Aurora's Historical Kraus House has been tabbed for a preservation grant.

Aurora Colony Historical Society’s historic house will get some TLC

Aurora Colony Historical Society’s Kraus House was one of 20 grant recipients from Oregon Heritage, a division of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, recently.

The grant, part of $300,000 in grant money awarded overall, was awarded in the “Preserving Oregon” category of properties listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

These grants are approved by the State Advisory Committee on Historic Preservation, a nine-member group that reviews nominations to the National Register of Historic Places. The members are professionally recognized in the fields of history, architecture, archaeology and other related disciplines.

For more information about the grant program, visit www.oregonheritage.org or contact Kuri Gill at Kuri.gill@oprd.oregon.gov or 503-986-0685.

About the Kraus House

The George Kraus house, built about 1864, was presented to the historical society in 1969 by John Kraus Sr., the son of the Colony’s shoemaker George Kraus, and John’s two sons, John Jr. and George Kraus.

This typical Colony home, constructed in the board and batten style from wood cut at the saw mill, was lived in by members of the Kraus family from 1879 to the mid 1960s.  When it was donated to the historical society, the house was moved two blocks to the museum complex from its original site and dedicated to the Kraus family.

Strong evidence suggests that members of the Giesy family lived in this house during the 1860s and 1870s. George Kraus’s wife Elizabeth was the daughter of John Giesy, an astute administrator of Colony business relationships with non-members.

While it is not known for certain, oral tradition says that Emma Wagner Giesy also lived in the house for some time, and the Jane Kirkpatrick novels based on Emma’s life have the house being built expressly for Emma.

The house is furnished entirely with artifacts from the Aurora Colony, the vast majority having been donated by the Kraus family.