Philomath: The tale of two colleges

Scott Ramsey had no idea when he bought his Philomath home that it would lead him on a journey into the town’s past.

His home, now known as the G.W. Bethers House on the Register of Historic Places, was in need of remodeling when he moved in. When he tore into the walls, he found newspapers used for insulation from the 1880s.

After discovering the newspapers, he took them to the Benton County Historical Society. They were from Dayton, Ohio, which seemed strange to Ramsey, but not to the historian who saw them. The house, it seemed was one of the town’s original homes, from a time when Philomath was known as Mary’s River Settlement.

As Ramsey soon learned, pioneers who began to settle in the West wrote to those they left behind. G.W. Bethers arrived in the 1850s, and as an active member of his Ohio-based Brethren church, he wrote his pastor about the fertile land with the river passage-way that would make for a great townsite.

The pastor published Bethers’ letter in the The Religious Telescope — the same name on the newspapers found in Ramsey’s home. In response to the published letter, 96 people and 13 wagons headed west to the Mary’s River Settlement.

They would become the people who laid the foundation of the town we know today.

Lovers of learning

The settlers embodied a love of learning, the meaning of “Philomath” translated from Greek. They built the Philomath College on Main Street in 1867— familiar to residents today as the museum, which is also on the Register of Historic Places.

Although most the townspeople had shared the same ideals decades before, in the 1880s there was a schism in the church that divided the town into “radicals” and “liberals.”

The radicals believed secret societies, specifically freemasons, should not be allowed in the church. Radicals also believed that teaching science conflicted with many of their religious beliefs. The liberals believed the opposite.

The division of the church and the townspeople led to a new college built by the radicals. Opened in 1889, it was called the College of Philomath. Although the first two buildings burned, the third schoolhouse, built in 1909, still stands today on 10th Street and Pioneer.

According to school records, after serving at least 399 students, the College of Philomath closed in 1913. Philomath College followed in 1929.

Operating within eyesight of each other, both colleges were plagued with financial problems and recruitment issues. Their closures led to students enrolling elsewhere, many to Oregon Agricultural College, that would later become Oregon State University.

Although the bell tower is restored, the portico
is still missing on the front of the building.

Preserving history

After Ramsey learned of the town’s history, his house was added to the national registry in 1997. A few years later, he learned that the former College of Philomath was for sale. He feared someone would buy and destroy it.

“In terms of the building, it has great significance to the community,” said Benton County Historian Mary Gallagher. “Certainly getting this house on the national registry would be significant for the town.”

Ramsey told local philanthropist Andrew Martin about his concerns. Martin purchased the $340,000 property and gifted it to what would become the College of Philomath Community Corporation (CPCC). The deal was made on a 20 year loan in which CPCC would pay back the funds. Ramsey was named president.

“I had no idea I would become the town’s history buff, it just happened that way,” said Ramsey. “I like the building, I love the history of it.”

Today, the College of Philomath building houses five tenants. The apartments are in each of the five former classrooms with 14-foot ceilings and 4-foot hallways connecting them — just as they were a century ago.

The CPCC found after applying for nine grants, which were all denied, that in order to receive funds to restore the building it must be out-right owned. The idea is to use rent from tenants to pay down what is still owed.

“We’re down to $140,000, and once we get it down or somebody comes along with the money, we’ll apply for more grants,” Ramsey said.

In the interim, the CPCC still plans “to renovate the College of Philomath building in a historically sensitive way that preserves the building’s historic charm,” according to their mission statement. After renovation, they will convert it to a full-service senior center.

The project, including evolutionary changes required for a community building, is estimated to cost $1.6 million. Of that, $500,000 is the cost of the senior center’s required adaptations such as an elevator for handicap access, a full-service kitchen, HVAC, and sprinklers.

Ramsey is in the process of getting the building on the registry after completion of the missing bell tower, made possible by a Ford Family Grant of $75,000.

Current CPCC board members include Maggie Sweetin, Jay Sexton, Toni Hoyman and Scott Ramsey. They are seeking additional board members or grant writers that can assist in applying for grants that may become available after successful registry as a historic place.

10 "brain" foods you should eat

The average human brain weighs only 3 pounds and makes up about 2 percent of our body mass. The brain, small in comparison to our bodies, uses about 20 percent of our daily caloric intake—more than any other human organ. Eating the right foods to feed our brain is a smart idea. With the right kinds of carbohydrates, proteins, fats and vitamins, these “brain foods” will help build healthy brain cells, and a healthier you.

