For other uses, see Shore Acres (disambiguation).

Shore Acres State Park is a state park 13 miles (21 km) south of Coos Bay in the U.S. state of Oregon.[1] It is one of three state parks along the Cape Arago Highway, which runs along the Pacific Ocean west of U.S. Route 101. Sunset Bay State Park is about 1 mile (1.6 km) north of Shore Acres, and Cape Arago State Park is about a mile south.[3]

View west across the garden from the pavilion showing the southern half. Walkways and plants are decorated with holiday lights.
Shore Acres Holiday Lights

The park features 5 acres (2 ha) of formal gardens including a rose-testing plot and Japanese lily pond,[3] as well as ocean views and beach access.[1] In the cooler months, visitors can watch storms and migrating whales from the park's sandstone cliffs.[3] Another seasonal attraction is the Shore Acres Holiday Lights, lasting from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve, when the gardens are decorated with lights and illuminated sculptures.[3]

Shore Acres was originally built as an estate in 1910 for Louis J. Simpson, a Coos County timber baron and son of shipping magnate Asa Meade Simpson.[4] After a 1921 fire and financial losses devastated his estate holdings, Simpson sold the land to the State of Oregon for use as a park in 1942.[4][5] The site was initially used as a radar station by the U.S. Army during World War II and decommissioned in 1948; the buildings on the property were used as barracks and were demolished after the war.[5] The state, which acquired park additions from other owners between 1956 and 1980, began restoring the garden in 1970.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Shore Acres State Park". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved July 1, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c "Park History". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d "Shore Acres State Park" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Wagner, Richard; Wagner, Judith. "Louis J. Simpson (1877–1949)". The Oregon Encyclopedia. Portland State University and the Oregon Historical Society. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Hale, Jamie (August 24, 2018). "From luxury estate to state park paradise, Shore Acres is an Oregon treasure". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 28, 2023.

External links