The Kitsap Historian - Kitsap County Historical Society

VISIT
REMEMBER
LEARN
The Kitsap Historian
October 2011
Kitsap Heritage Banquet Honors Local Pioneers
IN THIS ISSUE
Kitsap Heritage Event
1
President’s Message 2
New Board Members
2
KCHS will showcase the rich pioneer
history of Kitsap County at a gala event, the
Kitsap Heritage Banquet, on October 21.
Five families who trace their roots to the
early days of the county will be honored.
The celebration will take place at The Farm
Kitchen in Poulsbo.
Executive Director’s Message 3
Kitsap Pioneers
The program will recognize the
contribution
of pioneer families from five
3
regions of the county: North, South, Central
3
Kitsap, Bainbridge Island and Bremerton.
4 Their stories, as told through videos,
photographs, and personal recollections, will
4
follow an “Essence of Italy”
5 dinner and a silent auction of
5 Kitsap historic photographs.
Living
descendants
of
5 the original pioneers will
6 represent the families.
Annual Fund Donors
7
Bridge Exhibit Catalog
County History Book Update
Research Corner
Curator’s Column
Thank You
Mill Town Family Christmas
Petersen Farm
KCHS Members
7-8
Brownsville Cemetery
9
Amy Burnett’s Pioneer Family 9
Calendar of Events
10
A Mill Town
Christmas
is Coming!
See page 5
The mission of the Kitsap
County Historical Society
is to collect, preserve, and
exhibit the diverse culture,
heritage, and history of
Kitsap County for the
education and enjoyment of
the public.
This
year’s
honored
families are the Fellows
family of Bremerton, the
Nakatas of Bainbridge Island,
the Myreboes and Andersons
of Poulsbo, the Sackmans
of Central Kitsap, and the
Willocks of Port Orchard.
and Country Market and its counterparts
throughout the region.
The Myreboe/Anderson families, have
been active in Poulsbo business and civic
affairs for over 100 years. Halder and Susan
Myreboe emigrated from Norway in 1901.
They and their family members ran a dry
goods business for many years. Halder’s
son served as Poulsbo mayor, as did Martin
Anderson, Halder’s son-in-law. In his several
terms in office, Martin led efforts to make
Poulsbo the attractive town it is now.
Daniel Sackman was one of the earliest
settlers
in
Washington
Territory, landing at Alki
Point in 1852. With William
Renton, Sackman established
a sawmill at Enetai in what
is now East Bremerton.
He acquired much land in
Central Kitsap to support the
logging for the mill, and at one
time was the largest taxpayer
in Kitsap County. Wanting
an education for his four
children, he was instrumental
in setting up the first school in
Manette. Daniel’s son, Joseph, married the
great-granddaughter of Chief Seattle.
Kitsap
Heritage
Banquet
The Fellows family traces its beginnings
in the area to George Fellows, who arrived
in Manette in 1866 and soon established
a sawmill, as well as a store with a public
meeting hall upstairs that was the center of
local activity. The building is still a prominent
feature in Manette. George also helped form
the Manette Improvement and Investment
Company, which raised money for a wharf, a
ferry across the Port Washington Channel, a
water works and other public improvements.
The Jitsuzo and Shima Nakata family
emigrated from Japan to Bainbridge Island
around 1900. The family played a key role
in strawberry farming on the island. After
enduring internment during World War II,
they returned to Bainbridge, where their
son, Gerald, founded what is now Town
When he arrived in the area from
Pennsylvania in 1882, Civil War veteran
John Willock homesteaded at Command
Point in South Kitsap, where he cleared land
for a farm and built a two-story house for
his wife, Lucy, and their five children. Their
daughter, Cora, was the first teacher at the
Olalla School. Their son, Marsh, worked on
the emerging Mosquito Fleet steamboats
and became captain of a steamer. He was
active in the Good Roads Society and was a
strong supporter of public improvements in
South Kitsap.
Tickets for the Kitsap Heritage Banquet
are $75 per person, and space is limited.
Please contact the museum for reservations.
Page 2
THE KITSAP HISTORIAN
President’s Message
Welcome to Fall!
At the museum we
find ourselves shifting
our focus from summer visitors, festivals
and events to planning our next year of
exhibits and activities.
We have some exciting things ahead. Just
this month, we are privileged to begin an
annual event to honor Kitsap families who
have helped shape our unique history.
Each family has been in Kitsap for at least
one hundred years and has family members currently residing in the county. Five
remarkable families, one from each of the
areas of Kitsap — North, South, and Central Kitsap, Bainbridge Island and Bremerton — have been selected. Come join us
at the banquet on October 21, when we
celebrate these families and learn about
our community’s history and the people
who created it.
