It commemorated the Holman and Nesmith Buildings, currently where the parking garage and Umpqua Bank are. The Territorial and early State governments met in the Holman and Nesmith buildings, and you can see the heading "Statehood began here" at the top of the panel.
But the panel is gone, replaced by glittery holiday decorations!We wonder what happened. We'll let you know if we find out!
The snow and glitter makes us think of this picture: Joseph Holman's house is also gone, leveled or burned in the early 1900s for Max Buren's house (and here).
The Holman and Buren houses were located on Court Street, between Cottage and Winter, where now is a surface parking lot for First Presbyterian Church. Virginia Green has a series of slides on the houses in the Piety Hill neighborhood moved or demolished for State office buildings in the Capitol Mall. The first slide in the series talks about First Presbyterian's move from where the Labor building is now, and the houses the Sanctuary's new location displaced.
And since snow is also top of mind, here's two skating scenes from 1911 and 1914. 
Can you imagine a sustained cold spell long enough to freeze over the river and slough?! It's getting warmer here for sure. Historic images from Salem Public Library Historic Photograph Collections:
Joseph Holman House
Skaters 1911
Skaters 1914
For more on Joseph Holman, a pioneer of 1839, see the Peoria Party, and biographies in the Oregon Historical Quarterly and the Salem Pioneer Cemetery, where he is buried.
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