Publications    

This year Marion County Historical Society celebrates the 50th anniversary of its publishing program. Publications include Member Matters, which provides current information on programs and events for Historical Society members, Historic Marion, a history magazine and Marion County History an annual journal of articles on various aspects of the county's rich history. All of these publications are available for purchase in the Historical Society Bookstore during regular hours of operation. Authors interested in submitting work for possible publication may request a copy of the Marion County Historical Society's "Submission Guidelines" by calling 503-364-2128.

Submission Guidelines for Historic Marion

Historic Marion - Cover, Winter 2006
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For more than 50 years the Marion County Historical Society (MCHS) has explored and preserved the county's rich history as publishers of Marion County History and Historic Marion. From 1955-1961 Marion County History was published annually and in later years this journal was issued in multi-year volumes. Historic Marion began as a monthly newsletter in January 1964 and in January 1997 it became a quarterly publication featuring a variety of articles by local authors of varying perspectives, backgrounds and writing abilities. Over the years these publications have found an eager readership among MCHS members and supporters, providing a unique historical resource for researchers, students and historians.

To mark the 50th anniversary of its publishing program, MCHS is enhancing the graphics and content of Historic Marion which is published each February, May, August and November. MCHS has also updated its Submission Guidelines to encourage the broadest possible participation by local authors, illustrators, artists and photographers. We invite you to submit your articles, illustrations, artwork and photographs for publication which illuminate an aspect of Marion County's rich history. Publishing preference will be given to submissions which reflect MCHS's annual themes which guide programming from June to June each year. Non-thematic submissions will be published as space allows and, as always, MCHS encourages you to share your ideas and suggestions for its publications with MCHS staff and the Publication Committee.

Annual Themes
To help guide its publications, exhibits and educational programming, the Historical Society has selected a variety of annual themes highlighting aspects of Marion County's history. The themes selected for 2005-2009 include:
  • 2005-2006 - "Voices of the Past: How Marion County History is Communicated"
    Local history is communicated through a variety of historic documents, artifacts and cultural traditions which reflect changing technologies and perspectives.
  • 2006-2007 - "Our Stories Yet to Be Told: The People Who Made Marion County"
    The county's history represents the collective stories of all its residents, reflecting a wide-range of financial, educational and ethnic backgrounds.
  • 2007-2008 - "From the Ground Up: Constructing Marion County"
    From the wooden structures of the early Kalapuyans to the Salem Conference Center the county's landscape is continually being transformed with new construction.
  • 2008-2009 - "Give Us a Hand: The Clubs & Organizations of Marion County"
    From art associations to the Zontas people throughout Marion County participate in clubs and organizations to accomplish together what they can not achieve individually.

Opportunities for Illustrators, Artists and Photographers

Historic Marion - Winter 2006 Article
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From the beginning, Marion County History and Historic Marion have featured illustrations, artwork and photographs by a number of locally recognized illustrators, artists and photographers. Cover art and article illustrations have included ink drawings by Murray Wade and Clark Moor Will along with photographs by Ben Maxwell and Al Jones. To complement the historic photographs and maps typically used to illustrate articles in MCHS publications, illustrators, artists and photographers are encouraged to submit reproductions of your original works for consideration. All work should depict an aspect of Marion County's rich history and should reproduce well in black and white. Specific instructions for submitting illustrations, artwork and photographs are outlined on page 4.

Opportunities for Authors
To encourage the broadest participation by authors of varying perspectives, backgrounds and writing abilities, Historic Marion includes a range of articles from personal reminiscences to original researched articles. Building on its tradition of encouraging local authors "who love history and want to write about it" MCHS encourages submission for the following feature articles:

"In My Life" (500-1,500+ words)
It is often difficult for people to see their daily activities, life experiences or personal perspectives as being of interest to those outside their immediate family. In reality, it is the eyewitness accounts of those who have experienced a time, place or event, such as those presented in Peter Jennings' "The Century", which give others a unique insight into the past. Personal reminiscences and perspectives written for "In My Life" capture your own experiences and memories related to Marion County history. Whether you were present for the burning of the State Capital or fondly remember your first drive-in movie in Salem, the possibilities for articles are as broad as your experiences.

