Witch Hazel, Oregon
Encyclopedia
Witch Hazel is a neighborhood of the city of Hillsboro
in Washington County
, Oregon
, United States
. Formerly an unincorporated community, and considered a separate populated place
by the United States Geological Survey
, it is on the Tualatin Valley Highway
and the Southern Pacific railroad line a mile (1 miles (1.6 km)) west of Reedville
.
, he had never heard of a racehorse named "Witch Hazel". Mayor DeLashmutt did once own a building at Southwest Front and Madison streets in Portland that he called the "Witch Hazel Building". Apparently he liked the name, although the witch-hazel
plant, Hamamelis virginiana, is not native to Oregon.
The Portland, Eugene and Eastern Railway had a station at Witch Hazel with the line later becoming part of the Southern Pacific.
DeLashmutt once had the finest string of racehorses in the Pacific Northwest
and his racetrack at Witch Hazel was once one of the best racetracks in America. There were two tracks on his Witch Hazel Farm. The main track was a 1 miles (1.6 km) oval used for races. The second, a half-mile (0.5 mile (0.80467 km)) oval was surrounded by sheds.
Witch Hazel post office was established in 1904 and closed in 1905. About 1921, 400 acres (1.6 km²) in Witch Hazel were subdivided for a development called Witch Hazel Little Farms. The property was divided into 24 tracts of up to 10 acres (40,468.6 m²), and by November 1921 ten tracts had been sold. By May 1922, the number of tracts had increased to 27, and 24 had been sold. By August 1924, however, the developer was reporting that eight tracts had been sold in the preceding week, and 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) remained unsold. At that time water, gas, and electricity were all available in the development and construction on three homes had begun. In 1927, dog racing began at a track in Witch Hazel featuring whippet
s.
In 1999 and 2002, Metro
brought 318 acres (1.3 km²) in Witch Hazel into the urban growth boundary
. The City of Hillsboro passed a community development plan for the area in February 2004. Once the development is completed, it is estimated that it will house 5,000 people.
and children from the Witch Hazel area attended school at that one-room schoolhouse. The Witch Hazel School District 79 was formed in 1889 and took its 28 students out of the Reedville School District. The one-school Witch Hazel district merged back into the Reedville district in 1966.
The current Witch Hazel Elementary School is located in the community on Davis Street at Brookwood Avenue, and is part of the Hillsboro School District
. A new building was built in 2003 to replace the old structure located on Tualatin Valley Highway at Brookwood Avenue prior to the re-alignment of Brookwood Avenue and Witch Hazel Road at the highway. The reconstruction of those intersections came in late 2006. In 2009, South Meadows Middle School opened adjacent to the elementary school.
45.5003945°N 122.9312140°W
Hillsboro, Oregon
Hillsboro is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and is the county seat of Washington County. Lying in the Tualatin Valley on the west side of the Portland metropolitan area, the city is home to many high-technology companies, such as Intel, that compose what has become known as the...
in Washington County
Washington County, Oregon
- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Formerly an unincorporated community, and considered a separate populated place
Populated place
A populated place is a place or area with clustered or scattered buildings and a permanent human population referenced with geographic coordinates...
by the United States Geological Survey
United States Geological Survey
The United States Geological Survey is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it. The organization has four major science disciplines, concerning biology,...
, it is on the Tualatin Valley Highway
Tualatin Valley Highway
The Tualatin Valley Highway No. 29 is an Oregon highway which passes through the Tualatin Valley, between the cities of McMinnville and Beaverton...
and the Southern Pacific railroad line a mile (1 miles (1.6 km)) west of Reedville
Reedville, Oregon
Reedville is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States between Hillsboro and Aloha. Oregon Route 8 runs through the area. Cornelius Pass Road is another main arterial...
.
