Kerby, Southwest Oregon

Kerby has the oldest history of any town along the Highway 199 corridor with its roots in the early mining history of Oregon. In the early days it was known as Kerbyville and at one time this was the county seat of Josephine County. The main transportation route that brought supplies from the port town of Crescent City into southwest Oregon passed through here. The old Redwood Highway can be followed from Kerby to Crescent City and makes an interesting backcountry driving experience. More on the old Redwood Highway Backcountry Drive to Crescent City.

The Kerbyville Masonic Lodge is one of the first lodges established in Oregon history. The Masons will be celebrating their 150th anniversary in July 2008. more...

Kerby has three furniture makers that each produce a distinctly unique style of furniture. The furniture shops include Its A Burl, Kauffman's and Dovetail Joint.

Its A Burl (shown in header photo above)
What a fascinating place indeed with an art gallery of wood sculptures, a tree house to explore, and an opportunity to watch crafters at work making an unusual style of furniture using naturally bent and twisted pieces of wood pieced together in jig-saw fashion to make absolutely unique furniture (see picture of crafter at work). Most of the wood used to make furniture are burls from oaks, maples, redwoods and other trees. Burls are large rounded growths on the trunks of trees caused by a variety of things including colonies of bacteria, fungi or insects (see a picture of an oak burl). These micro organisms cause the wood to bend and twist as it grows resulting in wood grains of captivating speckles, wavy textures, and coloration. Most of the wood used in furniture production, wood sculptures, etc. were collected from the forest along the Highway 199 corridor.
The Indian Summer Gift Shop with Native American crafts is located in a small building next to the main gallery.

Dovetail Joint
Furniture made at this shop is produced by precision cutting and fitted together with dovetailed joints. Most of the wood used in the furniture is made from hardwoods harvested locally. The shop and show room are both located in the same room so you can watch furniture being made. The Dovetail Joint shop is located across the street from "Its A Burl" in the historic Mason's building built on the first plat of land recorded in Josephine County records.

Kauffmans Log Furniture
This shop produces a rustic style furniture of hand hewn fir and pine logs. The second story of the building has a gallery and arrangements can be made to tour the factory located a few hundred yards behind the historic building where the store is located. Kauffman's Furniture showroom is located next to Dovetail Joint and across the street from "Its A Burl".

Kerbyville Museum
Kerby is a historic town that was once the county seat of Josephine County. You can see much of this history at the Kerbyville Museum located near the furniture stores mentioned above. The original log cabin school house is on display along with a replica Native American house constructed in a style similar to what was used by the Takilma Indians of southwest Oregon. A variety of farm equipment is also on display next to the historic Naucke (pronounced now-key) house. There is a small donation requested for entering the museum but it is well worth it if you want to get a better look at the history of the local region.

________________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: All information in Highway199.org is accurate to the best knowledge of the author. However, conditions in outdoor settings can change dramatically after storms or fires. For this reason, travelers are advised to check current road conditions before traveling through the area, drive responsibly and take measures to understand safety issues in the region. When participating in outdoor activities, always plan and prepare for safe hiking, swimming or any other activities mentioned in the Highway 199 website. More on disclaimer and copyright...