Carolyn Kingsnorth, President of Historic Jacksonville, Inc., will present the Windows in Time lecture “Jacksonville's German-Speaking Settlers” on Wednesday, March 3 from 12 Noon–1:00 p.m. via the Zoom video conferencing app. All are welcome to attend this free lecture; registration is required.   

If you were walking the streets of Jacksonville during the second half of the 19th Century, German would have been the second language that you heard spoken. The discovery of gold in late December of 1851 attracted fortune seekers from all over the globe. As the gold played out, most of the miners moved on to their next claims, but some stayed, along with the settlers who came for free land and those merchants who saw opportunity in the frontier community that would become the hub of Southern Oregon commerce, government, and culture for the next three decades. More than a quarter of those who remained were first and second-generation immigrants from what is now Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. They wielded a decided influence over the community, not only engaging in productive occupations and involving themselves in civic groups and government, but also contributing significantly to the culture and scope of local life.  

After 40-plus years in marketing and organizational management, Carolyn Kingsnorth found an opportunity to tap her B.A. in history when she and her husband settled in historic Jacksonville almost 20 years ago. First as publisher of the Jacksonville Review and President of the Jacksonville Boosters Club, then as an annual character in Jacksonville’s “Meet the Pioneers” cemetery tours, and subsequently as President of Historic Jacksonville, Inc., Carolyn has immersed herself in local history. She has created numerous tours of the town and of Jacksonville’s Beekman House and Bank museums; writes monthly “Pioneer Profiles” in the Jacksonville Review; and creates daily history posts and blogs for Historic Jacksonville’s Facebook and Instagram pages. She has also served as a Trustee of the Southern Oregon Historical Society since 2013.