Join us May 5, 2024, 1:00-4:00 PM, for our annual open house at the Wayne Morse Family Farm!
2023 WAYNE MORSE LEGACY SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
Alex Clarke (center, below) and Zidane Indarta (not pictured) were awarded the 2023 Wayne Morse Legacy scholarships. Information about them and earlier Wayne Morse Legacy recipients is on the Scholarship page. They are studying, working, and doing good things. We’re proud of them!
The Wayne Morse Historical Park Corporation established the Wayne Morse Legacy Scholarship in 2011 to recognize Oregon students who seek access to higher education and may be inspired by the Senator’s legacies of public service, integrity, and commitment to principle and independence. The outstanding recipients have attended Portland State, Oregon State, the University of Oregon, Western Oregon University, Lane and Portland Community Colleges, OHSU/Oregon Health Sciences University, and Pacific University..
HISTORY AND POLITICS COME ALIVE AT WAYNE MORSE FAMILY FARM PARK!
You can enjoy the 27 acre Wayne Morse Family Farm, which is a City of Eugene Park. The trails and the off leash dog area are open. The picnic shelter is available for rental events, in addition to a few limited teen and fitness classes approved by City Recreational Services. During summer months, the City’s Wayne Morse Summer Day Camp is held on site.
When you come to the Morse Farm, you can walk the trails which Wayne Morse and his family enjoyed. Bring your dog to exercise in the fenced Off Leash Dog Area in the lower east pasture where Morse trained champion horses in an oval riding ring. Or find a quiet place to enjoy a book as the Morse daughters often did.
The white framed sign on the fence near the sidewalk to the family home presents a brief history about Morse, his family and Farm. Continue checking here through our website for additional background about Senator Morse, his Farm, and the Wayne Morse Historical Park Corporation.e Shelton McMurphey Johnson House across town near Skinner Butte.
Throughout Eugene, there are more places to discover Morse — and Eugene — history. Take one of the tours below or visit the Mims House and the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House across town near Skinner Butte.
- On the Trail of the Tiger, travels around Eugene and the University of Oregon, offering opportunities to learn about a remarkable Oregonian and reflect on his legacies. Download our tour brochure PDF (2 legal size 8.5×14 pages). Information about the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza in downtown Eugene is available by clicking here.
- A ramble around the Crest Drive neighborhood with some nearby historic homes. See PDF: Welcome to Wayne Morse Family Farm and Historic Homes of the Crest Drive Neighborhood . Please note all homes are private and not open to the public.
- The Mims House, in the East Skinner Butte area, served as a safe house for African American travelers from 1948 to 1966 when there was race separation in Eugene. It now serves as the headquarters of the Eugene-Springfield National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 2017, Wayne Morse’s long service for the NAACP and his commitment to civil rights were recognized at the Mims House with a photo plaque commemorating his 1947 speech to the NAACP at the Lincoln Memorial. Call for information about visiting, (541) 484-1119.
- Shelton McMurphey Johnson House, in the south Skinner Butte area and our sister historic house museum, is considered an unofficial city history museum, with tours, exhibits and virtual programs available. Plan a visit at https://smjhouse.org.
Learn more:
Our biography about Wayne Morse explores his role in Oregon and our nation’s history. Click on PDF link (22 pages).Morse is celebrated for his legacies of independent judgment and integrity throughout his public service as a renowned federal labor arbitrator and four-term United States Senator from Oregon. He led the University of Oregon’s School of Law for 14 years.
Our National Register page offers historical details about Edgewood Farm, where Morse and his family lived from 1936 to 1974.
Wayne Morse Family Farm Park
Formerly a working cattle and horse farm, the Morse family’s Edgewood Farm is now a 26-acre multi-use City of Eugene Park. Interpretive and preservation efforts at the Park are supported by the Wayne Morse Historical Park Corporation. Information about the Park including rentals of the picnic shelter and the house is available on our Park page.
HISTORIC PROPERTIES OF OREGON
Historic Properties of Oregon is a coalition of over 30 Oregon historic house museums organized in 2018. It aims to improve opportunities to attract visitors interested in history and historic preservation to the sites and to tell the Oregon story. Brochures are available at any of the historic properties, including the Wayne Morse Family Farm and the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House in Eugene, and at Visitor Centers throughout the state. Further information is available at this link.
HISTORIC PROPERTIES OF OREGON – PUZZLES
