Photo: The Lady B was operated by the Bernert family whose ties to West Linn stretch back through five generations. It has been saved from the scrapyard and is being safely stored in West Linn until a permanent home and funding for public interpretation is secured. Photo courtesy of Advocates for Willamette Falls Heritage.
Action Alert Update: Lady B Saved From the Scrap Yard!
In August, we alerted you to the urgent threat that without $30,000 in emergency funding for temporary storage, the Lady B, a small steel-hulled tugboat built in 1947 that is likely the last of her kind, would be dismantled and permanently lost.
Soon after, Advocates for Willamette Falls Heritage (AWFH), (formerly known as the Willamette Falls Heritage Foundation, the registered 501(c)(3) managing the project, received community donations and approval from the Kinsman Foundation for $15,000 in grant funding towards the rescue. With this promising step forward, AWFH received a commitment for additional funds from Portland General Electric’s Willamette Falls Cultural Interpretation & Education Group and has reached its immediate funding goal to SAVE the Lady B by moving it to suitable temporary storage in West Linn!
Through Restore Oregon’s cost free technical assistance program, we’re collaborating with AWFH as they raise funds and plan for the tug’s public display and interpretation. Long-term, they will need to raise an additional $180,000 to secure a permanent public location, fund the tug’s historic interpretation, and pay for its nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. If you have questions, resources, expertise, or would like to make a donation, please contact Sandy Carter, AWFH Volunteer Curator, at sandy.carter@wordscount.biz.