House of Threads
Written by:
Roger Wirth
In the valley of mist and morning frost
A house stands alone, almost like it's lost
And the violets bud, and the dew turns to moss
And the house sees the world go by
And the years are threads, a mess of string
Arrive, stay, leave; it knows everything
It perceives the gunshot, the man who died
And a few other things as the world went by
The tree named for her who is buried nearby
The land and its form under cobalt skies
And the house kept its secrets 'til she came by
'Til she found an echo and wondered why
–Ryan Pfeil
Have you ever been in an old, historic house and thought, “If only these walls could talk—what stories they could tell!”?
Well, the House of Threads, a charming 125-year-old farmhouse on a 160-acre homestead near Williams, Oregon, is such a place.
Three years ago, Heather Paladini became the property’s most recent owner, coincidentally—or perhaps fatefully—closing the deal on this, her dream house, on her 40th birthday. Though busy with clearing out and moving in, Heather knew she eventually wanted to research the history of the house and hoped to tell its stories once the dust had settled. But while she was cleaning the house, she found some 100+-year-old letters in a bowl on top of a kitchen cabinet that sent her straight into the past and onto a path of discovery about the history of her home.
About a year later, Heather found some Facebook posts by Laura Ahearn, local Applegate historian and director of the McKee Bridge Historical Society, about historic events that happened on the original homestead of her home. She and Laura compared notes and shared their research. In May 2025, Laura suggested Heather present the fascinating history she’d uncovered about her property as part of the Windows in Time program, a series of historical presentations produced in partnership with Southern Oregon Historical Society (SOHS) and Jackson County Library Services (JCLS).
Through that program, Heather met Ryan Pfiel, Marketing Specialist for JCLS and videographer, scriptwriter, and former newspaper reporter and editor who edits the recorded Windows in Time presentations for the JCLS YouTube channel. Intrigued by Heather’s presentation, he asked if she would like to collaborate on a documentary short about the interconnected lives of the previous inhabitants of the home and property. With Heather’s enthusiastic “yes,” House of Threads was born.
Produced by JCLS, this delightful 24-minute documentary tells the story of some of the early settlers of this area who were connected to the property: Samuel Provolt, Oregon Trail pioneer, farmer, gold miner, and Applegate Valley landowner, whose name is familiar to us all; Provolt’s granddaughter, Myrtle Letteken (whose letters Heather found), who tragically died in an automobile accident at age 31 and for whom a still-thriving myrtle tree was planted next to the house 100 years ago; Thomas Kenney, of Jacksonville, who likely built the original dwelling. Back in 1876, predating Kenney and the Provolt family, a Portuguese immigrant named Antone Joseph acquired the land through the Homestead Act. Joseph was an industrious gold miner who worked hard and kept to himself, as he spoke little to no English, but rumors that he had accumulated a fortune in gold likely led to his heinous murder. In 1893, he was found dead on a trail near his house, shot in the head. Charles Slagle, age 22, another notable Applegate Valley family name, was soon arrested and eventually found guilty of killing old Antone and sentenced to life in prison. There began a ten-year battle over the assets, including the property Heather now owns, in the contested last will and testament of Antone Joseph.
From what I’ve heard, there is a lot more to the stories. You can watch the documentary at the Applegate Library on Saturday, July 18, 1-2 pm, and at the Ruch Library on Saturday, August 1, 1-2 pm. Stay to meet Heather, Ryan, and Laura, and for a Q&A session after the viewing. Additional viewings are being planned for the Jacksonville library and perhaps at the Williams Grange and at a winery on Slagle Creek. Check applegater.org and jcls.libcal.com for further details.
Roger Wirth