Douglas McKay 395 Jerris Street (D) SCAN

In 1929, Douglas McKay, his wife Mabel and daughters Shirley and Marylou, moved to this house on Jerris Street. Mr. McKay, a veteran of World War I, had moved to Salem in 1926 and founded a Chevrolet auto dealership. In 1941, Mabel McKay and the landscape gardening firm of Lord and Schryver created a garden there. It would be the family’s only home in Salem.
 A natural-born politician, McKay was Salem mayor 1933 to 1934,  elected as state Senator 1935 to 1949 and became governor in 1950. President Eisenhower appointed McKay as Secretary of the Interior in 1952. After returning from Washington, D.C. in 1956, this continued to be the McKay home until his death in 1959 and Mabel's death in 1969. A biography of Douglas McKay was published in the Salemhistory website.

Edwin Viesko 2060 High Street (LL) SCAN

On February 8, 1923, Edwin R. and Marie Viesko purchased property from E.A. and Elsie Rhoten for $450. By 1924, Ed and Marie Viesko were living at this address in Salem's Nob Hill subdivision.
During the 1920s, Ed Viesko worked with his father in construction and started building homes, but selling the houses was challenging because of the Depression. He switched to commercial construction and partnered with Jim Hannaman, a local architect, forming "Viesko and Hannaman". They built several commercial structures. After Hannaman's death, Viesko partnered with Claude Post and established "Viesko and Post". They were responsible for Salem buildings such as the Marion County Courthouse, the Salem Armory, the Statesman Journal Building and Meier and Frank retail store as well as three schools.
This was the home of Edwin and Marie Viesko until their deaths in 1969 and 1970. It was passed down to their daughters and since then to a number of owners.