" in the hospitable Colver home. The Colver House, one of the oldest original buildings in Oregon, stood as a landmark in Phoenix, which today has more than 4,000 residents, until it was destroyed by fire on Feb. 10, 2008. Some of the massive timbers from the home are on display at the Phoenix Historical Museum. (This paragraph has been changed to update the status of the house.) Source: Land In Common, An Illustrated History of Jackson County, Oregon, Southern Oregon Historical Society, 1993. pp. 146-147 and "From Desk of," Mail Tribune, Feb. 28, 1973. As It Was is a co-production of Jefferson Public Radio and the Southern Oregon Historical Society. As It Was stories are broadcast weekdays on Jefferson Public Radio and are available online at asitwas.org . By Marjorie O'Harra Southern Oregon Historical Society DailyTidings.com By Marjorie O'Harra Southern Oregon Historical Society Posted Jul. 30, 2015 at 12:05 PM Updated Jul 30, 2015 at 1:06 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501