It is always good news when we add
new people to our board. I am delighted to
welcome Kathleen Cahall, Johnny Walker,
Annamarie Lavieri and Don Demers as
our newest trustees. These terrific folks are
wonderful additions to our already competent board and will help us to continue to
build an even better historical society for
all of us.
During the fall grant season we look
at our budget pretty intensely. Are you
Susan Daniel
aware that our memberships, admissions
and store sales account less than 15% of
our budget? What can we do to increase
this figure? We are in the midst of a special
membership drive. When they join between now and December, new members
will not only receive the usual wonderful
benefits offered by KCHS, they will be
entered into a prize drawing. See the box
on page 5 for a list of the prizes.
Should we increase our admission
price? The current fee is $2 per person,
$5 per family and admission is always free
to members. We have kept the admission
charge low in order to make the museum
available to as many visitors as possible.
Admission fees for other museums in
Kitsap run from no charge at all to $14 per
person. If we change the admission fee,
what should it be?
Have you been in our museum store
lately? It is filled with new items. While
the space is small, we try to feature a variety of books, made-in-Kitsap items and
merchandise that focuses on Kitsap and
our exhibits. We also carry greeting cards
and other gifts items. What you would like
to see featured?
If you have some ideas on any of these
topics, please let me know. You can contact me at sdaniel537@aol.com, or leave a
message at the museum — 360-479-6226.
I’d be pleased to hear from you. And I
hope to see you at the museum!
Kitsap County Historical Society and Museum
280 Fourth Street
Bremerton, WA 98337
360.479.6226
www.kitsaphistory.org ◆ info@kitsaphistory.org
Staff
Carolyn Neal, Executive Director ◆ Scott Bartlett, Curator
Jessica Dewar, Administrative Assistant ◆ Joyce Davison, Administrative Assistant
Carolyn McClurkan, Archivist
Board of Trustees
Susan Daniel, President
Alan Lowe, Vice President
Bonnie Isaacs, Treasurer
Sara Nell Davis, Secretary
Gary Beanland, Kathleen Cahall, Don Demers, Nina Hallett, Claudia Hunt,
J. Michael Koch, Annamarie Lavieri, Dave Peterson, Johnny Walker, Anita Williams
Advisory Board
Suzanne Callison Dicks, Alyce Eagans, Roger Horne, Paul Middents, Ralph Munro, Helen
Langer Smith, Ed Wolfe
Newsletter: Sara Nell Davis, Bob Christensen, Scott Bartlett
New Board Members
KCHS welcomes three new trustees to its
board of directors.
Don DeMers has a Master of Arts
degree in Museum
Administration. After
serving as a museum
director and historic
site manager in New
York and California,
he changed careers and
became a police officer
in his native California,
where he served three terms as president
of the San Jose Police Officers’ Association.
After retiring from the police force, he
obtained a private investigator’s license and
began his own business, which he continues
to practice in Washington State. Don is an
active member of the Port Orchard Rotary
and Bremerton Chamber of Commerce.
He and his wife, Karen, enjoy exploring
Washington’s historic sites.
A native of Connecticut, where a 4th
grade teacher sparked her interest in
history, Annamarie
Lavieri brings a
background in teaching
and school librarianship
to her position as a
trustee. Her community
involvement includes
arts organizations
and the North Kitsap
School District. She served on the board of
Bainbridge Performing Arts for six years and
currently serves on the board of the Rachel
Royston foundation, a non-profit that
provides scholarships to women educators
working on advanced degrees.
Johnny Walker is a photo-journalist,
graphic artist, and amateur historian. A
Kingston area resident since 1995, he was
raised in the wheat
country of rural East
Washington and has
traveled the world to
Europe, Asia and South
America. Johnny earned
a dual Master of Arts
from Webster University.
After serving in the US
Navy, he worked in corporate management
as a career security technologist. He
currently contributes to a variety of local
news publications, belongs to the Kingston
Historical Society and the Kingston
Chamber of Commerce, and is active in
greater Kingston community organizations.
October - November - December 2011
Director’s Message
Carolyn Neal
Not too long ago
a member of the
Bremerton Lodging Tax Committee
described the Kitsap
County Historical Society Museum as “the
little engine that could.” We are proud of
how much we accomplish with the limited
resources available to us and we are grateful to everyone — members, volunteers,
donors, and sponsors — who keep us
going. We are sincere when we say that we
could not do it without all the wonderful
help that we receive from our community.
In order to maximize our paid staff of
less than three full-time employees, we
are asking volunteers to take over some
of our most important tasks: greeting our
visitors, answering the phone and making
sales in the museum store. By committing
to one day a week for three hours or more,
you, the person reading this right now, can
make a real difference in our organization.
In addition to our role as a heritage
organization serving all of Kitsap County,
our museum is also a tourist attraction. It
is our goal to see that our visitors, both local and from out-of-town, have a positive
experience when they tour the museum.
