Brush College Park nears 100 Years Old

A tantalizing note in a 1923 paper suggested Brush College Park might be 100 years old this year.

Brush College Park

A City of Salem park, it sits across from Brush College School and alongside Gibson Creek at its confluence with Wilark Brook. In winter it's pretty wet and muddy. The 2013 Parks Master Plan doesn't have any information on the history of the park.

A piece from July 5th, 1923 suggested the land was formally donated to the public.

July 5th, 1923

From the piece:

When Mr. and Mrs. B W. Harritt bought their farm over at Brush College, in Polk county, 40 years ago, there was one little timbered tract of about six acres lying across the road from the house. Mr. Harritt said to his wife: "You can have that six acres for a picnic ground for the community and deed it to them for their use forever."

Mr. Harritt finally came to the end a long and worthy life with the deed of gift still unsigned, but with the understanding that had stood for 40 years that this beautiful bit of woodland, with a wonderful living spring and with shade for thousands of people, would eventually go to the public. Mrs. Cornelia Harritt took that six acres, as part of her share of the estate, and is having it surveyed and a deed prepared to give it to the public as a memorial.

They planned at one time to give it to the school district but then figured that if the schoolhouse should be moved, the property, being in the name of the district, might be sold and alienated from the public. Now, it is to be deeded to the Polk County court for the specific public purpose, and it can't ever get away.

It is a delightful memorial, one of the finest camping and picnic grounds in the valley. It is a fitting perpetuation of a most worthy pioneer name. Old Jesse Harritt, father of B. W. Harritt, who with his wife leaves this memorial, came to the valley in 1847. They have always lived near there. He helped build the original, first schoolhouse there, and four generations of Harritts have served on the school board or attended school there. The neighbors gave their services to build the first school. There was no taxing power to raise school funds, so they gave directly. The first school was a subscription affair. An Itinerant teacher would drift in, canvass the neighborhood for pupils, and if he got a contract that totalled $25 or more, he would run the school.

The name "Brush College" came from one of these subscription schools. One year there were eight big boys in the school, and no girls or little fellers. They thought they ought to have some better name than merely a district name. They thought of calling it "Coon Run College," because of the incredibly large number of raccoons that were found along the creek, but finally they hit on the name "Brush College" and it's that today.

In the paper the evidence is a little mushy, though, and suggests 1925 is a better year to mark its creation. A piece from 1956 says it was donated in 1925.

April 17th, 1956

Interestingly, what we know as Brush College Road appears to be known as Spring Valley road, but I am not sure about Sheridan Road. Could be Doaks Ferry or Wallace?

The area was also known as Crystal Spring.

Brush College, Crystal Spring, Spring Valley Road
1917 USGS map

Chasing that down is for another day, however!

A few years earlier, in a series on Brush College from 1939, the Bitsman had more detail. He also confirms 1925.

August 24th, 1939

He says the Brush College Community Club took the place of the Parent Teachers association, and did so "more especially to take over the administration of the gift...of six acres of land near the school house..."

The gift was outlined in November of 1923, and the club incorporated in March of 1925 "in order to carry out the purposes of the gift of the park, to be forever known as Harritt park..."

The property was "deeded to the club," and the Bitsman listed some offenses that would cause the donation "to revert to Christian Science church."

The Bitsman also referenced "a wonderful spring of pure water" and this may be the Crystal spring on the 1917 map.

August 25th, 1939

How it got from the Club to the City of Salem, perhaps via Polk County, and the name shifted from Harritt park to Brush College Park is also for another day.

May 30th, 1929

But it did not ever seem to be known as Harritt Park. That name hardly appears in the paper. In the late 1920s and early 30s after the donation, the park seems to be known as "Brush College community park" or "Brush College picnic grounds."

October 18th, 1948

Cornelia Harrett died in 1948 and her obituaries don't mention the donation of the land for the park. The clip from 1956 also called her "Mrs. Cornelius B. Harritt," but using her husband's name would make it Mrs. Bryon Harritt." So there is a certain neglect or forgetting of her role.

The whole history of the park, the second generation of Harritts, the donation and incorporation to accept the donation, the ways the Brush College neighborhood used the area both before donation and after, shifting names, all this looks like it might be worth more attention and detail. 

In any case the formal dedication of the park, distinct from its use as private property for a community picnic grounds, seems best dated to 1925, for a centennial in 2025!

The larger Brush College community was a frequent object of interest. Here are clips from a couple of history pieces.

June 19th, 1923

June 5th, 1947

Over at the Mill they've got a piece, "Bush College or Brush College?"

The old Harritt house on Wallace Road is still around and is on the National Register. Here's another picture that shows more of its Classical Revival detail.