Roger Hancock Telephone Interview

September 28, 2004

By Virginia Danger 

The Red House on the southeast corner of Hamilton and Shattuck is the home of Roger Hancock. In 1875 his great grandparents, Edward and Ester Rogers, bought 180 acres from Andrew Tigard, one of the two Tigard brothers who held the Donation land Claim. The other brother, Wilson Tigard, founded the town of Tigard. Andrew Tigard built the red house in 1851. Roger was told by his grandmother that the original color of the house was light gray, next it was white, and the aluminum siding was put on in about 1970. The house was sold out of the family in 1939. Several owners followed. In 1980 the elderly couple who owned the house needed to move. The house was on the market about a week when Roger heard about it. Luckily the realtor had been Roger’s high school classmate and helped acquire it. The prospective buyer planned to tear the house down and put three houses on the land. There was a bidding war, but Roger got the house and has been there ever since.  

The cellar in the house was at first a root cellar. In about 1940 it was enlarged. The cross beams of the cellar are peeled lots.

The Ponderosa Pine, a heritage tree, was planted in 1877. Roger’s great grandparents came to Oregon from England and settled on the farm. They had never seen the Pacific Ocean. One day they hitched up their horse and wagon and made a three-day camping trip to the coast. His great grandmother wanted a souvenir. There were no postcards in 1877 (but the tree is a) mighty big souvenir now! Roger commented on two pear trees that are even older. He was told that Tigard brought these trees to Oregon and planted them right where they are now. He will show them to me when we meet.

Hess Road, now Hamilton Street, originally was a road to the Hess farm, which was about where Bridlemile School is. Shattuck Road was originally called Cooper Road. The Lee’s home and spring was south of Hamilton at about where 48th (is). The house was gone by 1880. At one time there were some Lee family graves in the scrub behind the house.

The picture. Rogers says it was not taken in 1898. Joe Rogers’ store is in the picture, and it was bot built until at least 1908. Joe Rogers built the store and ran it for a long time after he lost his right arm and was unable to farm.

Evelyn Rogers still lives in the neighborhood, but is in (her) 80’s and not interested in history. Roger was willing to give me her phone number, but I said that I would rather complete an interview with him because he has so much history to share. After that task is over, we can consider interviewing Evelyn.

State of Oregon land Surveys. Roger said that in 1860 each county in Oregon was surveyed.