Editing Athena, Oregon (section)

==History==
Athena, about halfway between [[Pendleton, Oregon]], and [[Walla Walla, Washington]], was originally called Centerville. However, confusion about the name sometimes arose because Oregon had another Centerville, in Washington County, and the state of Washington had a [[Centerville, Washington|Centerville]], in Klickitat County. In 1889, local government officials asked the Centerville school principal, D. W. Jarvis, to recommend a different name. He chose ''[[Athena]]'' after the Greek goddess, and they agreed.<ref name="OGN">{{cite book | last = McArthur | first = Lewis A. | author-link = Lewis A. McArthur |author2=Lewis L. McArthur |author2-link=Lewis L. McArthur | title = [[Oregon Geographic Names]] | orig-year = 1928 | edition = 7th | year = 2003 | publisher = [[Oregon Historical Society]] Press | location = Portland, Oregon| isbn = 0-87595-277-1 | page = 37 }}</ref>

Centerville got its first post office on October 11, 1878. The first postmaster was William T. Cook. The post office name was changed to ''Athena'' on May 16, 1889.<ref name="OGN"/>

Nineteenth-century settlers of [[Scottish people|Scottish]] descent brought to Athena an interest in the customs and music of Scotland. Before [[World War I]], Athena had a [[Caledonians|Caledonian]] Society that held an annual picnic featuring Scottish dancing and [[bagpipes]]. McEwen High School in Athena (now [[Weston-McEwen High School]]) revived the tradition in the 1950s when it organized a Scots dance group and a [[pipe band]]. The band has since performed at many venues in the United States and has traveled to Scotland and England to play.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pipes and Drums: History of the Program |publisher=Weston–McEwen High School |url=http://wmhs.athwest.k12.or.us/pipes_drums |access-date=2015-06-02 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602231651/http://wmhs.athwest.k12.or.us/pipes_drums |archive-date=2015-06-02 }}</ref> The Athena Caledonian Games languished during World War I but were re-established in 1976 as a Bicentennial event that has continued ever since.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.union-bulletin.com/news/caledonian-games-in-athena-celebrate-scottish-heritage/article_4ab61f42-ffe1-11ec-8f95-e3b1e7389840.html | title=Caledonian Games in Athena celebrate Scottish heritage | date=July 11, 2022 }}</ref>