Fall 2010 - Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association

VASHON-MAURY ISLAND HERITAGE ASSOCIATION DEDICATED TO THE PRESERVATION OF VASHON HISTORY FALL 2010 VOLUME 25 ISSUE 4 WWW.VASHONHERITAGE.ORG
A CELEBRATION OF HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE
The Dockton Historic Trail Project Committee has announced the grand opening for the half mile interpretive trail
commemorating Dockton’s Maritime and Cultural history on Saturday, September 25th at 2:00 at the King County
Dockton Park on Maury Island. This project was supported by VMIHA and funded by 4Culture and King County
Parks with a Community Partnership Grant.
Vashon Maury Island Heritage members are invited to attend this festive event.
The maritime and cultural history of Dockton will now be shared with those who walk the trail and read the ten in­
terpretive signs. In addition, the original cast­iron bell, which hung by the dry dock and was used to call the men and
women to work in the late 1890’s has been “gifted” to the community by the Archdiocese of Seattle and is a focal
point at the trailhead. The bell has been stored at St. John Vianney’s Catholic church since it was removed from St.
Patrick’s church in Dockton when the building was closed. An 8 foot mosaic obelisk containing glass and porcelain
shards found on the beaches of Dockton, remnants of the early residents of this waterfront community, will also be
installed permanently near the bell. Funding for the obelisk was secured by private donations within the Island com­
munity.
The ten interpretive signs were designed by Sandra Noel. The new “Welcome to Dockton” entrance sign was de­
signed by Richard Farner and created on the Island. The trail head design was completed by Keith Putnam and the
installation and construction of the trailhead was done by Frank Zellerhoff Construction. The landscape design was
completed by Schafer Landscape Design. All of these people live and work on Vashon Island.
Entertainment and refreshments will be provided by Chris Jovanovich and the members of St. John Vianney Catho­
lic Church. Please plan on attending.
Patty Van Den Broek Custer
Dockton Project Committee Member
VMIHA Board Member
VASHON-MAURY ISLAND HERITAGE ASSOCIATION
Page 2
A STRING OF APRONS
Sewn into aprons are stories; The Museum hopes to learn the tales and see the aprons. The exhibit, “A String
of Aprons” will hang in the gallery from December 3rd through February 15th. So.. We’re calling for your
aprons! Bring them to Museum on Sunday, October 10th (1-3PM) or Tuesday the12th (9-11AM) for documentation and consideration for the show. Islander Robert Teagardin will be photographing all aprons on those
days . An information form to fill out and bring along with your aprons can be downloaded from the:
www.vashonhistory.org/apron. Aprons need not be in perfect condition.
From the basic apron projects labored over in home economics classes to the African slaves who patched
folktales into their aprons to Adam and Eve’s simple stitched fig leaves, aprons have been with us throughout
history. Each apron recalls a face, place, time or tale. At the Museum, a curatorial committee has been formed
to gather those recollections, select and present the aprons for the exhibit. The committee includes: Museum
Board Members, Patty Custer and Jean Findlay, Island fabric and fiber artists, Janet Kime and Nancy Sipple and
guest co-curators, Susan Hedrick and Hunter Davis. Contact them at apronstories@gmail.com with any questions.
Come wander through the colorful array and listen to the stories these commonplace items tell. There will be
men’s aprons, protective and working aprons as well as decorative and artistic ones. It’s a great gift to give
yourself just as the winter holidays appear on Vashon.
OFFICERS PRESIDENT: Bob Fetterley Vice President: Laurie Tucker Treasurer: Steve church Recording Secretary: Jean Findlay Corresponding Secretary: Barbara steen Newsletter Editor: Barbara cooper VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
HERITAGE ASSOCIATION
PO BOX 723, VASHON, WA 98070
206-463-7808
www.vashonheritage.org
Email: ADMIN@VASHONHERITAGE.org BOARD OF TRUSTEES Charlie Hansen Bill Palmer Deb dammann Support
Rebecca wittman Bruce Haulman Duane dietz Provided
Patty Custer Yvonne kuperberg Jon flora By:
Reed Fitzpatrick Laura robinson FALL 2010
·
Near Ms.
Page 3
by Eve Dumovich
More Strangers, More To Do
(Vashon –Maury Island Beachcomber, October 23, 1980)
Once in a while I suffer from a mild attack of nostalgia. Not that I don’t mind the happy forward-looking, committee-created, let’s-get-it-all-together Island of today. But once in a while when a spot of white in the bushes
makes me remember when deer grazed in the field behind the house, I get a little misty-eyed.
When we moved here the deer ambled down the main highway all winter, safe from tourists and traffic. Midwinter when the dawn mists rose thick from the woods deer, coon and fox were as common as Hondas are
today.