Blueberries

Blueberries are considered one of the top brain foods, and are linked to improved memory, learning, reasoning, decision-making, and comprehension. Blueberries help maintain communication between brain cells, and eating blueberries activates the production of BDNF, a protein that is superior at stimulating new brain cell production. Blueberries are also exceptionally good at protecting the brain from degeneration. This fruit is one of the highest known antioxidant-rich foods, containing vitamin C and K and fiber. What you may not know about these blue powerhouses is that frozen berries actually contain more available nutrients than fresh ones!

Avocados

Avocados are loaded with fiber and vitamins. They contain vitamin C, E, and K as well as folate, a type of B vitamin that is key for cell growth. Both vitamin B and C are not made in our bodies, so consuming them is important. Although avocados are often considered a “fatty” fruit, the fat they contain, monounsaturated fats, are the good kind. Monounsaturated fat contributes to healthy blood flow, and is one reason avocados help lower blood pressure and promote overall brain health. They also boost production of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which helps improve cognitive function, memory, and concentration.

Leafy Greens

Green leafy vegetables like kale, collards, spinach, chard, and bok choy are some of the best sources of B vitamins. Of the B vitamins, three in particular—folic acid, B6 and B12—are essential brain vitamins. An Oxford University study found that these three vitamins work together to reduce brain atrophy, improve brain function, and reduce brain shrinkage in the part of the brain most affected by Alzheimer’s. Leafy greens are a good source of the amino acid L-tyrosine which can improve your mood and increase your ability to learn, solve problems, and remember. 

Root Vegetables

Potatoes, yams, carrots, beets, turnips, and legumes are high in fiber and complex carbohydrates that supply your brain with a steady stream of energy. Because your brain cannot produce glucose, root vegetables give your brain a constant supply. They are sources of antioxidants and important nutrients such as vitamin A and C, potassium, magnesium, and dietary fiber. They are believed to boost blood flow to your brain, improving your alertness, focus, and ability to encode new memories. 

Turmeric

Maybe unfamiliar by name, Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its gold hue. The compound curcumin is found in turmeric and is a potent antioxidant that boosts levels of the brain hormone BDNF, which increases the growth of brain cells and fights degenerative processes in the brain. Turmeric also helps keep your immune system healthy while improving your brain’s oxygen intake. For all these reasons, turmeric keeps you alert and able to process information, improves memory, and reduces brain inflammation.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs) which enables the oil to supply energy directly to the brain. Since your brain’s main source of energy is from glucose, and because your brain cells can’t store energy, they need a constant supply. MCTs help do that. It’s this property that also makes coconut oil a potential treatment for neurological disorders. Coconut oil works as a natural anti-inflammatory, suppressing cells responsible for inflammation. It also helps with memory loss and memory disorders. When given to adults with mild cognitive impairment, they experienced significant improvement in memory recall within 90 minutes of taking their first dose.

Dark Chocolate

Made from the cocoa seed, chocolate contains a number of compounds that increase pleasure-giving substances called endorphins. Chocolate boosts mood, protects the brain from damage, improves memory and focus, and reduces stress. It also contains stimulants like caffeine and theobromine, which contribute to improved memory and focus. Chocolate’s health benefits are largely attributed to compounds called flavonoids, which are powerful antioxidants linked to neurodegenerative prevention. In general, darker chocolate contains the most flavonoids and is best when made with at least 70 percent dark chocolate.

Rosemary

Like many herbs, rosemary has significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to fight free radical damage in the brain, which are linked to neurodegeneration. Carnosic acid, a phytochemical found in this herb, is particularly good for protecting the brain from strokes and neurodegenerative conditions. Rosemary also stimulates nerve growth factor synthesis, reversing nerve cell damage.

Wild Salmon

Most fish, but especially salmon, have a high concentration of omega-3 fatty acids, one of the most important nutrients for your brain. Omega-3s support healthy brain cell structure. Two important omega-3s, EPA and DHA, are found in certain fish, particularly wild salmon. Wild salmon get their omega-3 from their natural food sources—wild plankton and small crustaceans—as compared to their farm-raised counterparts that receive very little of each. Omega-3s also improve the brainpower of younger adults. Research from the University of Pittsburgh found adults under age 25 who increased their omega-3 intake over six months improved their scores on tests measuring working memory.

Walnuts

Most nuts and seeds, although small in size, are nutritional powerhouses. Of all the nuts, walnuts are considered a top nut for brain health. They have a high concentration of DHA, a type of Omega-3 fatty acid that is essential for the brain. DHA has also been shown to improve cognitive performance and memory, and prevent age-related cognitive decline.

