Uncover: McMinnville Historic Preservation

Historic Preservation Month is celebrated annually during the month of May across the country. Public agencies and nonprofit organizations use the month of May to celebrate and promote historic buildings, sites, landscapes, and neighborhoods. McMinnville's extensive inventory, which includes numerous buildings and sites, provides ample opportunity to highlight the important historic resources that exist throughout the city. The McMinnville Downtown Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and includes many of the city's most prominent historic buildings. However, a vast majority of McMinnville's historic resources are located throughout other areas of the community and include numerous properties dating as far back as 1853.

The City of McMinnville was awarded a grant-in-aid from the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office and the Historic Preservation Fund, National Park Service, Department of the Interior, to reprint the popular Uncover McMinnville historic walking tour booklets in May of 2026. As part of this project, local historian Katherine Huit volunteered her time and expertise to research, update, and rewrite the historical information for the featured properties, ensuring the booklets reflect the most current and accurate historical research. The City is deeply grateful for Katherine's dedication to preserving and sharing McMinnville's rich history.

A native of McMinnville, Katherine Huit founded Willoheart Enterprises in 2007, with a mission to assist families and community organizations preserve their historical assets. Her undergraduate work at Linfield led to a 1987 history about the buildings on the university's historic campus. Obtaining a graduate degree in history, she joined the Evergreen Museum in 1999 and became adept at storytelling to connect people with artifacts. In 2003, she wrote and produced Dream to Fly: Howard Hughes and the Flying Boat, a documentary narrated by Walter Cronkite. Her recent efforts include the 2024 re-listing of the Hughes Flying Boat (Spruce Goose) in the National Register of Historic Places. In 2022, she wrote and published At Your Service, The History of McMinnville Water and Light, One of the Oldest Municipal Utilities in the West for McMinnville Water and Light. A member of the McMinnville High School Bicentennial Class of 1976, Huit currently serves on the McMinnville Historic Landmarks Committee.

First established and observed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1973, Historic Preservation Month celebrates our shared heritage and encourages communities to protect the places that tell their stories. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting America's historic buildings, landscapes, and neighborhoods. The City of McMinnville's Historic Landmarks Committee is the appointed body responsible for advancing historic preservation efforts and serves as the managing body for the City's Historic Resources Inventory, including reviewing proposed alterations to designated historic landmarks. The City's Historic Resources Inventory is a locally adopted list of protected structures, buildings, and sites.