2011 by Val C. Ballestrem Used with permission
Comprised of several smaller neighborhoods, Hosford-Abernethy received its official name – the Hosford-Abernethy Neighborhood Development Association (HAND) – in the 1970s. Portlanders during this time sought a system of organized neighborhood associations in order to better communicate with local government, business leaders and each other. The history of what became HAND can be traced back to some of the area’s earliest settlers, even prior to when the neighborhood was part of the separate, incorporated city of East Portland.
Located in southeast Portland, the Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood borders the Willamette River on the west, Southeast 29th Avenue on the east, Powell Boulevard on the south and Hawthorne Boulevard on the north. The neighborhood is a diverse combination of business, industry, and residential areas. The name Hosford-Abernethy is derived from two schools located at opposite ends of the neighborhood. Hosford Middle School, on Southeast 28th Place is named after Methodist minister Chauncey O. Hosford a onetime resident of Portland who owned land on Mt. Tabor. Abernethy Elementary School is located on Southeast Orange Avenue, near Division Street. George Abernethy was, like Hosford, a Methodist missionary and was also Oregon’s first provincial governor. Neither of these two men held a direct interest in the neighborhood which today bears their names, but both remain important in the history of both Oregon and Portland. When considering individuals who did impact the neighborhood directly, the names Tibbetts, Stephens, and Ladd deserve further exploration.
