Let’s Celebrate Heritage in Action!
We are thrilled to share in the celebration to honor the 2024 Oregon Heritage Excellence Awards recipients! These individuals, organizations, and projects have showcased unparalleled dedication to preserving Oregon's rich heritage will be recognized at the upcoming Oregon Heritage Conference in Forest Grove on Thursday April 18th.
Through our Most Endangered Places Program, DeMuro Awards, and Preservation Together Technical Services program, Restore Oregon has been honored to have worked with several of these dedicated award-winning preservationists, including:
- Peggy Sigler on the Mark Prairie Schoolhouse and Willamette Falls Locks
- Kelly Cannon-Miller, who has served several years as DeMuro Award judge and a long time advisor
- The Liberty Theatre on the Bay in North Bend as a rural theater in our Most Endangered Places program
- Kimberly Moreland is a former DeMuro Award judge and helped to secure the Billy Webb Elks Lodge in the National Register of Historic Places. She is currently a partner in our Albina Preservation Initiative, a three-part project to document and share Black preservation methods and stories with the public, create a safe space for difficult discussions regarding Oregon’s racist past, and establish a path forward for inclusive preservation statewide by developing tools and conducting research focused on Oregon's black community.
Restore Oregon is proud to have nominated Kim for the Oregon Heritage Excellence Award. For over three decades, Kim has dedicated herself to working with local governments, non-profit organizations, businesses, and community members to design, research, and implement heritage projects that have enhanced the quality of life, economic opportunity, and social cohesion of the communities she serves. Kim’s work is most notable for her focus on the preservation of African American heritage in Oregon–a woefully underrepresented group in Oregon’s historic record.
There are many well-deserved awardees; here's the full list of 2024 Oregon Heritage Excellence Award recipients:
- Maxville Heritage Interpretive Center for exceptional work in preserving the Maxville townsite, a multi-racial logging community established in Wallowa County in the 1920s.The multi-phased approach included the acquisition of the land, the project of the last remaining building, archaeological research, and listing the site on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Oscar Hult for his service and dedication to preserving and promoting Albany’s heritage.
- Talent Historical Society’s Documenting the Alameda Fire project for a comprehensive documentation project following the 2020 Almeda Fire that had a devastating impact on communities in Southern Oregon.
- US Army Corps of Engineers for the Willamette Valley Project Section 106 Programmatic Agreement resulting in a groundbreaking approach to consultation and setting a new standard for collaborative decision-making in historic preservation efforts.
- Peggy Sigler for over three decades of impact in preserving Oregon’s heritage, promoting its value, and heritage advocacy efforts.
- Salem’s Historic Landmarks Commission and its innovative approach in protecting cultural and archaeological resources that serves as a model locally and nationally.
- Kelly Cannon-Miller for her dedication, strategic vision, and collaborative spirit in Deschutes County heritage preservation efforts and beyond.
- Kimberly Moreland for her dedication to and service in documenting, preserving, and championing Oregon's heritage with a focus on Oregon’s African American history.
- The Liberty Theatre, Home of the Little Theatre on the Bay in North Bend, for their extensive renovation effort preserving the theatre's 1924 architecture while modernizing its amenities and accessibility.
- Mark Beach for his 30 years of service in researching and sharing Oregon’s North Coast history.
- Mary Jo Morelli for her dedicated advocacy for historical preservation and education in Forest Grove for over five decades.
- The 2024 Sally Donovan Award for Historic Cemetery Preservation goes to Cricket Soules for nearly two decades of work transforming the Marshfield Pioneer Cemetery from a neglected site into a vibrant community space and educational resource.
Restore Oregon celebrates and honors all these champions of Oregon's heritage!