Shadden House

11105 NW Baker Creek Rd  |  Built 1859

One of the earliest homes in McMinnville, the Shadden House dates to 1859 — the same year Oregon
achieved statehood — and the first days of non-native settlement in the area.

Thomas Jefferson Shadden arrived in Oregon in 1842 as part of a small overland emigration. He left his
wife, Martha Sumner Shadden, and their young children behind to serve as a mounted rifleman under
John C. Frémont during the Mexican-American War. He later joined the Gold Rush before returning
home in 1850. On his donation land claim along Baker Creek, Shadden built this sturdy two-story
residence between 1856 and 1859. The house is a rare early example of Classical Revival style in the
Yamhill Valley, with its simple yet symmetrical form, balanced proportions, and subtle classical
detailing adapted to pioneer life. Thomas and Martha raised their family here while he contributed to
the young community, later serving as one of the first town trustees after McMinnville’s incorporation
in 1876.

The remarkably well-preserved house sits on the edge of town, past the traffic circle on Baker Creek
Road. Its solid form reflects the practical needs of early farming families carving out a life in the Yamhill
Valley. The property remained in the Shadden family for nearly eight decades until its sale in 1937.

Judge Lester Grenfell and his wife Roberta, prominent McMinnville residents, purchased the property.
Their daughter Mary Ann Grenfell married Norwood Draper, and the house eventually became part of
Draper Farms, a cherished local operation that has provided fresh produce to the Yamhill Valley for five
generations.

The Shadden House endures as a quiet witness to McMinnville’s pioneer beginnings — a link between
the earliest settlers and the farms and families that still define the valley today.