Relf and Thompson families collection

Collection

Identifier: Org. Lot 1079

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Photographs and ephemera of Huston Relf and Melvin Thompson, Black residents of a house at 25 NE Prescott Street, in the Albina neighborhood of northeast Portland, Oregon. Photographs include: family in Alabama and Oregon; outings and recreation; street scenes; the Lac a Wonica Cleaners at 3632 N. Williams Avenue, run by Melvin and Katie Thompson; and sheet music.

Dates

Creation: circa 1930-1979

Creator

Relf, Huston (Person)
Thompson, Melvin (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Historical note

Portland city directories show Melvin Thompson living at 25 NE Prescott Street in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and Huston Relf living there in the 1980s. It is unclear whether the two were related. The materials in this collection were found in the house by Harvey Golden when he purchased the property in 2000 from the estate of Huston Relf.

Extent

0.5 Cubic Feet (1 flat box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Photographs and ephemera of Huston Relf and Melvin Thompson, Black residents of a house at 25 NE Prescott Street, in the Albina neighborhood of northeast Portland, Oregon. Photographs include: family in Alabama and Oregon; outings and recreation; street scenes; and the Lac a Wonica Cleaners at 3632 N. Williams Avenue, run by Melvin and Katie Thompson. The materials were found in the house at 25 NE Prescott after it was sold by the estate of Huston Relf in 2000.