The most obvious business on the main road into Vashon was the Sears catalog store. There were two grocery stores in the center of town, but there were at least eight more Mom and Pop corner stores where you
could buy penny candy, fresh milk and fantastic meat.
I remember the first time I wandered into the Dockton grocery store and asked if they had chicken. The old
man behind the meat counter nodded and went into the cooler. The dinner he had swinging by its feet looked
plump enough, but was full of feathers.
He looked at my shocked face with pity and obligingly un-feathered the fowl on the spot. That was also the
time I learned that sausages came in strings and not plastic wrap and that side bacon could be sliced to size.
That summer this city slicker had several rural experiences. I discovered that on this rock “a good Alibi”
meant a happy crowd at 5 p.m. in the only cocktail lounge on the Island.
The Island Festival was big on horses, goats, cows and attendant mopper-uppers, but the only art or craft on
display was the annual Driftwood Sculpture Show which that year featured over one hundred pieces.
I learned that the best fish and chips in the world were to be had at the restaurant by the north end ferry
dock.
And I learned that you could order anything from the mainland as long as it would fit on Harlan’s bus. We sent
for a new front car bumper.
In winter the whole town seemed to slumber. What stores were open were for visiting, drinking coffee and
keeping warm. The town Doctor made his calls, the Fireman and one of the two Policeman played cards back
of the Fire Station and the town Dentist practiced golf in his waiting room.
When fall approached eleven sets of parents brought their children to kindergarten, compared to almost seventy last year.
Continued on page 5
VASHON-MAURY ISLAND HERITAGE ASSOCIATION
Page 4
Memorials
FAMILY
IN MEMORY OF
Jean & Fritz Ameluxen
Howard Willsie
By:
Susan Hedrick
Joe & Suzie Green
John & Elizabeth Dutton
Bill Garvin
David Church
John & Shirley Church
Miyoko Matsuda
Dick & Vanetta Warren
Lisbet Nilson & Mark Ashida
David & Marian Whited
Emily & Mara Burns
Larry & Kathy Vanderhoef
SENIORS
Hans Thompson
Thelma Murphy
By:
WELCOME
NEW MEMBERS
Lucille Spakowsky
Adele Thompson
Marshall Atwood
INDIVIDUAL
Barbara Waterbury
CLASS OF 1954
DONATED A BRICK AND FUNDS
Emily MacRae
Gar MacRae
Harris Levinson
IN HONOR OF:
Bob Childs
Ellen Stewart
Bobbi Arnold
Patrick (Skip) Green
Vashon-Maury Is.land Beachcomber Ad from January 4, 1979
FALL 2010
Page 5
Exhibit Schedule 2010—2011
Titles may change, but the subjects are set
Exhibit
Curator(s)
Opening
The Appeal of Apple Peelers
Gordon Millar
First Friday, October 1, 2010
A String of Aprons
Susan Hedrick & Hunter Davis
First Friday, December 3, 2010
The Sherman Family on Vashon
Gene & Jim Sherman
First Friday, March 4, 2011
Vashon Athletics
Dick Warren
First Friday, June 3, 2011
Home of Record, Vashon And
The Viet Nam War
Chris Gaynor
First Friday, October 7, 2011
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Ad May 10, 1979
GROCERY STORE RECEIPTS*
Turn in your grocery store receipts to the Museum
Both stores are being very generous in funding a
percentage on every dollar spent to the Museum.
We are truly grateful to them in helping us out with
our ongoing expenses.
Please, mark the Vashon Thriftway receipts with
your name and phone number.
*They can not be over a year old
Continued from page 3
Near Ms. - More Strangers , More To Do
Rains came and went, ferries humbled by the fog. The cars aboard were older, the trucks more battered. Ferryboats were never full in the winter and the moment one boarded, everybody knew everybody.
There seem to be more strangers now. There is more to do; more restaurants, bars and specialty stores. Islanders are almost approaching sophistication now and then with art shows and gala musicals.
But every once in a while I wonder what happened to the winners of the Driftwood Sculpture Show, the deer,
the coons and the lazy damp days of a decade ago.