History
A small cemetery for the Stewart family dating to 1856 was discovered in Witch Hazel when the land was cleared for development. According to An Illustrated History of the State of Oregon by H. K. Hines, the Stewarts lived on "Hazelwitch farm" beginning in 1849. Former Portland mayor Van B. DeLashmutt had a farm there in the 1880s and supposedly named the place for one of his racehorses, however. But according to racehorse authority Governor Oswald WestOswald West
Oswald West was an American politician, a Democrat, who served most notably as the 14th Governor of Oregon. Called "Os West" by Oregon writer Stewart Holbrook, who described him as "by all odds the most brilliant governor Oregon ever had."- Early life and career :West was born in Ontario, Canada...
, he had never heard of a racehorse named "Witch Hazel". Mayor DeLashmutt did once own a building at Southwest Front and Madison streets in Portland that he called the "Witch Hazel Building". Apparently he liked the name, although the witch-hazel
Witch-hazel
Witch-hazel is a genus of flowering plants in the family Hamamelidaceae, with three species in North America , and one each in Japan and China...
plant, Hamamelis virginiana, is not native to Oregon.
The Portland, Eugene and Eastern Railway had a station at Witch Hazel with the line later becoming part of the Southern Pacific.
DeLashmutt once had the finest string of racehorses in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
and his racetrack at Witch Hazel was once one of the best racetracks in America. There were two tracks on his Witch Hazel Farm. The main track was a 1 miles (1.6 km) oval used for races. The second, a half-mile (0.5 mile (0.80467 km)) oval was surrounded by sheds.
Witch Hazel post office was established in 1904 and closed in 1905. About 1921, 400 acres (1.6 km²) in Witch Hazel were subdivided for a development called Witch Hazel Little Farms. The property was divided into 24 tracts of up to 10 acres (40,468.6 m²), and by November 1921 ten tracts had been sold. By May 1922, the number of tracts had increased to 27, and 24 had been sold. By August 1924, however, the developer was reporting that eight tracts had been sold in the preceding week, and 75 acres (303,514.5 m²) remained unsold. At that time water, gas, and electricity were all available in the development and construction on three homes had begun. In 1927, dog racing began at a track in Witch Hazel featuring whippet
Whippet
The Whippet is a breed of dog in the sighthound family. They are active and playful and are physically similar to a small Greyhound.- Description :...
s.
In 1999 and 2002, Metro
Metro (Oregon regional government)
Metro, formerly known as Metropolitan Service District, is the regional governmental agency for the Oregon portion of the Portland metropolitan area...
brought 318 acres (1.3 km²) in Witch Hazel into the urban growth boundary
Urban growth boundary
An urban growth boundary, or UGB, is a regional boundary, set in an attempt to control urban sprawl by mandating that the area inside the boundary be used for higher density urban development and the area outside be used for lower density development.An urban growth boundary circumscribes an...
. The City of Hillsboro passed a community development plan for the area in February 2004. Once the development is completed, it is estimated that it will house 5,000 people.
Schools
In 1859, a school was built in neighboring ReedvilleReedville, Oregon
Reedville is an unincorporated community in Washington County, Oregon, United States between Hillsboro and Aloha. Oregon Route 8 runs through the area. Cornelius Pass Road is another main arterial...
and children from the Witch Hazel area attended school at that one-room schoolhouse. The Witch Hazel School District 79 was formed in 1889 and took its 28 students out of the Reedville School District. The one-school Witch Hazel district merged back into the Reedville district in 1966.
The current Witch Hazel Elementary School is located in the community on Davis Street at Brookwood Avenue, and is part of the Hillsboro School District
Hillsboro School District
The Hillsboro School District 1J is a unified school district located in Hillsboro, Oregon, United States. The district operates 26 elementary schools, four middle schools, and four high schools. Founded in 1851, the school district covers Hillsboro, Scholls, Reedville, North Plains, West Union,...
. A new building was built in 2003 to replace the old structure located on Tualatin Valley Highway at Brookwood Avenue prior to the re-alignment of Brookwood Avenue and Witch Hazel Road at the highway. The reconstruction of those intersections came in late 2006. In 2009, South Meadows Middle School opened adjacent to the elementary school.
External links
- Description of DeLashmutt farm from the April 5, 1893 Beaverton Chronicle
45.5003945°N 122.9312140°W