"Marion County Scrapbook" (500-1,500+ words)
Historical documents, such as diaries and letters, snapshots, and heirlooms, tell us something about the past and the people who lived then. Given that these items are some of the most precious to individual family members they are often handed down from generation to generation out of public view. To give these personal mementos a wider audience the "Marion County Scrapbook" encourages submissions of copies and transcripts of letters, diaries and other personal documents related to the history of Marion County. Snapshots, as well as photographs of heirlooms, documenting Marion County history are also encouraged. To create a context for our readers, you are encouraged to provide written historical background on the original writing, image or heirloom. (Due to the fragility and sentimental value of original historical documents, images and heirlooms please submit only photocopies and duplicated images for consideration. Specific instructions for submitting materials are outlined on page 4.)

Documented Feature Articles (1,000-3,500+ words)
While there are professional scholars who write about the lives of presidents, national events and world affairs, the documentation of Marion County's history has typically been the domain of area residents. Sometimes it's the descendents of early pioneers, businessmen or politicians, whose family's history is entwined with local history. Other times it may be a student, hobbyist or local historian who has developed a curiosity about an individual, topic or locale.

Curiosity often sparks a desire to "know more" and soon you may be found visiting historic sites or reading local publications such as Historic Marion or Marion County History. Often, there may be few articles written on a particular aspect of local history and researchers must gather additional information from a variety of sources such as newspaper clippings, historic documents and personal accounts. As Marion County cannery historian, Bill Lucas, observes in the introduction to his book "Canning in the Valley, Canneries of the Salem District": History and in particular the history of the canning industry was always my special interest, and because of this interest collecting historical information about the industry was a favorite pastime. Through the years I was able to find a number of books and articles relating to the history of the industry as a whole, but very little was available regarding the Pacific Northwest. Canning in the Salem District, where I had spent my entire cannery career, held my greatest interest, and I always hoped someday I would have the opportunity to look into the history of the region I had been involved with for almost fifty years.

With retirement came the opportunity and the time to pursue this goal. I soon realized that it would be a much more difficult project than I had first thought. Very little if any written material was readily available regarding the history of Salem canning, and the early canners who could have provided this information were no longer living. Having little experience in this type of research, just finding sources for the information I needed proved to be an interesting and sometimes frustrating task. With few first hand sources available, a great deal of information would come from industry periodicals, newspapers, and company and association records and data. I found it a little like trying to put a giant jigsaw puzzle together, knowing full well that a great many pieces were missing, and not having a picture of the completed puzzle to work by.

For more than 50 years the Marion County Historical Society has encouraged local historians to share their knowledge, and enthusiasm for a particular subject by writing articles for its publications. MCHS offers the following guidelines to assist local authors to write and submit articles which will inform current readers and assist future researchers.
  • Articles should relate to an aspect of Marion County's rich history from prehistory to the present. Publishing preference will be given to submissions which reflect the annual themes, running from June to June each year. Non-thematic submissions will be published as space allows and MCHS encourages you to share your ideas and suggestions for its publications.

  • Articles should present well-documented historical facts based on sound research methods using reliable archival and published materials. You should maintain accuracy by double-checking dates and the spelling of names and places. All source materials should be properly footnoted or cited using A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations, 6th Edition, by Kate L. Turabian. A reference copy is available for your use at MCHS during regular hours of operation.

  • As part of the research process, you are encouraged to identify illustrative material, such as historic photographs, maps and documents, to accompany your article. Publishing preference is given to illustrative materials from MCHS's permanent collection, however, photographs, illustrations and artwork from other sources may also be submitted for publication. Captions should end with the source of the material followed by the catalog or accession number enclosed with parentheses.

  • Authors are responsible for obtaining the necessary submission copies, electronic copies and signed permission forms, for illustrative material from sources other than MCHS. To protect fragile originals, please submit only photocopied reproductions, or copies printed from the computer, as outlined below.

  • To acquaint readers with various contributors to Historic Marion please include a biography following the text of your article. This information may be edited for the "About the Author" which appears at the end of each published article.

Submitting Articles for Historic Marion: Articles should be double space, on 8½" x 11" white paper, with one inch margins on all sides of the paper. Please number your pages and provide a cover sheet which includes the title and a paragraph describing your article. The cover sheet should also include your name, mailing address, telephone number and e-mail address. Legible hand-written materials may be submitted when a typewriter or computer are unavailable to the author.

Submitting Illustrations, Artwork and Photographs for Historic Marion: To protect fragile originals, please submit only photocopied, or computer printed, reproductions of your work on 8½ x 11" white paper. Each sheet should be labeled with the title of the work, date of creation and measurements of the original along with your name, mailing address, telephone number and e-mail address.

