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HISTORIC JACKSONVILLE Beekman Bank, Jacksonville's oldest building, reopens for tours Comment By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 18, 2016 at 12:01 AM By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 18, 2016 at 12:01 AM » Social News JACKSONVILLE — For the first time in this decade, the Beekman Bank, the oldest wooden building in town, is open for regular public tours. Visitors had been mostly relegated to looking through the windows of the building at California and Third streets. “Almost daily, you’d have to go and clean the little fingerprints and nose prints there due to the people trying to peer through the glass,” said Carolyn Kingsnorth, president of Historic Jacksonville Inc., which has an agreement with the city to maintain and show the building. Bank hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays through Mondays through the Labor Day weekend. Grants from the Jackson County Cultural Trust and the Jacksonville Lodging Tax Committee allowed the organization to schedule regular hours with docents. Occasional tours had been held, but regular visits stopped about 10 years ago when funding to the Southern Oregon Historical Society dwindled. Cornelius Beekman began buying gold in the town in 1856. He built the bank in 1863 when he became a Wells Fargo agent. More than $10 million in gold crossed the bank counter, Kingsnorth said. Beekman, who died in 1915, closed the bank in 1912 and his will directed that it become a museum. His son, Ben, turned it over to the Oregon Historical Society, which later gave it to SOHS. The society gave it to Jackson County but retained ownership of the artifacts. Jackson County gave the building to the city in fall 2012. Visitors can go behind the counters to look at items such as the original gold scales, stationery, business cards, checkbooks and records, said Kingsnorth. Also on display are ink bottles, textbooks and other items the bank sold as a sideline. “It was a gold dust business rather than a bank,” said Kingsnorth. “If you wanted a loan, he didn’t lend you bank money, he lent you his own. Most of the time it was a handshake deal.” While many items from the 1915 closing remained on site, docent Keoni Diacamos, who is collections assistant for SOHS, brought back more for the tours. “We have a lot of the original stamping stuff, including the original signature stamp,” said Diacamos. “It would have been what he used pretty much every day. “Kids are especially excited about the walk-in vault room,” said Diacamos. “They also like the rock collection, thinking it has gold, and just the idea of being in an old, western-style bank is hugely appealing for them.” There is gold in old pouches, called "pokes," still stored in the vault, said Kingsnorth. Beekman used to assay and weigh out a prospector’s poke contents, and then store it. When the bank ceased operations in 1912, he attempted to return unclaimed pokes, but some remain. “There were a lot of little notes that were left behind by Mr. Beekman that you can still see,” said Diacamos. They include one on weather during a day in the 1880s and others on fruit and vegetable shipping from Portland in the 1890s. Susan Rayles, a former National Parks Service docent, and Medford historian Ben Truwe also serve as docents. About 300 people tour the bank each four-day period. A suggested donation of $2 is sought to help open the bank again next summer. More information can be found at www.historicjacksonville.org . Tony Boom is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected]. By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Jul. 18, 2016 at 12:01 AM » 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... 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