Our excellent exhibits tell their own story,
but it is also important that visitors interact with pleasant and friendly people. This
is actually one of the nicest things about
working at the museum: meeting people
from all over the country and sharing our
enthusiasm about Kitsap County and its
history. Our tourists are interested and
they are interesting as well. Talking to
them is a pleasure.
Why do we need your help? We currently do a good job of welcoming people
to the museum, but, in addition to that,
staff is also accomplishing the work of
KCHS. This includes writing and printing
Winter Hours
October through April
Tuesday – Saturday: 10 am – 4 pm
— — —
First Fridays: 10 am - 8 pm
Free all day
Page 3
KCHS Publishes Bridge Exhibit Catalog
In Time for Manette Bridge Opening
Kitsap history buffs and bridge enthusiasts will be able to have their own fascinating record of local bridges in time for the opening of the Manette Bridge. Curator Scott
Bartlett has developed a catalog of the recent award-winning KCHS exhibit, Spanning
the Great Peninsula: Bridges of Kitsap. First copies of the catalog will be available at the
museum on the First Friday Arts Walk, November 4.
The artistically-rendered catalog includes 112 pages of photographs, drawings and
stories of the artifacts relating to the many bridges in Kitsap County and the greater
peninsula that were featured in the exhibit. The catalog is the first such documentation of
a Kitsap History Museum exhibit. Cost of the catalog will be $22.95
The Spanning the Great Peninsula exhibit won an Award of Excellence from the
Washington Museum Association this year.
Printing of the exhibit catalog was underwritten by Charlotte Garrido and the
Mowat-Manson Joint Venture. The catalog will be available for purchase at the new Manette Bridge opening and in the museum store after the First Friday event.
the newsletter, producing the e-newsletter,
sending out press releases, creating flyers, researching local history questions,
tending to copy machines and computer
files, filling out applications for funding,
investigating new grant sources, renewing
memberships and sending materials to
new members, staffing booths at various
festivals all over the county, and partnering with other organizations such as with
our collaboration on the Petersen Farm
campaign.
So, in order to strengthen our organization and make it more efficient, we
are asking volunteers to take over one of
our most rewarding daily tasks, talking to
our visitors. If you enjoy people and need
a little time away from the house, please
come and talk to us about a volunteer shift
at our front desk. You are sure to enjoy it!
County History Book
Price Deadline Nov. 1
The third publication of Kitsap
County: A History (a.k.a. “The Brown
Book”) is progressing well enough
that that the deadline has passed for
purchasing this comprehensive record
of the county’s history at the presale
price of $54.30 and having your name
listed in the book. The opportunity for
purchasing at the presale price, albeit
without name mention in print, is still
an option until November 1, however.
After that date, the price of the book will
be $75, plus tax.
If you wish to purchase Kitsap County: A History at the presale price, please
stop by the museum or phone in your
order at 360-479-6226 before November
1. Visa and MasterCard are accepted.
Page 4
THE KITSAP HISTORIAN
Research Corner
From the Curator
Bonnie Chrey
The Kitsap County
History Museum is
both a repository and
a producer. Artifacts,
records, photographs,
and oral histories
come in, and exhibits
are developed that
share some of those
amassed collections.
Researchers come to see exhibits, but also
to peruse family records or rural history.
Special programs such as Eat Your Way
Through Kitsap History offer to interpret
specific sites and themes. The museum
itself is somewhat of a crossroads: taking
in, lending out, sharing what we learn.
Because it’s not always easy for people to
trek to the museum or to special program
sites, offsite programs can help us reach a
much wider audience. We currently have
two exciting projects underway on the
production side of things that will take our
mission beyond our museum building.
will explain to teachers the variety and
accessibility of archival, photo, and artifact
resources available, and suggest partner
projects with museums for area students
and classes. Local museums provide
primary resources, a refreshing alternative
to libraries specializing in secondary
published material. Research for History
Day presentations and “now and then”
photography projects are just a couple of
ways that our local museums can integrate
with school curriculum.
As you’ll see described on page 3
of this newsletter, we are pleased to be
publishing an exhibit catalog of Spanning
the Great Peninsula: Bridges of Kitsap.
This award-winning exhibit contained a
wealth of historical information, as well
as engaging stories and intriguing images.
The publication of a catalog means that the
product that grew out of exhibit research
will be on view and accessible for longer
than the temporary exhibit.
of the
A woman from Iowa who has visited
Bremerton a couple of times contacted the
museum in an effort to locate where her
home was in Sheridan Park. Her parents
moved here during the war to work at the
shipyard. She had photos from the area,
one of which showed “East 30th” on the
street sign. On her birth certificate, she
found the address to be 4143 30th St.,
View Ridge. When she and her husband
visited the area, they stayed at the Midway
Inn. As it turns out, she was very close to
where her home had been. The housing
would have been in the vicinity of the old
East High School.
