Moorhouse Photo Collection: Part 2

1/31/25 33 Comments

Authored & Curated By

M.J.G.

From Lee Moorhouse’s extensive archive of photographs, this eccentric Victorian home stands out not only for its heavy ornamentation, but for its creative outbuildings. While only one known photo of the house exists, its fascinating details merit an entire chapter of study. As noted by Kate Dimon, Vice Chair of the Pendleton Historic Preservation Commission, it is a possibility this now-lost home was built on the bluff along a street formerly called High Street, now E. Goodwin. This entire hill was once reservation land, and if you paid the Native inhabitants for a parcel, you legally owned the property.

JimH and I were both unsuccessful in uncovering more information about this house, but that doesn’t mean it has to remain a dead end. New details surface all the time, and perhaps someone with more knowledge can help bring its story back to life!

Behind the wild brush and broken picket fence stands this fascinating beauty. Its identity remains largely unknown, other than its location. This striking structure features eccentric details and unique outbuildings, with a stunning view of the hills of Pendleton, Oregon. Look closely, and you’ll see a tall flagpole atop the flat portion of the roof. If anyone can identify this home, please share in the comments below.

Easily identifiable as a West Coast home of the 19th century, this structure is heavily ornamented with intricate wood-carved details. Its polychrome paint scheme enhances the elaborate craftsmanship, adding to its striking presence. For now we can only imagine what the color choices of the home were. Note the lamp post in the foreground.

Catalogs offered ready made options for a large variety of lamp posts for your home during the late 19th century along with other types of gardening equipment.

Perched on a tall brick foundation along the hillside, the home exudes a commanding presence. The diagonal latticework enclosure below perhaps means this area is used as a storage shed.

Someone didn’t put away the lawn mower!

While this home is clearly of the upper class, owning lawn maintenance equipment did not require extreme wealth. Mass production made modern conveniences affordable to a wide range of people. Lawn mowers and various attachments were available through catalogs such as Montgomery Ward and Sears Roebuck & Co., as well as many other gardening catalogs and local hardware stores. As seen in the screenshots above, not only could you purchase a push mower, but a variety of innovative tools were available to make the job easier to manage, such as this grass catcher.

This heavily ornamented façade, with its grand, oversized, finial-topped railings, makes a bold and commanding statement. It captivates with its creativity—extravagant, ornate, and even somewhat excessive. The intricate details at the base of the balustrade create a striking visual impact. It appears all of the details are picked out in alternating colors. Zooming in on the windows reveals that most are fitted with interior shutters, which are closed.

This house’s design is layered with intricate details, revealing more with each closer look. The chimney appears to be coated or stuccoed in some fashion, adding another textural element. Capping it all off, the roof finial is a fascinating sphere with spikes, leading to a sharply pointed roof ridge.

The opposite side of the roof gable offers even more details to examine. If you look closely, you can see that one of the small decorative spheres near the peak appears to have fallen off, along with another further down to the right, hinting at the passage of time and the home’s evolving story.

The second-floor balconies on this side of the house feature finials in a slightly different shape than the front of the house, adding a variety. However, it doesn’t stop there. Notice that the balustrades on each of the porches are also distinct from one another.

The room on the left shows a mix of window types—could it be a sunroom for plants? Was the mismatch of window and sash deliberate, or a later alteration? In this era, it’s not always clear. Like today, people continued to modify and alter their homes. Vines growing up your home in our modern times are usually frowned upon but during this era, vines growing up wires, pipes, trellises etc. was fashionable.

The back porch, likely part of the kitchen wing, is equipped with a lattice screen for privacy or to block out other less desirable servant duties. The architectural details across the top of the porch are particularly interesting and unique—I’ve never seen an execution quite like that before. Also, don’t miss the tiny round window on the second floor; it adds another distinctive touch to the design. Was that a bathroom? Was that a small window inside of a closet? We’ve certainly seen both in old architectural drawings and photos before.

In the scene, I can make out three figures. There’s a man holding the reins of a horse, a boy to his left, and a lady seated in the back. Their positioning adds a sense of narrative to the photograph, suggesting a moment of everyday life.

This is a fascinating structure! Is it a gazebo-like structure (often referred to in the 19th century as a summer house or pavilion) perched on a tall post or tree stump? Is it some type of Aviary like MattZ and Grant note? A tall ladder to the left provides access, sparking curiosity about its purpose. It’s easy to imagine spending hours here, drawn in by its charm and simplicity. The design exudes both whimsy and adventure, making it a perfect retreat with stunning views.

Home Carpentry for Handy Men by Francis Chilton 1895 is an interesting resource on how to construct your own “Summer-House”. Chapter X, not only discusses construction of summer houses, the chapter also aides in the construction of “Aviaries, Garden Frames, Greenhouses… and Toolhouses. ”

An online copy can be found here.

The grounds appear somewhat overgrown, yet the two-tiered fountain still sprays water for the photo, adding to the scene. The round fence surrounding the base likely encloses a pond, suggesting a serene, tranquil setting once meticulously cared for, now with nature slowly reclaiming the space. Perhaps the lawn mower we saw earlier was brought out to tame some of the garden before the photo.

Fountains were a popular trend in the 19th century and frequently appear in historic photographs of homes. They came in a wide variety of styles.

This has to be one of the most creative doghouses I’ve seen in early photography. Its design stands out with its unique style, making it more than just a shelter—it’s almost a small work of art. Who were these people, and what did they do? Their sense of creativity and attention to detail, even in something as simple as a doghouse, hints at a personality that valued craftsmanship and flair.

The carriage house, with its clipped gable roofline, echoes the house’s decor, albeit with a simpler execution. However, it is by no means lacking in detail. The construction taking place in the buildings behind the carriage house adds an interesting layer to the scene, suggesting ongoing development or expansion in the area.

Lastly, the neighboring grand Queen Anne Victorian, with its lighter color scheme, is certainly not simple by any means. Homeowners with money were retreating to this area of the town. This grand home stands in stands in stark contrast, showing off its intricate details and elegance. All the shutters are closed, likely to keep the sun out on a hot day, adding a sense of quiet and respite to the scene. No different than the house we see today that all of the interior shutters being closed. This gives a hint that perhaps this was a warm summer day, and the residences were all trying to exclude the sun from their homes, a method rarely used today with our AC units and central air. Keeping the sun out of your home was a sure way to assist in keeping rooms cool as well as keeping the sun from fading your interiors.

More to come from this remarkable collection by Lee Moorhouse …

The Lee Moorhouse Collection Chapters:
The Moorhouse Collection: Part 1

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