Warner Mountain Weavers
Richard & Bonnie Chase
459 South Main Street, Cedarville
The building serving as home to Warner Mountain Weavers
began as the Deep Creek Schoolhouse in 1874.
The Masons, who had organized the area's first
Lodge in Eagleville in 1873, added a second story to the
existing building and used it for their meeting hall for many
decades.
A great number of Surprise Valley's founding
fathers were members of fraternal organizations such as the
Masons; some social historians have speculated their isolation
in the remote and sparsely settled region led to the rapid
growth of groups such as the Masons, Oddfellows, Knights of
Pythias and others that were once active in the valley.
When the Chases bought the building from the
Masons in 1998, the windows were not only heavily draped and
shuttered but boarded over with plywood. "It was pitch black
inside!" remembers Bonnie. The ladies of the Eastern Star met in
the downstairs room while the Masons held meetings in the space
overhead. When they sold the building, they left several long,
sturdy tables and green benches the Chases still use.
Today, the downstairs is a light-filled store
where customers might not only shop for unique woven items and
fiber art materials but where they can take lessons in knitting.
Bonnie has a line of hand-dyed yarn she sells under the label
Deep Creek Yarns. Warner Mountain Weavers also features local
handcrafts such as pottery, jewelry, handmade knives, and a
variety of soaps and lotions.
The shop has also become something of a
meeting place and a center of information. "We feel good about
sharing this historic old building with the community", said
Within the spacious ground floor room are
several notable features. Ron Hopkins crafted the decorative
metal plates that strengthen the overhead beams and showcase
multi-hued skeins of wool yarn. The beadboard paneling on the
walls is original, and the glass case near the shop's front
features a display of treasured items from the life of local
legend Lige Langston.
"All the area's old-timers knew and loved Lige",
said Bonnie. Local author Linda Hussa wrote an account of his
colorful life that is available at the shop where one can also
see some of his tools, rawhide reins, his riata and braided
ropes, photographs, and his hat -- all items from Hussa's
personal collection. Langston died in 1987.
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Page modified:
08 Dec 2022 13:26:11 -0800
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