VASHON-MAURY ISLAND HERITAGE ASSOCIATION Page 6
Annual Membership Dues*
MEMBERSHIP FORM Return to: Seniors and Students
$15.00
VASHON­MAURY ISLAND HERITAGE ASSOCIATION Individual
$20.00
PO BOX 723 Family
$50.00
Supporting
$75.00
VASHON, WA 98070 NAME: Patron
$100.00
Life*
$500.00
Benefactor*
ADDRESS: $1,000.00+ *Life and Benefactor Memberships are a one time only, others are paid annually, January thru December. CITY: STATE: ZIP: paid members are entitled to a 10% dis- count in our gift shop and discounted EMAIL: PHONE:
rates for special occasions. Museum Benefactor and Island Author
Robert B. Gordon, Sr. 1914 – 2010
The Island lost one of its beloved elders on September 7th when Bob Gordon died peacefully just a few weeks shy of his
96th birthday. Bob was known to many as the Mayor of Magnolia Beach – he first spent a summer at Magnolia Beach in
1920, later worked for Case’s Store (Marjesira Inn), and still later rented a summer cabin there with his young family.
The Gordons bought their favorite beach cabin in 1957, and retired there as year-round residents in 1970. Many Islanders have enjoyed Bob’s book Magnolia Beach Memories, which he published in 1999.
What folks may not know is that Bob and his family were the major private donors who made the Island Heritage Museum possible. In the mid-1990s, VMIHA began planning for a future museum and looking at possible sites. When the
1907 church building at 10105 SW Bank Road, formerly the Vashon Child Care Center, became available in late 1999,
VMIHA wanted to leap at the opportunity.
Bob and his family contributed stocks which made immediate acquisition of the property possible. Other grants and donations allowed VMIHA to completely renovate its main building and open the Island Heritage Museum to the public, free
of debt.
Bob Gordon made a number of subsequent contributions, especially in memory of his son
Bob Jr. and his wife Pat. The museum’s main exhibition hall as well as its archival room and
meeting hall are named in honor of the family. Bob served on VMIHA’s Board of Directors,
as did his daughter-in-law Fran and his son Dick, who is still an active volunteer.
VMIHA has many dedicated volunteers and contributors, but Bob Gordon’s generosity deserves a special mention in the legacy that he left for the whole Island community.
– by Holly Taylor
Page 7
FALL 2010
History Brick Order Form _____ ONE HISTORY BRICK ­ I HAVE ENCLOSED A CHECK FOR $60.00 _____ TWO HISTORY BRICKS ­ I HAVE ENCLOSED A CHECK FOR $120.00 _____ THREE HISTORY BRICKS ­ I HAVE ENCLOSED A CHECK FOR $150.00 Please use additional forms if ordering more than three bricks. Three or more bricks are priced at $50.00 each. Bricks previously purchased apply to your total. Each Brick may have up to three (3) lines with no more than 14 characters/spaces per line. PLEASE PRINT THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION Please Print Inscription for Brick # 1: Please Print Inscription for Brick # 2: Please Print Inscription for Brick # 3: Name: Address: City: Phone State: ( ) ­ Zip: Email:
VASHON­MAURY ISLAND HERITAGE ASSOCIATION Po Box 723, Vashon, WA 98070
VMIHA Use Only:
Date Received
__________________________________________
Brick(s) Received __________________________________________
The Museum Store specializes in books, maps, cards and other items related to
Vashon-Maury Island history
The store is located in the museum and is open museum hours, 1-4, Wednesday,
Saturday and Sunday
­ Now Excepting PayPal
WWW.VASHONHERITAGE.ORG
Mission Statement: The mission of the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Association shall be to collect, preserve, interpret and exhibit materials reflecting the
unique history and culture of Vashon-Maury Island and to serve as a resource for
the community and region through educational programs, the collection of documents and data, and the operation of the Vashon-Maury Is. Heritage Museum.
Order Sent
_______________________________________
Brick(s) Placed _______________________________________ Museum Hours
Wednesday: 1:00 to 4:00 pm
Saturday:
1:00 to 4:00 pm
Sunday:
1:00 to 4:00 pm
The Heritage Association sincerely appreciates the
support provided by our Members and the Vashon
Community and extend this invitation to all to visit
and enjoy your Island Museum
Return Service Requested PERMIT NO. 120 VASHON, WA US POSTAGE PAID VASHON, WA 98070 BULK RATE PO BOX 723 NON­PROFIT VASHON­MAURY ISLAND HERITAGE ASSOCIATION Inside this issue:
A String of Aprons 2 Officers and Board of Trustees 2 Near Ms.—More Strangers, More to Do 3 Memorials 4 In Honor 4
Welcome New Members 4 Grocery Store Receipts 5 Exhibit Schedule 5 Membership Form 6 Museum Benefactor and Island Author 6 History Brick Order Form 7 Museum Store and Mission Statement 7 Museum Hours 7 Dues Reminder 8 HAVE YOU PAID YOUR MEMBERSHIP DUES? PLEASE RENEW TODAY! NOT SURE? PLEASE CHECK YOUR ADDRESS LABEL FOR CURRENT MEMBERSHIP STATUS