Photo: KCHS Archives, Gift of
Margaret Moore.
The requestor, Margaret Moore, came
to the museum in July. We were able to
check an old map of the area that showed
Sheridan Park extending over a much
larger area than I realized (of course,
there was no Warren Avenue Bridge at the
time). I also verified information with the
City of Bremerton.
Margaret Moore remembers the diversity in
Sheridan Park public housing in Bremerton in
the 1940s. She describes her playmates there
in 1943, as “Tommy Beck, the Dane, Sonny
James, the African American, and Freddie
Citrenbaum, the American Jew.”
Margaret has recently sent the museum
some photos of their time living in
Sheridan Park. It seemed to be a happy
time for the family. Now, she has a request:
Margaret would like me to make her email
address/phone number available to anyone
who lived in Sheridan Park during the war.
Although she was a toddler at the time,
she says she would “love to live vicariously
through someone else’s memory.” If you
would like to communicate with Margaret,
please contact me at the museum either by
calling — 360-479-6226 — or emailing me
at research@kitsaphistory.org. This sounds
like a good story waiting to be written!
Scott Bartlett
We hope that this is the beginning of
a series of exhibit catalogs. Rather than
an exhaustive encyclopedic tome, we’ve
tried hard to maintain the flavor and
style of the gallery exhibit: stylishly clean,
with an emphasis upon the photographs,
artifacts, and local voices from the exhibit.
History can be easy to read! We look
forward to seeing this catalog in libraries,
schools, and on coffee tables. We’re also
working to beef up our education and
outreach programs. One exciting project
in particular has great outreach potential.
This coming spring, we will offer a series
of clock-hour certified teacher trainings,
focused on how educators can use the
resources right here in our local museums.
Partnering with the Bainbridge Island
Historical Society and the Washington
State Historical Society in Tacoma, we
We at KCHS try hard to balance
collecting with sharing. Our first-ever
exhibit catalog and our education
outreach program are just a couple
of recent examples. Even though the
summer season of Eat Your Way is over,
the museum is still “out there” in the
community. We hope to see you!
➢ Notice:
Annual Membership Meeting
Kitsap County Historical
Society
and Museum
— — —
Friday, December 2, 2011
5 pm
Museum Library
— — —
➢ Election of Trustees
➢ Volunteer of the Year
➢ Board Member of the Year
➢ Membership Drive prize
drawing!
— Refreshments —
Visit KCHS on the Web
It’s easy to keep informed about
KCHS programs and activities.
Find us on the web at:
kitsaphistory.org
October - November - December 2011
Thank You!
KCHS is grateful to …
•Dr. John Hardy and Carol Hardy,
Kathy Mahan and Don Paulson,
Jerry McAuliffe and Sherry
Hauser, Kristie and John Lamberg,
Tim Ryan, and David and Susan
Crossland for sharing their
beautiful gardens, and historian
Fred Just for relating the history
of Seabeck for the Eat Your Way
through Kitsap History Seabeck
Garden Tour.
•Poulsbo Feed & Grain for
providing straw bales for the visitor
rest area outside the pole barn at
the county fair. Olympic Peninsula
Antique Tractor Club for their
display next to the pole barn and
their popular corn shelling and
grinding machinery. Seed Factory
NW in Kent, WA, for corn on the
cob for shelling at the fair.
•Patrick Leuner, Buck Lake Native
Plant Garden Club members,
and Kingston historian Jack
Minert for guiding us through
the Hansville Native Garden and
historic downtown Kingston on
the 5th course of our Eat Your Way
program
•Paul Middents and Dave Peterson
for their expert guidance on our
Drink Your Way bus tour, Manny
Xenos for his history of the old
Viking House and Lorene Klamke
for her photos, stories and history of
the Four Corners Tavern.
•Mike and Sharon Koch for
initiating our delightful summer
fundraiser party, Dave and Carolyn
Peterson for hosting the event,
with Dave serving as auctioneer.
For their support of the event,
Minders Meats and Bainbridge
Island Winery; Chris Smith, Rod
Williams, and Bill Schourup for
their expert grill tending; and all
those who provided auction items.
Become a fan of KCHS on
Facebook! Visit:
www.facebook.com/kitsaphistory
Page 5
Celebrate the Holidays
with KCHS!
2011 Mill Town Family Christmas
Sunday, December 11
4 – 8 pm
Historic Seabeck Conference Center
Join us for our 4th Annual Mill Town Family Christmas on the beautiful
grounds of the Seabeck Conference Center with its buildings dating back to the
1800s. Festivities begin with tractor-drawn hayrides, roasted chestnuts and hot
cider. Guests can “drop in” on the pioneer line dancing in the meeting hall and
enjoy listening to carolers along the way. At 5:30 p.m., at the ring of the dinner gong,
we all meet in the dining room to enjoy the bounteous family style old-fashioned
logger’s dinner complete with some unique delicious treats.