Deadlines for Submissions to Historic Marion: All submissions must be received by the Marion County Historical Society, 260 12th Street SE, Salem, Oregon 97301 two months prior to publication, by the first Tuesday of the month. December submission - February publication, March submission - May publication, June submission - August publication and September submission - November publication. Late submissions will be considered for future publications.

Review: All submissions for the Historic Marion are reviewed by the MCHS Publication Committee and/or staff. Everyone submitting work for possible consideration will be notified of the committee's determination. Unpublished submissions may be returned if the submission is accompanied with a self-addressed stamped envelope with sufficient postage or copies may be donated to MCHS for future use by researchers. MCHS takes great care with all submitted material, but can not be responsible for damage or loss.

Acceptance & Publication: Authors, illustrators, artists and photographers submitting work which has been selected for publication will be contacted to provide an appropriate electronic copy of the work to MCHS when possible. Those submitting material accepted for publication will also be asked to sign a Publication Agreement which grants MCHS first serial publication rights, full and final editing of all articles and the right to republish articles in reprinted or reformatted versions of the Historic Marion. MCHS also maintains rights to the final placement, sizing and layout of all articles, illustrations, artwork or photographs selected for publication.

Thank you for your participation in Historic Marion and please contact MCHS
with any questions concerning possible submissions or publication requirements.

Revitalizing MCHS Publications

Complimenting the revitalization of MCHS's research library and exhibits is a renewed dedication to the preservation of local history through its publications. In 1955 MCHS began documenting local history in the Marion County History which it published annually through 1961 (1-7). Grants from the Marion County Board of Commissioners enabled the Society to publish multi-year volumes in 1964 (8), 1968 (9), 1971 (10), 1976 (11) and 1978 (12) which remain the cornerstones of Marion County history and are still available for purchase at MCHS. To inform the membership of upcoming programs and events MCHS also began publishing the Historic Marion in January 1964. Over the years the publication gradually incorporated short articles on various historical subjects, often relating to upcoming Society activities or projects.

Al Jones edited two volumes of Marion County History in 1982 (13) and 1984 (14) which documented a number of local schools, the telephone industry and brewing in Marion County along with an article by David Duniway on landscape architects Elizabeth Lord & Edith Schryver. Throughout the late 1980s and into the early 1990s Historic Marion continued to be published monthly and in May 1992 a new editor began incorporating longer articles on various aspects of Marion County history into the now quarterly publication. Over the next few years the blend of member news and history continued until early 1996 when the Historical Society hired a professional editor and the MCHS Editorial Board was formed.

To provide more publication space for historically focused articles and communicate with MCHS members in a more regular basis, the Editorial Board created Member Matters, in January 1997, as a companion publication to Historic Marion. Historic Marion would remain a quarterly and focus on historical information while the new monthly Member Matters would contain member information on upcoming programs and events. In 1998 Member Matters became a bi-monthly publication and later a quarterly. That same year the editorial board completed work on Marion County History Volume 15 which included a number of articles selected from past issues of Historic Marion along with many new articles bound in a more permanent format. Volume 15 followed MCHS's long tradition of documenting and preserving the county's history through its publications. Most recently Historic Marion and Member Matters have been published quarterly and mailed to MCHS members and supporters.

Several years ago the MCHS Editorial Board retired and a newly formed Publication Committee is working to revitalize MCHS's publishing program. This new committee remains committed to communicating with members on a regular basis and preserving Marion County history in a permanent published format. In working to achieve these goals, MCHS will now publish an expanded Member Matters quarterly. Historic Marion will be published each Spring as a thematic compliment to the permanent and temporary exhibits at the Historical Society. To encourage the research and documentation of the Marion County's rich history, and preserve it in a permanent published format, MCHS will publish a new volume of Marion County History each Fall. Complimenting these printed works we will also be updating our website and exploring the possibilities of sending regular broadcast e-mails to you.

As we implement these changes over the coming year your comments on the content, format and timing of MCHS publications is especially welcome. As Editor John H. Baker humorously remarked in the first issue of Historic Marion, published in January 1964. "With no intended threat to [publishing mogul] Sam Newhouse, this issue of Historic Marion, which is volume one, number one, is an effort to keep members and prospective members aware and interested in this society's activities. Contributions, corrections, and praise will be modestly accepted." While the technology and publication formats may have changed over time MCHS remains committed to timely communication with its members as well as exploring and preserving Marion County history.

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