Eric+G.+Stewart

Eric Stewart was a community historian who researched and recorded Forest Grove history and the history of surrounding rural communities, such as Hillside, Thatcher, Gales Creek, Dilley and Carnation. He was born in 1914 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, graduated college in 1936, and began his 35 year profession of federal service in 1939. In 1973, he retired and moved back to his Pennsylvania hometown to create a local history collection there. He moved to Forest Grove in 1982, and became a member of the [|Friends of Historic Forest Grove] and a copy photographer for the [|Washington County Museum].

Stewart gathered information on the FG Streetcar, railroads, churches, historic homes, and civic improvements, as well as historical maps, cemetery indexes, census information, old photographs, and postcards. Much of his research involved extracting information from the Forest Grove News Times, effectively indexing the paper for important historical topics. He wrote history articles for the newspaper, and corrected published historical errors. His efforts were essential to our understanding of Forest Grove’s history today.

He passed in 1995 at the age of 81. In 1996, the collection was moved to a local historian’s house and could be accessed by appointment. Then, a group of local history people appraised the collection and brainstormed future access to the collection for our community. After years in City Records storage, the collection was moved the library in 2009. The library houses several other historical collections, including our special collections of historical books, and the archives of the Forest Grove Woman’s Club, the [|Forest Grove Gleemen / Westside Singers], and library's own oral history interviews from local community members.

Timeline of EG Stewart

 * 1914 || Born in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania (May 30) ||
 * 1936 || Graduated from BucknellUniversity in Lewisburg ||
 * 1939 || Began federal service, holding management positions in the General Accounting Office, War Department, Federal Communications Commission, Bureau of the Budget, and Department of State ||
 * 1940-1945 || During World War II, he was a lieutenant engineer in the Navy ||
 * || Married Emily Orr, also a graduate of Bucknell University ||
 * 1973 || Retired after 34 years of federal service. ||
 * || Returned to his hometown to be a community historian. Married Eleanor Wendi Daggy (d. 1980) ||
 * 1985 || Married Thalia M. Rosenfeld at Lewisburg, Pennsylvania (March 25) ||
 * 1995 || Passed away at Tuality Community Hospital, 81 years ol (Dec 22) ||