Oral history interview with Margaret Thiele Petti

Collection

Identifier: SR1074

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Margaret Thiele Petti was conducted by Jim Strassmaier at the Henry Thiele Restaurant in Portland, Oregon, from March 26 to April 30, 1987, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. The interview was conducted in four sessions. In this interview, Petti discusses her early life and her family's history in the hotel business in Vernonia, Oregon. She discusses her marriage to Henry Thiele, as well as his life and career, and talks about working at and managing the Henry Thiele Restaurant in Portland, Oregon. The collection also includes several photographs of Petti.

Dates

1987 March 26-April 30

Creator

Petti, Margaret Thiele, 1916-2001 (Interviewee, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/. Copyright to photographs has not been determined and use may require authorization from copyright holders.

Biographical note

Margaret Thiele Petti, nee MacDonald, was born in Spokane, Washington, in 1916. She grew up in the hotel and restaurant business in Vernonia, Oregon. In 1933, she went to Portland, where she worked at the Henry Thiele Restaurant at the corner of Northwest 23rd and Burnside. In 1941, she and Henry Thiele were married. The couple ran the Thiele catering service for the Kaiser shipyards during World War II. Henry Thiele died in 1952. Soon after, Margaret Thiele and August Petti were married. The Pettis ran the Henry Thiele Restaurant until its closure in 1990. Margaret Petti died in 2001.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (7 audiocassettes (5 hr., 50 min., 14 sec.) + 3 photographs (black and white))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Margaret Thiele Petti conducted by Jim Strassmaier from March 26 to April 30, 1987. Petti ran the Henry Thiele Restaurant in Portland, Oregon.

Existence and Location of Copies

Audio available online in OHS Digital Collections.

Related Materials

Photographs described by Margaret Thiele Petti in this interview are part of the Henry Thiele photograph collection, Org. Lot 438, at the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.