BANKS, Ore. — On Friday morning, an excavator roared to life in Banks, Oregon near the historic Wilkes House. Soon, the mechanical arm reached through the siding, gutting the 150-year-old structure. It was a sight Jennifer Newton hoped she’d never see.
“It sat here for 150 years and it’s just been torn down in a matter of minutes,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.
Newton is a volunteer with the Banks Historical Society, who rallied support with the intention to restore the home.
“I could see part of the roof down, it’s just heartbreaking,” said Linda Moehnke, who grew up in Banks. “Especially when the community, the historical society, has been working so hard to keep it.”
The Wilkes House is one of the oldest homes in the area, built for Peyton and Anna Wilkes. The couple arrived by way of the Oregon Trail and laid claim to many acres along Dairy Creek. This farmhouse was built in the 1870s.
Plans reveal the site is slated to become a 147-home-development, and the spot where the Wilkes Home sat will be up for municipal use; one option is a water treatment plant.
“I’m shocked,” said Carol Rosenblith, who lives just outside Banks. Rosenblith said she wouldn’t call herself a member of the historical society, but she did take an interest in their efforts.
“Very, very sad to see something like this because this is lost. This is gone,” Rosenblith said. “If we turn our backs on our history who are we?”
Newton launched a GoFundMe at the end of June after the historical society spoke at a city council meeting earlier in the month, expressing their need for support from the city and desire to save the building.
The city responded to that effort, scheduling a meeting with the historical society for early next week. But now, Newton says there’s not much to talk about anymore with the building abruptly demolished.
“We never even got to finish having that discussion,” Newton said. “All we asked is for them to put it on pause.”
The mayor's office told KGW in a statement that the city did not have a hand in demolishing the Wilkes House and “the property owners did not coordinate with the City in doing this work on their property.”
KGW made repeated efforts to contact both the property owners and developer, who never responded.