Mt. Angel History Tour

Mt. Angel is a charming town with Bavarian-style storefronts and the picturesque Mt. Angel Abbey on the scenic bluff. It was founded by German Catholic settlers and is located 18 miles northeast of Salem. The town was established when the railroad came through in 1880 and named Fillmore after one of the railroad executives. The name was changed to Frankfort and then to Roy before a small group of Benedictine monks from Engelberg, Switzerland came to in 1882 to found a monastery on the butte overlooking the city. The location at one time was the center of worship for Native Americans who called it Tapalamaho, which means "mount of communion." Father Adelhem Odermatt, the founder of the Abbey, petitioned the post office to rename the town Mt. Angel, the anglicized translation of Engelberg. Mt. Angel was incorporated in 1893. The city is best known today for celebrating its heritage each year during Oktoberfest, which is held in September on the second Thursday after Labor Day. More than 350,000 people flock to the tiny town for the four-day event.

Monuments and markers

Maibaum, or “The Tree of Trades,” is a symbol of community. It displays the symbols of businesses, services, and skills practiced by the people who call Mt. Angel home. The lowest two branches speak of the spiritual and intellectual foundations of the community, the parish church, and village school. The top is crowned with the Engelberg Angel weather vane.

Die Fruchtsäule, or the Harvest Monument, has graced every Mt. Angel Oktoberfest since 1969 and is the official event symbol. The annual work of art is erected in the center of the festival area, at the intersection of E. Charles and S. Garfield streets, and symbolizes the importance of agriculture to the area. The monument has been crafted over the years by a series of artists, first using fruits and vegetables nailed individually in geometric shapes, then evolving into finer details by pasting seeds and painting the backgrounds. It makes a great backdrop for souvenir photos.

Abbey Drive, the entrance road to Mt. Angel Abbey, features the 14 Stations of the Cross, each recalling the suffering and death of Jesus. The statuary is from Munich, Germany, and dates to 1889. Pilgrims walk this path in prayer and visit the Grotto of Mary at the top of the hill.

Berchtold Memorial Park is a small parcel located east of City Hall in historic downtown. The park consists of a gazebo, plaques memorializing former mayors Jacob Berchtold (1936-1958) and Joseph J. Berchtold (1970-76), benches and a restroom.

Buildings and architecture

Mt. Angel Abbey is nestled atop a 300-foot bluff with views of Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams. Walkways offer visitors a peaceful place to stroll through the landscaped and natural grounds and enjoy the architecture of the Abbey buildings. The Romanesque-style Abbey Church is the center of life on the holy hilltop. Visitors are welcome to gather with the monks for prayer or just enjoy the architecture, art, and silence. The Abbey is home to one of the most significant theological libraries in the Pacific Northwest, home to a priceless collection of illuminated manuscripts and a display of rare hand-printed books. Its museum features an unusual collection of artifacts and curiosities from the Pacific Northwest and beyond, including a North American mammal collection and Holy Land artifacts. It is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Queen of Angels Priory, dedicated in 1888, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places nearly a century later in 1982. It is home to the Benedictine Sisters who came to Mt. Angel in 1882. The center section is the oldest part of the four-story brick structure, and many of the bricks were made from the clay soil on site. The north wing of the building was added in 1903 and the south wing in 1912. The monastery, at 840 S. Main St., sustained major damage in 1993 during an earthquake, which had an epicenter just east of Mt. Angel. Some parts of the building had to be demolished, but others were repaired, renovated and retrofitted.

St. Mary's Catholic Church, built in 1912, is a Gothic jewel. The church dates back to 1881 when it was first built. The town outgrew three buildings before construction of the current church. This one was built ornate in the Revival Gothic style with locally produced pressed cement bricks. It has 26 large stained glass windows and its 200-foot bell tower can be seen for miles. The church, located at 575 E College St., was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Windischar's General Blacksmith Shop, at 110 Sheridan St., also is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It earned the designation in 1980. Today a small gift shop, Louie's Corner, operates out of the building. The shop is open Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tools once used in the blacksmith shop are displayed and open to the public during Oktoberfest.

The Glockenspiel is the cornerstone of downtown and a tribute to the community's German-Swiss-Bavarian heritage and its beloved Oktoberfest. The four-story tower, which is billed as the largest glockenspiel in the U.S., was built in 2006 to resemble an Alpine chalet and is part of the Edelweiss Building. It includes a giant clock with six hand-carved wooden figures on the second floor. Crowds gather at regularly scheduled times to watch the figures dance about and listen to the chime of bells. The glockenspiel plays at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily.

Famous residents

Mathias Butsch, the patriarch of one of the German Catholic families that first settled in the area, was instrumental in bringing the Abbey to town. He wrote letters to priests back east encouraging them to visit the butte. Other notable early settlers included George Settlemier, who platted the original town site near the railroad, and  Benjamin Cleaver, whose donation land claim includes most of the present town site.

Elaine Annen is a lifelong resident who loaned her doll collection to be displayed for the people of Mt. Angel. She was born in 1932, and her family was one of the first hop growers in town. She served as the executive secretary of Oregon Hop Growers from 1964 to 1991. At an international hop convention in Hereford, England, she became the first American woman to be knighted into the Order of the Hop. Annen worked for years at US Bank in Mt. Angel. According to her bio, her first doll was given to her in 1968 by a woman she was helping to move into a care facility. Her collection grew when she joined a doll club after retiring from the bank in 1982. More than 300 of her dolls, from various continents and eras, are on display in a gallery at the Community Festhalle, 500 S. Wilco Highway 214. The Elaine Annen Doll Museum is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the first and third Fridays of the month, and on the second and fourth Saturdays. Admission is free.

Demographics

Mt. Angel has a certified population estimate of 3,375, as reported by the Portland State University Population Research Center in July 2016. That's up from 3,286 in the 2010 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city is 1.14 square miles.