Juneteenth walking tours explore Salem’s Black history, one family at a time

The Willamette Heritage Center views the Juneteenth holiday as a physical invitation to walk with purpose, while others take use of it to relax or go to joyous community gatherings.

Celebrated every year on June 19, Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, when the last enslaved persons in the United States were officially told they were free. Black communities have long celebrated Juneteenth, which was officially recognized in Oregon the following year and becoming a federal holiday in 2021.

An annual Juneteenth Community History Walk is organized by the Salem-based historical organization in collaboration with Just Walk Salem Keizer and Oregon Black Pioneers, inviting people to walk through Salem’s Black history.

The Willamette Heritage Center marks the start and finish of the 2.8-mile loop through downtown, which showcases the locations where local Black families lived, worked, prayed, and celebrated independence. When the inaugural Juneteenth Community History Walk was held in 2023, local participants enthusiastically supported it.

“I thought we might have thirty people come out the first year,” said Kylie Pine, curator and collections manager at the Willamette Heritage Center. We had 150 people show up for a community event, so I thought it would be a good attendance.

In partnership with Oregon Black Pioneers, a nonprofit organization devoted to conserving and showcasing Oregon’s Black history, the event was conceived. Pine assisted the Oregon Black Pioneers in discovering the background of a newspaper ad for Albert Bayless, a Black blacksmith who ran a shop in downtown Salem for many years and was a prominent member of the community, as part of the organization’s Black History Quest program.

According to Pine, our extensive study was enjoyable, but it also revealed a dearth of Black history-related source material in our archives and collections. Therefore, we made the decision to make the presentation a walking tour.

For the four walks this year, Pine and Mariah Rocker, manager of public events and displays for the Oregon Black Pioneers, took turns serving as tour leaders.

The Willamette Heritage Center’s curator and collections manager, Kylie Pine, is one of the tour guides for the yearly Juneteenth Community History Walk, which honors Salem’s Black past.Profenna Chiara

Every year, a different Salem-based family whose story is steeped in Salem’s past is highlighted by the walk, which was created to promote community connectedness while recognizing the lives of individuals impacted by slavery and emancipation.

Pine stated, “I think it’s unique in that it really distills a national story into a local context.” And during this operation, we get to be outside, move, and interact with one another in a community setting.

This year’s tour focused on the Gorman family, whose history dates back to Hannah Gorman and her daughter Eliza Gorman, who arrived in Oregon in 1844 as some of the first people to cross the Oregon Trail after being enslaved.

“I love the Gorman family because they appear in many different aspects of our community stories,” Pine added. We are seeking families who have roots in Salem, spend time here, and have connections to the area.

The trip covered three generations of the Gorman family and visited 14 locations in Salem, each of which represented significant events and places in the family’s history. The trip is an exercise in reliving the past because many of the ancient structures have long since been demolished.

Celine Coleman, a Salem resident who regularly takes the excursions, stated, “I just like to see the other side of Salem, the past coming together with the present.” Simply put, I think it’s interesting to learn about legacy families.

Focusing on a single family not only gives the tours a more in-depth emphasis, but it also enables the Willamette Heritage Center to expand its collection of documents and materials about Black history in Oregon.

According to Pine, a lot of Oregon’s Black history frequently centers on Portland and the truly spectacular and wonderful events that took place there. However, we were determined to highlight Salem residents. It is unquestionably a Salem story and a state narrative.

Because of a link she found between the Gorman and Johnson families, Pine, who conducts annual study on the families, is already looking forward to the visit next year. In the 1850s, the Johnsons purchased a half-block in downtown Salem, where they resided for many years.

Coleman remarked, “It’s just good to see all the contributions that Black people have made to Salem.” It looks like the Johnson family will be there next year. I’m looking forward to next year because Kylie always does a fantastic job.

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Chiara Profenna discusses faith, religion, and cultural ties. You may contact her at cprofenna@oregonian.com or @chiaraprofenna, or 503-221-4327.

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