The Shelton-McMurphey-Johnson House

05/29/2026

Otto is awesome!

It’s 1960, and Otto Poticha and his wife, Sharon Scott East Poticha, are driving around the country, and even into British Columbia, to, as he calls it, “interview cities.

05/28/2026

Attention all artists!

If you haven't already, submit your work to our 2026 Asian Celebration Art Exhibition at https://jsma.uoregon.edu/form/asian-celebration-call-for-art

Selected works will be on view at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art from June 25 – July 12 with an opening reception from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24.

05/28/2026

05/28/2026

Meet the newest addition to SMJ House, although not technically on display yet, but will be soon! This beautiful little baby doll is a Madame Alexander "Little Genius" doll, circa 1952-1956. She has a hard plastic head, clothe body with a music box that plays "Rock-A-bye baby", and soft plastic limbs. She is a rare 16 inch tall Madame Alexander doll complete with all of her original clothing including her little knit booties! (And as a doll lover, I have been cooing over her all week!)

Madame Alexander, born Bertha Alexander, started her doll making company in 1923 after spending her childhood growing up in her father's New York City doll hospital. Madame wanted to make high quality dolls that children could actually play with without fear of breaking them, as was a common problem with the porcelain dolls of the late 1800s. Madame Alexander was responsible for many innovations in dollmaking, including using plastic and creating the first licensed character dolls, starting with Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind in the 1930s.

Madame Alexander dolls, especially vintage dolls in the pristine state that this one is, are still prized by doll collectors the world over for their quality and detail in design. This baby doll represents a transitional moment for the company in the post-war years when they were still using hard plastic for the head, but had moved to a soft clothe body and soft rubber for the arms and legs in order to make the doll more cuddly.

Come check out this "little genius" and our other beautiful vintage toy collection at SMJ House Tuesday-Friday 10am-1pm and Saturday and Sunday 1-4pm.

05/26/2026

Lights! Prisms! Rainbows! Get your tickets online for Science Uncensored: Color Your World, Eugene Science Center's 21+ adult night, where you can enjoy engaging with science after hours with other adults. Your admission includes adult beverages, soft drinks, rainbow desserts, make your own suncatcher, a science demonstration, laser show, colorful karaoke, and as always: time to explore our hands-on science exhibits. Visit https://eugenesciencecenter.org/events/ for more information and to save $5 on admission.

05/26/2026

Did you know that we make our own jam for our teas??

05/23/2026

Randy is a great tour guide and storyteller!

Step through history with Randy the Walking Historian

05/21/2026

Join the SMJ Haunted Doll Art Challenge and use your creepy artistic skills to benefit Eugene History.

You can either provide your own doll to haunt, or we can provide one for you. Then, Haunt your Doll. Return your Haunted Doll by September 30th. Then Join us for the Open House of the Haunted Doll Gallery as part of the First Friday Art walk on Friday, October 2nd. The Dolls will be displayed throughout the House for our Halloween Decorations, and a Silent Auction will be available online to Bid on your favorite Haunted Doll. Winning Bidders can come pick up their Dolls at the House beginning November 1st, or we can Ship them to People not in the Eugene Area.

Sign up at: https://smjhouse.org/haunted-doll-art-challenge/

We are also Looking for donations of any unwanted Dolls that are interested in Being Haunted for Charity. No Barbies Please.

05/21/2026

As we head into summer, here's a little through-back Oregon fun for inspiration from our achieves for your outdoor adventures! Are you ready to get out to the woods hiking, camping and finding waterfalls?