This historic photo of Union’s Goodbrod Lake is part of Jerry Gildemeister’s collection.

UNION — The Union County Museum will host its Third Tuesday event in the Little White Church on Tuesday, June 21, at 7 p.m. The title of the presentation is “The Mystery & History Behind Union’s Goodbrod Lake,” researched and presented by Steve Wadner.

It’s hard to imagine a lake could simply disappear from within the city limits of a community. However, that seems to be the case with Goodbrod Lake, which once graced the town of Union. A photo of the lake in a book by Jerry Gildemeister about the town’s centennial caught the attention of Steve Wadner when he moved to the area in 1980. He started digging into the town’s history and will present his findings and the story behind the man who created the lake in the late 19th century.

“A.J. Goodbrod was a Civil War veteran who then served three years with General George Crook before coming to Union in 1876, where he lived until his death in 1914,” explains Wadner. “This was a period when Union was growing and prospering — the future was bright, with all sorts of prospects. Goodbrod was a part of all of this: business owner, city marshal, city council, member of the G.A.R., Oddfellows, community leader.”

The presentation will include a story called “The Charge of the Gray Devils,” as well as more about the lake and the man who was known locally as General Goodbrod.

The hour-long event is held in the museum’s Little White Church, which sits beside City Hall, across South Main Street from the museum.

About the presenter

Stephen Wadner is a volunteer host at the Union County Museum. He moved to Union from Southern Oregon in 1980 and his two children went through the Union schools. He worked in facilities at Eastern Oregon University as the stationary engineer and retired in 2011 as director of campus safety and security. He has a passion for history and is known for his talent in turning household objects into unique pieces of art.

About the museum

The Union County Museum is a nonprofit organization with a mission to collect, preserve and present the history of Union County. The museum is governed and operated by volunteers with the Union County Museum Society. Find more information and join our cause at www.ucmuseumoregon.com.

The museum is open Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m., from Mother’s Day through September. If you love history and would like to volunteer a few hours a month sharing that interest with museum visitors, contact Raye Clark, volunteer coordinator, by sending an email to history@ucmuseumoregon.com or call the museum at 541-562-6003 and leave her a message. Proposals for Third Tuesday presentations are also welcome.