Scroggin's Mill, formerly the Lebanon Warehouse (1881), a landmark in Lebanon for over a century, is currently finding itself in the hotseat.

The old mill was brought to the attention of the Lebanon City Code Enforcement Officer after vandals maliciously damaged the structure, and further complications from this

winter's storms further degraded the structure.

Due to structural and safety concerns, this historic property has been cited with the equivalent of a very large and serious fix-it ticket. This could result in the destruction of the structure and its contents.

Complications arise from the fact that the structure, which is owned by Linn County, sits on property which is owned by the Union Pacific, both of which sit inside the boundaries of the City of Lebanon. Having three agencies involved makes for a unique managerial dilemma.

A focal point in the community for generations, this structure has housed a grain storage facility, mill goods and feed store, turkey production facility, and cold storage facility holding many of the berries that made Lebanon the home of the Strawberry Festival, and the World's largest strawberry shortcake.

The building is unique in its structure using extremely large sawn timber beams, which could hold the weight of the two-story grain bins. Such timbers are rarely if ever seen in this day and age.

In the course of the structure's history, an addition was made to add a larger cold storage facility.

In 1937, two wooden refrigerator cars were added to the Sherman Street end of the structure to house the growing dressed turkey output that was occurring at the site. These railcars are another important part of the history of Scroggin's facility, which have become more significant with the passing of time.

The addition, which houses the cars, was placed on the building in the same time frame as the cars. The significance of these two cars becomes clear when one realizes that they were built between 1909 and 1913, and that of the 41,515 wooden refrigerated cars that were built between 1906 and 1932, it is believed that less than a dozen remain in existence.

After 1932 the metal refrigerator car became the car of choice, and the wooden cars often ended their careers as sheds, or fire tinder. The cars in the old Scroggin's building are two of the best preserved examples remaining, and have hardware and doors that are no longer on most of the remaining refrigerated cars.

A number of possibilities exist for both the structure and the cars, but as time passes the opportunities become fewer and bleaker.

One opportunity that could potentially occur is the ability to use the hardware and doors on the cars as patterns. Accurate reproduction parts could be made for the other few remaining cars that are still restorable (remembering there are likely less than a dozen including the two in Scroggin's).

Also if the two cars were restored, they would have potential for use in movie sets needing authentic period railroad cars (a potential future revenue source).

The Scroggins building itself is important for its construction, timber size, and the individuals involved in its development to the growth of Lebanon.

Future possibilities that would render this site more useful would be developing the structure to a safe state, and creating a place for farmers market, local museum, or multifunction retail space.

With the focus toward revitalizing rather than removing, it is important to review all the possibilities before allowing such significant pieces of Lebanon's history to be lost. Both the structure and the railroad cars are significant contributors to the development and history of Lebanon, and once lost will never be able to be replaced.

Be involved, aware, and informed about your local history, and give your input when the opportunity presents itself, as with many things, you only get one shot.

Bilodeau is co-owner of Hidden Treasures. Clark is a former Union Pacific brakeman/conductor.