History
The house was built in 1902-1903 by Charles Brown and his brother George. Charles had moved from Indiana, and his father owned the local sawmill. His experience with Victorian houses in the midwest influenced the design of the house he built. It is considered a Queen Anne Style Victorian. Charles and his wife Martha raised their three children in the house, which was a working farm. When Charles died in 1925, Martha moved to her father-in-law’s smaller house on Second Avenue with her youngest daughter, Ruth, since her two older boys were grown. She rented then sold the house to a nurse, Alice Kendrick, who turned it into Stayton’s first hospital.
Stayton’s First Hospital
When the Brown House was sold to Alice Kendricks in 1929, she opened Stayton’s first hospital there. Over the years, additions and modifications were made, to create a surgery, recovery rooms, and a labor and delivery room. Yes, many babies were born at the Brown House, and we refer to them as “Brown House Babies.” As of 2021, we are aware of more than 130 babies who were born here. Several have even come back to visit!
The Brown House remained Stayton's first hospital until 1938.
For a short video of the house specific to the hospital years narrated by Wendy Stone, SHF Board President and former resident of the Brown House, please click on the video below.
Brown House Hospital Tour
After the Hospital
In 1949, the Weddle family bought the house, and various family members lived there until 1987.
After about 10 years of sitting vacant, the house was scheduled for demolition, but the Santiam Heritage Foundation was formed in 2000 to save it.