Floed-Lane House History

The Floed-Lane house

The Floed-Lane House is located at 544 S.E. Douglas Avenue in Roseburg Oregon.  This house has served as headquarters of the Douglas County Historical Society since 1959. 

A bit of history

In 1850, the site of present-day Roseburg was a grassy prairie lying along the present-day South Umpqua River and Deer Creek. Aaron Rose and his family arrived from Michigan to file their land claims and purchase squatter’s rights to what became Roseburg, Oregon. It was originally called Deer Creek, Oregon, but was changed to honor the man who donated so much of the land to the city for schools and government buildings.

This beautiful home, which remains in its original setting, was, over the years, the scene of many dinners, parties, weddings, and other gatherings of the Floed and Lane families.

John Creed Floed bought the property with a one-room cabin in 1866 for his wife, Emily, and their six children, the house was sold to Emily’s brother Simon Lane after John Floed’s death. It remained in the hands of Simon Lane’s descendants until 1959 when Katherine Waite-Bain donated it to the Douglas County Historical Society.

Step back in time

The house is southern colonial. It was built using wooden pegs and square-headed nails.  The ceilings are milled lumber and painted, and the walls are made of rough-sawed lumber that was then covered with cheesecloth and wallpaper.

the walk is of original brick

The Gloria Mundi apple tree in the sideyard stills bears fruit. The locust trees still remain. The shrubbery is typical of the period.