Medford, Oregon (March 21, 2023) — Local photographer Ken Gregg will present a “then and now” look at the town of Jacksonville, Oregon in this Windows in Time talk on Wednesday, April 5 from 12 Noon to 1:00 p.m. on Zoom as well as in-person at the Medford Library, 205 South Central Avenue. The lecture will be repeated on Wednesday, April 12 from 12 Noon to 1:00 p.m. at the Phoenix Library, 510 West 1st Street.
Peter Britt, and later his son Emil, photographed Jacksonville, Oregon’s transition from a gold mining camp in the 1850s to the late 19th Century hub of Southern Oregon; then, when the railroad bypassed the town in 1927, to its decline to a backwater town. Ken Gregg, Jacksonville resident and professional photographer has captured the Jacksonville of today, its places and people, in stylized photographs that illustrate the revival of the town that became the first group of buildings on the West Coast to be declared a National Historic Landmark. This photo essay presentation will alternate between historic and contemporary photographs, where, particularly in this case, a picture is worth 1,000 words.
Ken Gregg was born in Los Angeles, California. At ten years old, his parents gave him an old box Brownie camera. In less than a year, he had built a darkroom in the home basement and was printing his own black and white images. His interest in photography continued through high school and college. After graduation, he worked for The North Face for ten years photographing outdoor equipment for their catalogues. In 1981, he transitioned into art photography, selling his imagery to luxury hotels throughout the world for their décor. Since moving to Jacksonville in 2012, he has been photographing what life looks like in this unique historic town. A selection of 35 of these images has been compiled into a photo-pictorial book A Year in Jacksonville.
Pre-registration is needed to attend the online version of this program and can be found at jcls.libcal.com/calendar/jcls_event/WIT-Apr-2023. A recording of the program will later be made available on the Jackson County Library Services YouTube channel; subscribe at youtube.com/c/JCLSBeyond.
The monthly Windows in Time lunchtime lectures feature well-known writers and historians and bring alive the people, values, and events that shaped our Southern Oregon heritage. The lectures are jointly sponsored by the Southern Oregon Historical Society and Jackson County Library Services. For more information, please contact the Southern Oregon Historical Society at 541-773-6536 or sohs.org or Jackson County Library Services at 541-774-8679 or jcls.org.
Image: Table Rock Saloon / Good Bean Coffee by Ken Gregg