The highlight of the evening will be a fascinating historical program, The
Pioneer Christmas, presented by Living History lecturer, performer and historical
consultant Tames Alan. This entertaining look at pioneer Christmases and how they
were celebrated throughout the country in the 1800s will delight listeners of all ages.
Adults: $30
Children ages 4-12: $15
Children 3 and under free
Reservations:
Kitsap Historical Society, 360.479.6226
or
Seabeck Conference Center, 360.830.5010
Make your reservation early, as seating is limited.
KCHS is grateful to Kitsap Bank for sponsoring the
2011 Mill Town Family Christmas.
Be sure to visit the
Museum Store
for your holiday gift shopping
◆Books about local history
◆ Children’s books
◆ Fiction and non-fiction books by
local authors, including Debbie
Macomber and Gregg Olsen
◆ Crafts and jewelry created by
local artists
◆ Souvenirs of Kitsap
◆ Toys and games
◆ Candy and specialty food items
Come in soon
for the best selection!
Members receive a 10% discount
Page 6
THE KITSAP HISTORIAN
Kitsap Pioneers: The Gustafson Family
Claudia Hunt
Photo: KCHS Archives, Gift of Norma Gustafson Card
Gustafson Road in Silverdale is named
for the Swedish pioneer family that settled
there in the late 1800s. The following
history is compiled from information
graciously provided to the Kitsap County
Historical Society by Norma Card,
granddaughter of those pioneers.
Kitsap County homesteader Clais
Wilhelm Gustafson was born in Sweden
in 1864. At the age of 23, he emigrated to
St. Paul, Minnesota, but soon moved to
Seattle to escape a typhoid epidemic. On
March 1, 1894, renouncing allegiance to
all foreign sovereignties, and particularly
to the King of Sweden and Norway, he
became a citizen of the US.
Meanwhile, Lina Johnson, born in
Sweden the same year as Clais, crossed
the Atlantic in 1882 and landed in Sioux
City, Iowa, where she most likely worked
as a seamstress. She found her way to
Seattle and met Clais at the Swedish
Tabernacle, later known as the Swedish
Mission Covenant Church, where they
were both charter members. They were
married on August 29, 1895. The couple
crossed Puget Sound to Kitsap County
in November 1889 and homesteaded two
and one-half miles north of Silverdale in
the Clear Creek valley, where a road in
the area still bears the Gustafson family name. A parcel of the Trident Missile Base is located on the former family
homestead.
Until he finished building their
home, Clais (“C.W.”) slept in trees on his
homestead, fearing the many bears in the
valley. Their first home was made of logs,
which Clais later finished with lumber
inside and out. He would row to Waterman in Port Orchard to obtain bricks
for the chimney, then row back, load the
bricks into a wheelbarrow, and tote them
home. Although there was an 18-foot well
on the property that never went dry, the
Gustafsons added a 40-acre parcel to the
original 160-acre homestead in order to
have access to a creek. When a neighbor
sadly was unable to stand the loneliness
and ended his life, Clais purchased his 40
acres for $165.
Two Gustafson children died at birth,
but two daughters grew to adulthood.
Helen Elvera was born in 1897, and
Agnes Victoria in 1899. Clais had to row
Clais and August Gustafson at their homestead in Silverdale, circa 1902 -1904.
from Silverdale to Port Orchard to get
the doctor when the children were born.
Agnes’s birth was difficult. Clais could
only locate a veterinarian to provide assistance, and Agnes was developmentally
disabled.
Helen attended Clear Creek School
(now the Clear Creek Community Center) from 1904 to 1912. After her mother
died on December 29, 1904, she helped
at home and took care of her sister, even
taking her to school with her, until Agnes
died in 1924. For a time the family had
a housekeeper named “Tillie,” who may
have set her cap on the widower Clais.
When Tillie returned to Sweden for
medical care, she was requested not to
return.
In 1919 Clais married Augusta
Anderson, another Swedish immigrant
and friend from the Mission Covenant
Church in Seattle. Augusta had attended
a Bible Institute in Minnesota in preparation for the foreign missionary field until
her study was interrupted when she was
needed in Sweden to care for her aged
mother. As a stepmother to Clais’s girls,
she was not as frightening as “Tillie,” but
she was harsh. Augusta loved beautiful
clothes and was also deeply religious.
When she discovered moth damage in
her treasured wardrobe she felt the Lord
had sent the moths to punish her for
vanity.
Clais and Augusta farmed until 1943,
when they sold their homestead and
moved to Ebenezer Home in Poulsbo,
now known as Martha and Mary. Clais
died in 1946 and Augusta a year later.
