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Back-to-the-future appeal Mail Tribune / Drew Fleming Remodeled in 1920, the Voorhies mansion was a focal point for social life among Rogue Valley fruit growers. Now that Eden Valley Orchard has been added to the National Registry of Historic Places, co-owner Anne Root hopes to bring new luster to the site in the form of agricultural tourism. By Jonel Aleccia Anne Root is a step closer to turning Eden Valley Orchard into the genesis of a whole new brand of Rogue Valley tourism. The 27-acre birthplace of the Southern Oregon pear industry has been named to the National Registry of Historic Places. Included in the designation is the orchard, the 1870 Ball House and the 1920 Voorhies mansion, all on Voorhies Road outside Medford. The distinction opens the door to public access to the grounds and buildings, the next move toward creation of an agricultural tourist attraction centered on regional wine and produce. "My vision is like a business entertainment venue," says Root, who has plans for a vineyard, winery, wine tasting shop and restaurant, as well as private meeting rooms. She�ll seek Jackson County approval soon to change property zoning from EFU (exclusive farm use) to commercial. Root and her husband, Tim, acquired the orchard and dwellings last December in a land-swap deal with Naumes Inc. of Medford. The arrangement settled a dispute between branches of the Root family over Sabroso Co.�s expansion in Medford. Although she�d always admired the 6,500-square-foot mansion, Root had no desire to renovate it as a private residence. "I don�t like to vacuum," she jokes. "So I thought, well, it�s a cute old house, maybe I can do something with that." The "something" she came up with was more than just a nice place to take business clients for dinner. The former market manager for AT&T Wireless wants to reshape Rogue Valley tourism by repackaging its original draw �agriculture. Working with local leaders from the chamber of commerce, the Southern Oregon Historical Society and private industry, she has tentative plans for a marketing effort that uses the region�s past to explain and enhance its present. Wine farm tours, a historical interpretive center and "branding" Rogue Valley-grown produce are part of Root�s vision, all centered at the Voorhies house. "It�s a logical place to celebrate that history," Root says. Indeed, Eden Valley Orchard is regarded as the birthplace of the Southern Oregon pear industry. It dates to the late 19th century, when Joseph H. Stewart planted orchards that bore the first fruit shipped east. Stewart also built the core of the existing mansion. In 1899, Stewart sold the property to Gordon Voorhies of Portland and the Voorhies family further developed and expanded the property. Gordon�s son, architectural student Charles Voorhies, remodeled the mansion in 1920. "One of the most important things about the property is that it covers a range of history from the county�s earliest days to today," said Kay Atwood, an Ashland historian who wrote the nomination to the historic register. Historian George Kramer was the project supervisor. "This listing on the national registry recognizes, as it always does, that this house has important architectural and historic associations. And it recognizes that it�s significant in the Rogue Valley," Atwood added. That historical significance is a valuable commodity, especially in a region that draws nearly a million visitors a year for Shakespeare, music and outdoor recreation. "We don�t have anything for anybody to do during the day," she says. "We don�t have a reason for people to stop and play." Done right, agricultural tourism would give plenty of visitors plenty to do, she says. Plus, it would remind longtime residents and newcomers alike about what drew folks to the Rogue Valley in the first place. Just look around, she says, gesturing toward blue skies and fertile orchards ringed by mountains. "If you want to preserve what is here, you have to bring people here to smell, touch and taste it," Root says. "That�s why I�m so passionate about this." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA