Phillip Foster Farm

    If you have been on Foster Road and wondered where the name came from, go visit the Phillip Foster Farm.  It is a bit of a drive east of town between Estacada and Eagle Creek.  Foster and Barlow were partners in the Barlow Road which was a toll road that brought early settlers around Mt Hood and into the Willamtte Valley without floating down the Columbia.  Foster conviently located a store at the end of the trail to offer supplies to the new settlers.  I thought it was interesting that the Fosters came to the area by sailing around Cape Horn and then coming ashore and traveling to this area.
   The farm is owned by a trust and operated as a museum to demonstrate farm life in that era.  The barn is mortise and tendon construction from the 1860s and is filled with farming and ranching tools and equipment.   Costumed volunteers do demonstrations on some of the items.  Even though the place is not on the beaten path it is open Tues - Sat.  There are upcoming special events, such as an apple cider squeeze coming up so check the webpage.  The original house is gone but the Foster house from 1883 is open for tours. If you notice the large bush that hides the right side of the house, it is a lilac bush that was brought by Mrs Foster on board the ship from the east coast.  So it is over 170 years old.  We purchased a cutting from that heritage Lilac and it will be planted in our yard.
    The farm is both history and education and is worth the pleasant drive into the country.  It was made more pleasurable bacause we found fresh produce on the way home.