I lost my passport about five years awith more than 100 stamps in it and had pretty much given up on ever finding it. Then, about six months ago, it unexpectedly showed up. Since then, I’ve been filling in some of the experiences I had skipped the first time around. I’m now about three-quarters of the way through the passport and have visited nearly all of the historic hotel properties. That was part of what brought me back to Edgefield on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. I had been here many times before, but I had never taken either of the tours. It was a fairly unplanned visit, and while I knew I would enjoy myself, I really didn’t know what to expect. Both tours ended up being the highlight of the day. Edgefield has a special place in McMenamins history. It was the first large historic property the brothers took on and converted into the kind of destination that later became a signature part of the company. The history of the property itself is fascinating. Most people know about the Multnomah County Poor Farm. What I had not fully appreciated was everything that came after it. The county continued to use the property for years, including as a home for elderly residents, before the buildings were eventually closed and fell into serious decline. That history is everywhere once you know where to look. And that is where Thursday, our tour guide, made the experience exceptional. Thursday has decades of history with Edgefield and knows the property in a way that goes far beyond memorized facts. She knows the people. She knows the stories. She knows why a certain person appears in a painting, why a scene was placed on a particular wall, and how the property evolved from a nearly lost building into what it is today. There is even a wonderful story behind the woman depicted sitting on a bench, essentially holding court. Without the story, you might simply walk past her. After Thursday explains it, she becomes part of the experience. That happened over and over throughout the tour.