Happy Birthday Peter Britt!

Posted Mar 12, 2010 at 07:01 PM in General

Southern Oregon Historical
Society #285

Our namesake pioneer would have been 191 today! The Britt park, of course, is on the former estate of the Jacksonville pioneer. Peter Britt was one of Jacksonville's most celebrated citizens, and through his photography, he contributed significantly to the history of the region, including the first photo of Crater Lake. In addition, he planted the first fruit trees in the region and opened Oregon's first winery. At various times he was a miner, packer, financier, bee-keeper and meteorologist.

Southern Oregon Historical Society owns many of the artifacts from Peter Britt, and a recent display entitled "Peter Britt: The Man Beyond the Camera," documented much of Britt's life. This text from the display detailed the presence of music in his family life:

Art and music had a place in the Britt household. Britt had trained as an itinerant artist in Switzerland and while in Southern Oregon painted landscapes and portraits for his own pleasure. Little is known about Britt's musical abilities, but he did encourage the musical talents of his children. His sons sang with a singing group (The German Singing Club) on summer evenings when they were boys, and Mollie played the beautifully carved Steinway piano that her father bought for her when she was twelve (ordered by catalog and shipped by train and then wagon to Jacksonville, an extraordinary luxury). A 1916 newspaper article reminisced about garden concerts Britt once enjoyed from his veranda. "The porch is a large one, and, of Sunday afternoons years ago, the city band (The Silver Cornet Band) would play and friends of old Peter Britt would sit out under the trees and enjoy the music and the cool winds that stole in from the sea to greet the magnolias and the jasmine that bloomed in the yard."

Britt's children continued to live in the ornate Victorian house after his death. Ultimately the bulk of the estate went to the Oregon University System. The house was destroyed by fire in 1960 and the grounds became a county park. On summer evenings Britt Festivals concertgoers continue to enjoy the view as they listen to music under the stars.

We are grateful to have our home on the estate of this pioneer, and be part of the ongoing legacy. Learn more about the history of Peter Britt or the Britt park.

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