Oregon's Happiness Index

Where is the happiest place on Earth? If you thought Disneyland, think again. It’s actually Denmark. And there’s data to back that up.

The idea of measuring happiness has gained traction in the 21st century, and many organizations are collecting data to identify what makes people happy and where the happiest people are.

Although the United States may be on the top of many other lists, happiness, according to the data, is not one of them.

This year’s results have the same top three as the year before, except their order was rearranged. Denmark won with the happiest citizens averaging 7.526 on the happiness scale, followed by Switzerland at 7.509, and Iceland at 7.501. The United States ranked thirteenth at 7.104. The bottom three included Togo, Syria, and Burundi.

According to the authors, social cohesiveness was of much importance for the results of the World Happiness Report. Iceland's high level of trust helped its ranking despite a serious financial crisis, while Spain, Italy, and Greece fell in the happiness rankings in part because they lacked the cohesiveness to pull through their financial troubles.

The report also shows that people are happier living in a society where there is less inequality of happiness. To be noted, the happiness inequality has increased since the first report in almost all countries and regions of the world. Happiness, the authors argue, can provide a better indicator of human welfare than income, poverty, education, health, and good government measured separately.

The Happiness Index is based off a project from the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan in the Eastern Himalayas. Their prime minister, Jigmi Y. Thinley, was determined to measure the gross national happiness. He then got the United Nations to invite other nations to measure their happiness as a guide to improve public policies. In 2012 the worldwide report was born.

In the 2016 World Happiness Index—the third of its kind—researchers ranked 156 countries based off surveys given to up to 3,000 people in each country. Each person was asked to rank their answers based on the Cantril Ladder—an imaginary ladder of ten steps, with the best possible life for them being the tenth step and the worst possible life being zero steps.

Participants were asked six questions for respondents to rank that were weighed with the GDP per capita: social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, generosity, perception of corruption, and everything else. The answers are then averaged per country, giving insight to the country with the happiest people by their own accord.

On a smaller scale, we asked ourselves how Oregonians can increase their equality of happiness. Based on the questions from the World Happiness Index, here are some sites and activities that we hope will enhance your mind and body, your values and virtues, and fulfill social and cultural enrichment while enjoying what Oregon has to offer.

Activities for Oregon’s Happiness Index

Experience Zen

The Zen Community of Oregon is a Soto Zen Buddhist monastery in Clatskanie. They offer meditation through authentic Zen practice to the public several times a week, as well as meditation walks in their Zen gardens. A 2013 study by Carlos III Health Institute found that meditation provokes a different expression of brain metabolites, specifically those metabolites linked to anxiety and depression. Meditation shows a strong link with well-being because it calms the body, reduces stress and anxiety, and supports positive thinking.

Visit botanical gardens

The Oregon Garden in Silverton is an 80-acre botanical garden with more than 20 themed gardens, from tropical to wetlands to rose or conifer. They offer tram tours and self-guided walking tours to enjoy the outdoor oasis. Group nature walks are linked with significantly lower depression, less perceived stress, and enhanced mental health and well-being, according to a 2014 study conducted at the University of Michigan.

Enjoy waterfalls and hiking trails

Silver Creek Falls is nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains and includes 9,200 acres of hiking, biking and horse trails. The Trail of Ten Falls weaves through a dense forested area, with a series of breathtaking waterfalls in a 7.2 mile loop. Research has shown that a 50-minute walk in nature can improve your mood, decrease your anxiety, and improve your memory. A 2016 study also showed that a 90-minute walk in a natural environment can lead to measurable changes in the brain, and help combat depression.

Observe exotic wildlife

The Wildlife Safari in Winston is a one-of-a-kind experience. The park has over 76 species, most of which roam free as you drive a 600-acre safari loop. You can see exotic creatures from around the world including tigers, giraffes, zebras, lions, elephants, bison, ostrich, and bears. A Hiroshima University study focused on animal-people interaction concluded that “cuteness” not only makes us happier, it also improves our performance on tasks that require behavioral carefulness.

Walk below the canopy

Valley of the Giants is a 51-acre forest preserve in a remote portion of the Oregon Coast Range. Getting more than 180 inches of rain each year, douglas firs and western hemlocks date back hundreds of years and can stand at a regal 200 feet. Numerous studies have shown trees help people live longer, healthier, happier lives—to the tune of $6.8 billion in averted health costs annually in the U.S., according to research published in the 2014 journal Environmental Pollution.

