Imagine the Scene: Astoria's Custom House - 1849

Imagine the Scene: Astoria's Custom House - 1849. . The exterior of this reconstructed U.S. Custom House tells only part of the story. Use your imagination to visualize the space inside: a room sparsely furnished with a desk, perhaps a bookcase, wooden file cabinets, and a chair or two. The small wood stove provide the only warmth during Astoria's wet winters. , You might imagine British sea captains tracking in mud from the shore as they came to carry on business with customs officials. You might see "wild-looking specimens of frontier life." as Mrs. Adair described some of the men living in Astoria in the 1850s. , Think of wet clothes dripping Oregon rain, dirty floors and loud conversation about the destination of goods, their worth, and the taxes to be paid on them. This small, austere facility provided quite a contrast to the much grander custom houses set up in other parts of the country. Its simplicity reflects life in the Pacific Northwest at the time.