Helen was deeded a small piece of land,
which she eventually sold. She was dismayed to find out it became the home of
Whispering Firs, a nudist camp, which
was said to still be in existence in 1967-68.
Helen died in 1979. Her daughter, Norma,
resides in Silverdale.
The original family homestead continues to be a residence on Gustafson Road.
Part of the barn structure remains as well,
evocative of the Swedish pioneers who
cleared the land and made a life there.
Join KCHS!
There is still time to enhance your
affiliation with local history by
becoming a member of the Kitsap
Historical Society and be eligible to
win
➢
2 box seat tickets to a Mariners’
game
➢
A $50 gift certificate to the
museum store
➢
Dinner for two at Hakata
restaurant
➢
$100 in cash!
Deadline: November 30
Stop by the museum
or phone 360-479-6226.
Drawing for prizes is December 2.
October - November - December 2011
$1,000 and Above
George & Sara Nell Davis
Nina & Darrell Hallett
Helen Langer Smith
Page 7
2011 Annual Fund Donors
$500–$999
Mike & Marlene Hattrick
Claudia Hunt
Edith & James McKelvy
Christine Petig
$200–$499
Jay & Charlotte Blackburn
Morna & Bill Blessing
Bonnie & Sig Chrey
Gertrude Dibblee
Karen Flynn
Patti Hendrickson
Raymond Lawton
Alan & Donna Lowe
John & Elinor Paulk
Andy & Marianna Price
Anita & Rod Williams
George & Barbara Willock
$100–$199
John Ahl
Anonymous
Bruce & Tina Barner
Kenneth Bartlett
Gary Beanland & Susan Daniel
Gerard & Jo Ann Bentryn
Barbara Berglind
Natalie Bryson
Pat Carr
Gary & Marilyn Cunningham
Jeffrey & Irmgard Davis
Don & Karen DeMers
Suzie & Norm Dicks
Suzanne Frech
Deborah Gates
Alan Hablutzel
Marilee Hansen & Rob Woutat
Martin Hoover
Bonnie & John Isaacs
Ted & Darlene Johnsrude
Arnold Kegel
Les & Betty Krueger
Jean Lenihan
Will & Nora Lent
Doris Linkletter
Ralph & Dot Lintz
Joyce Merkel
Hank & Yoko Nakahara
Alan & Ellen Newberg
Andy & Cheryl Oakley
Peter Overton
Patricia Peat
Dave & Carolyn Peterson
Jean Reilly
Homer & Lila Riddle
Reg & Pat Robinson
Ron & Nadean Ross
Lester Schmuck
Joseph & Martha Shannon
George Shipe
Louise Skipton
Phyllis Summers
Warren & Joann Van Zee
Gerald Webb
Frank & Jan Wetzel
Pat Woodbury
Alan & Donna Zimmerschied
Up to $100
Joe & Mary Abo
Ray Abundis, Jr.
Jim & Rosemary Adkins
Kathy Allen
Joe Ardizzone
& Maureen Madden
Kim & Marilyn Atwater
Joseph & Barbara Baglio
Jean & Steven Barrett
DeDe Beckley
Charles & Patty Bell
Marian & Lee Bernhardt
Sonia Blanchard
Charlotte Bleile
Mark & Sherrie Bonsell
Robert Boulds
Cary Bozeman
Burton & Doris Boyd
Laura Boyle
Larry Bricker
George & Diana Briese
Herb & Shirley Bridge
Myra & Perry Brochner
Michael Brownell
Irmgard & Lewis Bruser
Mary Ann Byhre
Kathleen Cahall
& John Collins
Patricia Caldwell
Fred Chang
Greg & Mary Chapman
Ken & Judy Christopherson
Jean Chynoweth
Ronald & Mary Anne Cleveland
Rosemary Courtright
Dennis & Christeen Cox
Terrance & Betty Coyle
Pete & Paula Crane
Bill & Marilyn Crawford
Orion Culver
Elaine Dahl
Thomas & Nancy Danaher
Ron & Jerry Dick
Robert & Maryellen Dietz
