160323 WBW Week 25 - Seth Lewelling home on McLoughlin Boulevard near Monroe Street

MMMD/16/1294

City of Milwaukie - Communications and Distributions - Publications - Publications- all others

Happy Wednesday ‪#‎Milwaukie‬! Our Spring Break ‪#‎WayBackWednesday‬ photo features the Seth Lewelling House which sat on McLoughlin Blvd near Monroe Street. Lewelling was a pioneer-era nurseryman who dabbled in populist politics and was the inventor of many varieties of cherries - including the Bing Cherry. More details in the comments below. ‪#‎MilwaukieWBW‬ ‪#‎MilwaukieTBT‬ ‪#‎HistoricMilwaukie‬ ‪#‎SethLewelling‬ ‪#‎McLoughlinBlvd‬ ‪#‎pioneer‬ ‪#‎nurseryman‬ ‪#‎Populism‬ ‪#‎HistoricHomes‬ ‪#‎BingCherry‬ Photo Credit: the ‪#‎MilwaukieHistoricalSociety‬ - visit them on Facebook here: http://ow.ly/UioOe ‪#‎OregonHeritage‬ Seth and his brother Henderson Lewelling moved their families from the American Midwest to Milwaukie around 1850, when Seth purchased the house that stood at 10966 SE McLoughlin Blvd, where the 76 gas station is today. The house, a Greek Revival structure built by Elisha Kellogg in 1849, became a center of the Populist political movement in Oregon and is considered to be the birthplace of the Initiative and Referendum Law – the Oregon System – that was adopted by voters in 1902. The structure would outlive Seth by 44 years, being torn down in 1940. For more on the house visit the Library of Congress webpage: http://ow.ly/ZSaCo, for more information on Seth Lewelling click here: http://ow.ly/ZSaEe.