Discover the mystery

The House of Mystery in Gold Hill is considered a vortex in which strange phenomena on the landscape create optical illusions. Objects seem to roll uphill, relative height can change next to another person depending on where you stand, and structures appear to be sideways. Research by psychologist Rich Walker of Winston-Salem State University showed people who engage in a variety of experiences are more likely to retain positive emotions and minimize negative ones than people who have fewer experiences.

Leafcutter and mason bees: Home gardener helpers

When talking about pollinators, often times the honey bee is the first we think of. While there is no doubt of their importance to pollination, their lesser known cousins—the leafcutter and mason bee—are much more effective pollinators. In fact, they are of more use to a home gardener than a honey bee.

Honey bee vs. leafcutter and mason bees

Honey bees are indeed great pollen gatherers, but leafcutter and mason bees are great pollinators. They carry pollen on their hairy abdomen and scrape the pollen off within their nest. Because the pollen is carried dry on their hair, it falls off easily as they move among blossoms. As a result, they pollinate more flowers than the honey bee, who wets the pollen so it sticks to its legs during transport.

While honey bees may visit your yard as they pass through, leafcutter and mason bees are permanent residents. The honey bee travels up to five miles from its hive to forage, but leafcutter and mason bees stay within 300 feet of their home. For this reason, housing these species in your yard will increase your flower and fruit productivity.

Leafcutter Bees

Leafcutters have the ability to handle extreme temperatures, and are most active in late summer, thriving in 80 to 110 degree weather. They are ideal for pollinating melons, blueberries, peas, and other late summer vegetables.

The leafcutter gets its name because it cuts leaves and uses them in their nest. They are particular about the kind of leaf they use; it can’t be too tough to cut with their mandibles, it can’t be too thick to roll for transport, and it can’t be too veiny to cut easily. In the Northwest, prefered leaves come from hostas, lilacs, roses, or bougainvillea. Having leaves they like within 100 feet of their home is essential or they will move on.

Mason Bees

The mason bee is a productive pollinator for early spring flowers, fruits, and nuts. They emerge when daytime temperatures reach a consistent 55 degrees. Generally, this is about the same time as cherry trees blossom.

What is unique about the mason bee is they gather nectar with their tongue at the same time they collect pollen on their underside. Because they gather pollen and nectar on the same visit, they are excellent cross-pollinators as they move between trees and flowers.

The mason bee gets its name because of its craftsmanship when building its home. An essential element to keep mason bees in your yard is to have available mud within 150 feet of their home. The mason bee packs its nesting hole with the mud, separating each egg chamber from the other, just as the leafcutter uses leaves. If they cannot find mud in your yard, they will vacate.

Mud for mason bees

You will need to keep a small amount of mud, about 9 inches wide and deep. Ideally, the mud should be in a hole in the ground and not exposed dirt or in a container. When in the ground, the moisture is higher and less dried from the sun.

When you dig your hole in a shady place, ensure there is clay-like mud on a sidewall. Mason bees prefer more compact mud because it is easy to carry in their mandibles. If it is too dry it will be difficult to carry and harder to pack into their “hole.”

Placing a bee home

Both leafcutter and mason bees are cavity dwellers and do not create holes or damage structures to make holes. They are opportunists that like a hole slightly larger than their bodies, about the width of a pencil, with a depth of about 6 inches. The same home can be used for both species because they are active during opposite seasons.

Homes often have the appearance of a bird house, with an open face and straw-like tubes piled on top of each other. The tubes are the “holes” the female will pack with her eggs. Each hole will have up to 15 egg chambers, each packed with pollen, one egg, and a leaf cutting or mud, depending on the species, to close the chamber.

Homes should face a southern or southeastern wall so morning sun will wake your bees to begin pollinating. If your climate has hot summer weather, consider a location with sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon. Prolonged direct sunlight will overheat the home and kill cocoons.

Do not place the home near a bird watering station. Your bees may become a tasty treat to visiting birds. If birds take interest in the bee home as a potential nesting site for themselves, placing chicken wire on the front will keep them out.

It’s important to not move the nest once bees have arrived. They know exactly which hole is theirs and may get confused and leave if the hole they remember is moved.

Getting started

Shonnard’s Nursery has a full-service bee department if you are in the Willamette Valley. There you can find everything from the bees to homes to accessories. Crown Bees is a good place for online orders. They too offer all you need to get started and maintain bee homes.

Crown Bees offers a program to trade excess bees for nesting material to use in the next season, as each year your bee population should double. Shonnard’s offers services to help maintain homes. Both companies offer items to help harvest and incubate cocoons if you should choose to winter them under protection of a garage or shed for maximum survival of the brood.

