Two homes add to richness of Astoria

By JOHN E. GOODENBERGER

The stories of Johannes Martin Johnson and his neighbor Knute Iverson are like that of many immigrants to Astoria's working class neighborhoods.

Their houses too, located at 3745 Franklin Ave. and 3715 Franklin Ave. respectively, are classic Astoria.

Many late-Victorian residences throughout our city are variations of these two vernacular building forms. The working class neighborhoods of Uppertown and Uniontown, which bookend Astoria, are enriched by them.

Photographs of the Johnson and Iverson houses reveal these two late-19th Century residences restrict ornamentation to the front porch and gable ends. The paint scheme reflects the same simplicity: white or off-white bodies, deep red window sashes, red or brown skirting and gray steps. Everything about these houses exudes unpretentious, timeless beauty.

The straightforward houses reflect the character of their inhabitants. Johannes Martin Johnson arrived in Astoria in 1892. The Norwegian was a fisherman and carpenter by trade. It is unknown which buildings he constructed in town, or if he built his own house. Shortly after he arrived, he incorporated the Betania Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church with Andrew Ness and Wilhelm Sandness. The vernacular Gothic church, beautiful in stark completeness, remains at 3422 Franklin Avenue.

When the photograph above was taken circa 1904, J. Martin lived in the house with his wife, Milda, and two daughters Martha and Minnie. His three brothers Arne, Edward and Peter Wahl also lived there in addition to three Norwegian laborers. All the men were carpenters or worked as laborers for the Astoria Box Co. and Tongue Point Lumber Co. A woman named Nellie Bojum was hired for domestic help. J. Martin and Milda continued to board Norwegian laborers through 1920.

The Johnson family was well-known in the community. J. Martin served as a city commissioner from 1914 through 1922. Milda was active in the Lutheran church, serving as Sunday school superintendent, organist and treasurer. Martha was a bookkeeper for Erick Hauke & Co.

Minnie married Adolph Lindstrom. Adolph was a fine boat builder. In 1936, his Alderbrook boat yard produced self-designed vessels combining old- style sail boats with typical Columbia River double-end gillnet boats of the day.

In 1942, he and several other men developed the Columbia River Packer's Association Shipyard, later known as Bumble Bee Shipyards, on Youngs Bay

The Johnson's daughter Nannie, born in 1905, worked as a legal secretary for attorney Frank Spittle. "Nan" began her career one week after high school graduation. Her long career did not end when Spittle died in 1964. She moved to the office across the hall and worked for Anderson, Fulton, Lavis and VanThiel. When she retired in 1985, she had recorded more than 2,000 probate cases.

The Johnson's son Sankey, born in 1909, graduated from Pacific Lutheran College, taught in Washington, but returned to Astoria and in the 1940s to help construct Emerald Heights.

The story of the Iverson family is similar. Knute Iverson immigrated to Astoria from Norway, by way of South Dakota, in 1895. He returned to Norway briefly in 1897, married Benedigte Danielson, then re-established himself as an Astoria gillnetter in 1900. He also was a laborer at Astoria Box. Co.

In 1903, scarlet fever plagued Astoria. The picturesque Uppertown community was not immune, in fact it was inflamed. East Astoria residents, it was believed, had a "disposition" to "overlook" the instructions of city health officials. Special police officers were posted outside quarantined residences. The Norwegian-Danish Methodist church canceled its services. Schools throughout the city were also closed.

The concern was warranted. The Iverson and Johnson families were at great risk. A small dairy was operated on 38th and Harrison Avenue, two blocks from the Iverson and Johnson residences.

Ben Ekoos, who ran the dairy, was blamed in part for spreading the disease. Six members of his household fell sick. Authorities claimed Ekoos continued to sell milk after the house was quarantined. And, they said the filthy conditions of the area were ripe for spreading the disease. An officer was detailed to watch Ekoos.

Later, Ekoos admitted he had sold milk to the Iverson family, but only after fever had entered their house. The Iverson's two year-old child died one week later: the same day the quarantine was lifted from the Ekoos household, the same day the schools re-opened throughout the city and the very day it was announced the plague was over.

When the above photo was taken circa 1904, Knute and Benedigte lived in the house with their daughters Bertha and Clara and son Daniel. Like the Johnson's, the Iversons boarded their house to Norwegian men. In 1904, eight men stayed with the Johnsons. Milda received domestic help from Guro Hohim.

By 1910, the Johnson household expanded by two - daughter Clara and son Olaf - and had 10 men, ranging in age from 18 to 29, boarding with them.

Knute and Benedigte moved out of their house about 1920. They spent the rest of their lives in a house around the corner on 38th Street. Their children remained in Astoria. Bertha married Trygve Martin Johansen, a fisherman, and continued to live in the family's Franklin Avenue house for many years. Oluf became a life-long fisherman. Daniel was a teller at the Astoria National Bank and "one of the most popular young men in the city." He held his job for six years, then collapsed with pneumonia and died aged 22.

Astoria's history is filled with stories like these. Like vernacular houses, when viewed individually the stories may seem common or less extraordinary.

But when viewed together, the city's rich fabric is revealed. Each house, each family, each neighborhood connects and tells a broader story.

Preserving these links binds us together and makes our community stronger. Without the preservation of these houses and the history they represent, our community would be poorer.