Amy Vandegrift

Amy Vandegrift was Director of the Marion County Historical Society in Salem. After it incorporatrf with Mission Mill Museum to become the Willamette Heritage Center, she served as Development Director. She has authored articles on local history for the Statesman Journal and the Willamette Valley Voices.  She graduated with a degree in History from Miami University, Oxford Ohio.  She currently is a docent at the Center.

Author's Entries

  • Thomas Kay Woolen Mill

    Incorporated in 1889, the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill began manufacturing blankets and wool flannel, tweed, and Mackinaw fabrics in Salem in 1890. Founded by Thomas Lister Kay, the Kay family owned and managed the mill until 1962. Following his father’s death in 1900, Thomas Benjamin Kay took over management …

    Oregon Encyclopedia

  • Thomas Lister Kay (1838-1900)

    Thomas Lister Kay, an early Oregon industrialist, built and operated the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill in Salem. The mill was the center of his life, and his colleagues thought him to be the most experienced woolen textile man in the state. With his vision, he employed skilled workers to …

    Oregon Encyclopedia