The power of your brain: 6 things you may not know

Learning how we learn can be fascinating. It takes the right environment and the right internal balance to truly absorb information. Besides the usual suspects; food, sleep and repetition, a lot of how we learn happens in our brain, without us even knowing it. It can be said that “cells that fire together, wire together.”

Growing your brain

For your brain, going to school is comparable to going to the gym. We grow our biceps at the gym and we grow our brain at school. A neural synapse is the space between brain cells, which are called neurons. Neurons allow chemical signals to pass from one neuron to another. Chemicals called neurotransmitters leave one cell, travel across the synapse, and are taken in by the next neuron through a receptor. The connection between the two neurons is called a neural pathway. When we learn new things, new pathways are made between neurons. Thus, learning causes growth of brain cells by creating new dendrites, which look like fingers coming off the arm, or axon, of the neuron. The more dendrites created and continually used, the more brain activity you will have.

Context-dependent memory vs. state-dependent memory

Have you ever walked to the next room to do something and forgotten what it was you were going to do? Did you retrace your steps and find that when you returned to where you came from you remembered what the task was? That is because of context-dependent memory, and as you may guess from the name, the context in which you remember things matters. Research shows that a person who takes an exam in the same seat or room as they learned the material will test better in that place than in a new area. State-dependent memory refers to internal conditions under which someone learns. If you always study while consuming caffeine, for example, your brain creates neural pathways that make a connection between the learned material and caffeine. In this example, you would likely perform better on a test while consuming caffeine.

Short-term memory, working memory, and long-term memory

As we learn we create a path of remembrance similar to a trail that is often walked by hikers, leaving a well-worn path. Short-term memory is the process in which we gather information in our neural pathways that we want to use in the near future. When we don’t use it anymore we will forget it, as the brain prunes its unused neural connections to strengthen more used paths. Our working memory is what we store along neural pathways, which can be interrupted by distractions from music, the tv or text messages, limiting the amount of working memory we will have. Working memory can be enhanced by focusing and connecting information you already know that is relevant to what you are learning, then storing that information with the previous learned information. The retrieval of well-learned information from long-term memory and the connection of new information is a good way to move information from working to long-term memory.

20 minute pick-me-ups

It happens to the best of us. We study for what seems like an eternity and eventually find ourselves staring at a page or screen, no longer processing information. Your brain is telling you it’s had enough. Our brain doesn’t like to be forced to learn too much, too fast. Psychologists have discovered that our pupils dilate when we push our brain to learn. This means, for more reasons than one, that learning takes energy. To rejuvenate yourself, consider working out for 20 minutes. Psychologists have proven that exercise can boost memory and brain power. Not only does aerobic exercise make more oxygen pump to the brain and release hormones, research from UCLAshowed that exercise also increases growth factors in the brain—making it easier for the brain to grow new neuronal pathways. In fact, Dr. Chuck Hillman of the University of Illinois showed evidence that about 20 minutes of exercise before an exam can improve performance.

The debate: writing vs. typing

In the digital age we live, finding laptops in the classroom is the norm. Many students have moved from note-taking with pen and paper to typing their lecture notes. This could be a bad choice if your goal is to effectively retain information. Writing stimulates cells at the base of our brain called the reticular activating system (RAS). The RAS acts as a filter for what your brain needs to process, giving importance to what you are focusing on at the moment, such as writing. When the RAS is triggered through writing it sends a message to your brain to pay particular attention to information you are feeding it. The same can not be proven for typing. A University of California study found that of two groups of students asked to listen to the same lecture, the group that had to write their notes not only tested better on their ability to remember the ideas in the lecture, but they retained the information far better a week later. The study suggests that movements involved with handwriting require a motor memory and more neural pathways in the brain to recognize and connect letters, which is absent when typing.

Laughter and smiles aren’t just for fun

Gamma is the highest brain frequency and the only frequency found in every part of the brain. A Loma Linda University study found that humor associated with laughter creates gamma-band oscillations. Since gamma frequency reaches all parts of the brain, this means that humor actually engages the entire brain. As well, laughter involves the part of the brain that associates with pleasure, so mixing laughter with learning creates a more enjoyable experience. Laughter also reduces mental tension and increases energy, which increases your ability to focus. And even if you aren’t laughing, the facial-feedback theory says that a smile can also increase your performance. Your brain is constantly monitoring your posture and movements, including your facial expressions. Faking a smile can trick your brain into thinking you are happy, which then stimulates your body to respond as such. Try it. Stick a pencil between your teeth and make yourself grin. It forces your face to mimic a genuine smile, recruiting the muscles of the mouth, cheeks, and eyes that respond when you are happy.