The Office
Dr. McLoughlin's Office, as it appeared in January 2020. (NPS Photo)One of these two rooms has been furnished as Dr. John McLoughlin's Office. The secretary desk in the Office is believed to be from Fort Vancouver. The sofa belonged to Dr. Forbes Barclay, who served as the physician at Fort Vancouver and later lived in Oregon City, in a house that now sits next door to the McLoughlin House.
We know from historic documents and descriptions of the McLouglhin House that John McLoughlin had an office in his home. The placement of a side entrance to the house near the Office suggests that this may have been that space. The side entrance may have allowed visitors to access the Office for business without passing through the formal entertaining and family spaces.
As part of the current rehabilitation project, the Office will receive new carpet, wallpaper, and draperies. Take a look at the image below for a sneak peek of this room's new look!
Carpeting and drapery samples based on 19th century examples that will be used in the Office. (NPS Photo)
The Sewing Room
The second of these two rooms adjacent to the Parlor is furnished as a Sewing Room. While we don't know exactly where it was in the house, we do know that there was a Sewing Room in the McLoughlin House in the 1850s. The 1860 estate inventory for the Harvey family (which included Eloisa McLoughlin Harvey, the daughter of John and Marguerite McLoughlin, whose family lived in the house) included a sewing machine and two mahogany bureaus listed under the heading "Sewing Room." The sewing machine described on this inventory was valued at $25.00, which suggests that it was a significant investment for the time!
The McLoughlin House Sewing Room as it appeared in January 2020. (NPS Photo)Displayed in the Sewing Room is Marguerite McLoughlin's elaborate Chinese sewing cabinet, given to her as a gift by one of the Hudson's Bay Company officers at Fort Vancouver. Items imported from China were very fashionable at the time. They projected wealth and status due to the high expense of both time and money needed to import them across the globe. Another feature of this room is the 1860s sewing machine, which may be similar to the type used by Marguerite and Eloisa. Learn more about Marguerite McLoughlin's sewing tools in the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site museum collection here.
The Sewing Room will soon receive new carpets, wallpaper, and draperies. These room finishes are period-appropriate and will help recreate the comfortable, relaxing space where the women of the McLoughlin House worked.
The Sewing Room at the McLoughlin House will soon be finished with this period-appropriate carpet and curtains. (NPS Photo)