Susan Digby & Frank Carsey
Gary & Kathleen Ebbert
Henry & Tomi Egashira
Cheryl Elfstrand
Bonnie Falkner
Jean Freeburg
Bill & Shirley Fuhrmeister
Maurice Fuller
Steven & Marsha Gerdes
Robert & Clarajane Goux
Karl & Florence Grahn
Peter Grahn
Mike & Alice Gray
Dan & Corrine Green
Thelma Gurske-Taylor & Donald Taylor
Toby Gustafson
Norman & Noriko Haas
Roth & Mary Hafer
Norma Hanberg
Aladene & Jim Harney
Alice Harris
William Harvey
Bud Hawk
John Hedges
Eleanor Hertz
Trena Hewitt
Helen Hinton
Marilyn Hornburg
Charles Hower
Rosemarie & Jon Hudson
June Jarstad
Gary & Sherry Keenan
Sue Kela
Clinton & Kathleen Kersten
Vivian Koch
Audrey Landon
Claude
& Mary Ellen Langridge
Cynthia Large
Alice Lawson
Lucille Leighton
Margaret Lentz
Marlene & R.E. Lindstrom
Margaret Lunden
Diane & Irvin Mann
Jean Markovich
Norman & Karen Marten
Duey & Ginny McBride
Raleigh & Nancy McVicker
George Meager
Phyllis Merhaut
Joe Michael
Dan & Phyllis Millard
Kristi Mills
Melba Moran
Alma Morgan
Lawan Morrisson
Betty Lou Mullay
Margaret Murdach
Terrill Olsen
David & Pat O’Morchoe
Bob & Ruth Ostrand
Ruth Parmley
Helen Payne
Mel & Vicki Phillippi
Vanessa Pustek
Christopher Rimple
& Judith Pozsgay
Ann Russell
LeRoy Sandberg
Bill & Bonnie Schourup
Nina & Harold Seaberg
Linda Sheely
Susan Spencer
Iris Strehlow
George Strong
Susan Taylor
Alice Thompson
Lorna Ullstrom
Barbara Van Buskirk
Arlene Van Woert
Marcela Veeder
& Daniel Williams
Ione & Gifford Visick
Terry Vosgien
Greg & Sunny Wheeler
Jan Williams
Susan & George Williams
Lee Williamson
Fran Willyard
Roger & Lou Ann Wood
Bob & Jean Yekel
In Memoriam
Bonnie Chrey, in memory of Louise Reh
Suzanne Frech, in memory of Louise Reh
William & Marjorie McKenzie, in memory of Louise Reh
Carolyn Neal, in memory of Louise Reh
Jim Rice, in memory of Roland F. Christensen
KCHS Members
Lifetime
Eric & Sandie Anderson
Suzanne Arness
Barbara Berglind
Morna Blessing
Keith Bogard
Bremerton Central Lions Club
Amy Burnett
James Carmichael
Irene Castle
James & Blanche Carter
Fred Chang
CBIC Corporate Contributions
Carl & Louise Cramer
Dan & Marilyn Dubitzky
Billie Eder
Richard Eskridge
Wayne Estes
Bonnie Falkner
Ray & Charlotte Garrido
Elliot & Maureen Gregg
Thelma Gurske-Taylor
Larry Hill
Roger & Blanche Horne
Joseph & Barbara Johnson
Chris & Helene Kain
Michael & Sharon Koch
Mary Kuhlman
Cynthia Large
Carolyn McClurkan
John & Janice McVicker
Roger Meyer
John Mitchell
Andrew & Cheryl Oakley
Charles & Sharon O’Hara
Fredi Pargeter
Dianne Parker
Barbara Rainey
Jean Reilly
Tom & Teita Reveley
James & Audrey Robinson
Ron & Nadean Ross
Dan Ryan
Lester Schmuck
Jane Slach
Bill Slach
Helen Smith
Louis & Joan Soriano
Mary Stewart
Corrine & Irene Udean
Russ & Maxine Warren
Brian Wicks
Benefactor
Evelyn Ghiselin
Darrell & Nina Hallet
Sustaining
Wayne & Debbie Macomber
Christine Petig
Mark & Janice Williamson
Sponsor
Gary Beanland
& Susan Daniel
Helen Luts
Alan & Donna Zimmerschied
(continued on page 8)
Thank You for
Your Support!
Page 8
THE KITSAP HISTORIAN
KCHS Members (con’t.)
