With so many abundant flora growing naturally along this region, a garden club had to be formed out of pure necessity and love of nature!
Blue Boy Rhodie by B. Goody Pink Rhodie by B. Goody
The Seal Rock Garden Club was formed in 1948 and although some minutes were lost, Nell McDuffie related that in
it’s early days “Seal Rock was a tiny, isolated community where a few campers
and hotel guests came to enjoy the ocean, the fishing, the Indians, the quiet
and peace. There was a hotel on the
cliff, a few “Russell Cottages” for
visitors, room for campers where the (Seal Rock) State Park is now, a General
Store and Repair Shop, a Post Office, a restaurant (Swiss Village),
and a livery stable.”
Foxgloves & Blue Lupine by B. Goody
Plans were developed to build a clubhouse and a lot was purchased for $400.00. Mr. Otto Boech, a member, brought his 'cat' from Beaver Creek and cleared and leveled the lot for free. Mr. Larry Kauffman
donated gravel for an entry road. Plans to build were abandoned in
April 1950 when the Forest Service sent word out about an auction of
old buildings from Camp Angell ("Camp 56") in Waldport which had house
conscientious objectors during World War II. (1)
The Seal Rock Community Club members decided to bid on one of
the larger buildings up for auction.
This one had a kitchen and was larger than the barracks type. The bid was $305.00 agreed upon that evening,
but that night, the President, Ray Hall,
had a dream that someone bid the same amount and urged Mr. Jones to “get
reckless” and bid $306.00. As it turned
out, someone had bid $305.00, so Seal Rock won the building by $1.00.

Freckled Pink Rhodie by B. Goody
The Camp Angell buildings were originally constructed in 1920 making this probably the oldest standing structure
in SEAL ROCK. At 50 years old, the building needed to be moved from
Waldport to SEAL ROCK and the Club had no more money to spend. Their
daring plan was to cut the building into three separate pieces and move
it on trucks to its current location. With many willing workers and
three borrowed trucks, they did just that - in one day! Two months
later, the first meeting was held. Membership swelled to 121 by year's
end and donations helped to furnish, renovate and bring the building to
life.
A picture was donated by it’s painter, William Anderson Marshall, a retired engineer. Marshall had
painted scenery and backdrops for the old “Baker Stock Company, and now he set
to work on a scene of a bit of Beaver Creek looking down Elkhorn Cook Ranch. According to
his daughter, Winona Cook, the
painting was too big to go through his door, so he spent four months painting
it on his porch.
Marshall also built "The Stone House" at the stop of Seal Rock Street by carrying the stones for the foundation up from the beach.
White Flowers by B. Goody
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