Sixty-eight specially invited guests walked through the John Sweek House on Sunday, July 12, marking the first time Tualatin's only National Register of Historic Places property had been open to the public in more than two decades.
The Tualatin Historical Society partnered with Rebecca Pratt and Melissa Stephens, who grew up in the 1858 Classical Revival home at 18815 SW Boones Ferry Road, to organize the docent-led tour.
Volunteers in period clothing guided visitors through all ten rooms of the two-story house, sharing stories drawn from scripts that Pratt and Stephens' mother, Althea Pratt-Broome, wrote for her own tours years ago.
"It's really been a team effort, and we've been talking for three years with the historical society," Rebecca Pratt told Tualatin Life. "We had it planned for last year, but I had a severely broken shoulder."
Pratt and Stephens, along with their husbands Richard Hall and Greg Stephens, have spent nine years refurbishing the property their family has owned since 1955, when Althea and Laurie Pratt purchased it from the estate of Lillian Harding, the last Sweek descendant to live there.
Oregon pioneers John and Maria Sweek built the home in 1858 and called the property "Willowbrook" for the willows along the creek.
Pratt-Broome spent decades preserving artifacts, leading community tours, and running the Willowbrook Summer Arts Camp on the grounds. After her tours ended, the house went quiet.
Rebecca Pratt transcribed and edited her mother's original scripts, pulling from boxes of papers, old letters from Sweek family members, and Maria Sweek's diary. Docents used those materials to narrate details in each room, including original early-1900s English wallpaper from the Lloyd Wallpaper Distributor in the middle bedroom and a cast iron wood stove in the kitchen that Pratt-Broome used for cooking until just a few years ago.
Ross Baker, former president of the Tualatin Historical Society and a docent at the event, said the family's long-term goal is to fulfill Pratt-Broome's wish that the house be available to the public on an ongoing basis.
He noted that future tours would likely stagger visitor arrivals rather than bringing everyone through at once.
Tualatin City Councilor Valerie Pratt was among the 68 guests. She said it was her first time inside the house.
No future tour dates have been announced. Both the historical society and Rebecca Pratt described the July 12 event as a trial run toward more routine access. Residents interested in updates can contact the Tualatin Historical Society at tualatinhistory.org or (503) 885-1926.
Upcoming Tualatin Historical Society events:
- Fossil Fest — Saturday, Aug. 1
- Heritage Center 100th Anniversary Part 3: How Our Building Became the Heritage Center — Wednesday, Aug. 5, at 8700 SW Sweek Drive, Tualatin
