Abrams, William

From Lane Co Oregon

WILL ABRAMS

Another versatile builder in Eugene was Will Abrams (1843-1915). He arrived in the late 1860s and went to work as a carpenter. In 1871, he started Eugene’s first planing mill and sash factory. There he produced door frames, shutters, scrollwork, and advertised “Coffins made to order on the shortest notice.”

He entered contracting work, and built a number of residences and commercial buildings — including Villard Hall, the second building on the UO campus. He teamed up with Nels Roney in 1886, and for the next two years they built a number of prominent buildings in Eugene. The house they built for Dr. Shelton at the foot of Skinner Butte was actually built twice. The first version was burned just before completion — by “a Eugene man with a grudge against Abrams,” according to one source. The original plans came out again and a replica was built.

Abrams also dabbled in agriculture, operating a cider and vinegar business on the old millrace for a while. The waterway passing near 8th and Hilyard streets is gone, but the building still stands — an old weathered barn with the faded letters spelling out W.H. ABRAMS CIDER FACTORY & FRUIT DRYER. He made his contributions to education as well. As a member of the Union University Association in the early 1870s, raising funds to locate the state university in Eugene, Abrams often solicited donations door-to-door. In one case, he gave far beyond the call of duty. “Mr. W.H. Abrams was bitten quite severely on the right arm the other day by a dog,” the local paper reported. “He slung his arm up and is now waiting till sufficiently strong to kill the vicious brute.”