Patron
John & Catherine Ahl
Vickie Barrier
& David Wotruba
Harland & Eunice Beery
Gerard & Jo Ann Bentryn
Bennet & Chuimei Bronson
Robert & Cathy Bryan
George & Sara Nell Davis
Don & Karen DeMers
Karen Flynn
Larry & Holly Harden
Mike & Marlene Hattrick
Patti Hendrickson
Claudia Hunt
Bonnie & John Isaacs
Lester & Betty Krueger
Annamarie Lavieri
& Albert Gunther
Jean Lenihan
Will & Nora Lent
Patty & Doug Lent
Doris Linkletter
Alan & Donna Lowe
Diane & Irvin Mann
Mary Anne Mascianica
Edith & James McKelvy
William McKenzie
Libby & Michael McKnight
Joyce Merkel
Margaret Murdach
Carolyn & Tony Neal
John & Elinor Paulk
Warren & Gerry Peret
Lila & Homer Riddle
Roy Runyon
Louise Skipton
Phyllis Summers
Union Bank
Johnny Walker
George & Barbara Willock
Frances Willyard
Edward Wolfe & Wendy Miles
Frances Wartman
Ann Wayne
Family
John & Rosemary Allen
Alf & Chris Anderson
Bruce & Betty Armstrong
Joseph & Barbara Baglio
John & Cherie Baker
Judith & Gary Blockhus
Robert Boulds
Laura Boyle
Orville & Joyce Burns
Kathleen Cahall
& John Collins
Katherin Carr
Brett Caswell
Greg & Mary Chapman
Bonnie & Sig Chrey
Patricia Collier
Clarke & Myrtle Coulter
Dean Cox
Dennis & Christeen Cox
Roger & Claudia Coyle
Terrance & Betty Coyle
Gary & Marilyn Cunningham
Roland & Jerry Dick
Lane & Deanna Dowell
Dave & Elizabeth Dubois
Steven & Betty Fabry
Else Fickeisen
Doug & Glenna Fisk
Valerie & Stanley Foster
Frances Frazier
Daniel & Mary Frech
John & Michele Frech
Bill & Shirley Fuhrmeister
Hildur & Steve Gleason
Dick & Shirl Golden
Josh Gonzales
Robert & DeAnna Gossett
Susan & Brooke Hamilton
Marilee Hansen
& Rob Woutat
Jean Marie & Lewis Harmon
Dalyce Harris
Ken Hills
Stephen & Lynn Iwanowicz
June Jarstad
Leon & Janet Jaussaud
Ervin & Donna Jensen
Keith & Edna Johanson
David Jorgensen
Fred & Eloise Just
David & Lillis King
Audrey Landon
Brian & Catherine Lindeman
Shun & Lily Ling
Ralph & Dot Lintz
Geneva Lowe
Duey & Ginny McBride
Don McCluskey
Conlon & Marty McKay
Janice & Douglas McLemore
Raleigh & Nancy McVicker
Laura & John Melrose
Paul & Ellen Middents
Dan & Phyllis Millard
Dee & Colleen Molenaar
Ronald & Margaret Morse
Betty Nelson
Loretta & Frank Nelson
Richard & Emma Norton
Melissa & Robert Olson
Carole & Roy Oesterhaus
Olympic Peninsula
Treasure Hunters
Peter Overton
Patricia Peat
Dave & Carolyn Peterson
Timothy & Letitia Quigley
Virgil & Janice Reames
Joan Ross
Garry Schalliol
& Debra Otterby
Ron Potter & Jennifer Stone
Linda & Michael Schiewe
Maryann Scott
Steve Sego
& Coreen Haydock
Richard Shattuck
Phil Shoemaker
John & Susan Stack
John & Carol Stanley
Thomas & Lucy Stone
Frank & Jeanne Stottlemyer
George Strong
Vincent & Mary Walton
Gerald Webb
Diana Webber
Nancy & David Wellington
Frank & Jan Wetzel
Gregory & Elizabeth Wheeler
Mark & Lisa Whitney
Anita & Rod Williams
Jan Williams
Brainerd & Mary Ann Wood
Roger & Lou Ann Wood
Bob & Jean Yekel
Individual
Ray Abundis, Jr.
Kevin Ahl
Sharon Anderson
Stanley Barber
Remo Barr
Jean Barrett
Kenneth Bartlett
James Baxter
Debora Beeson
Ted Benson
Don & Kay Bidwell
Tom Blanchard
Carolyn Blanscet
Charlotte Bleile
John Blockhus
Elaine Boehmer
Charlyne Bottema
Norma Ainsworth Brady
Ronald Bright
Pete Britton
Myra Brochner
Irmgard Bruser
Brian Buckberry
Cora Caldart
Patricia Caldwell
Marilyn Carlson
Sandra Carlson
Elizabeth Carpenter
Jean Chynoweth
Donna Clymo
Therese Cosgrove
Rosemary Courtright
William Crawford
Orion Culver
Joanne Currey
Elaine Dahl
Carolyn Dankers
Joyce Davison
Paul Dewar
Nancy Draper
Judy Driscoll
Alyce Eagans
Gary Ebbert
Suzanne Frech
John Freeburg
Roberta Gallagher
Josephine Hadfield
Mary Hamlin
Doris Harkness
Carole Hardy
Aladene Harney
Alice Harris
Paul Harshbarger
William Harvey
Bud Hawk
Eleanor Hertz
Trena Hewitt
Bonnie Hicks
Peggy Howland
Marvel Hunt
Sylvia Jones
Ann Kluge
Vivian Koch
Christina Krueger
Beverly Lafrance
John Lansberry
Rose Lay
Lucille Leighton
Marlene Lindstrom
Joan Lingenfelter
Nola Litscher
John Lofgren
Margaret Lunden
Jean Markovich
Jim Martine
Gwenna Mason
Frank McDonald
Carolyn McLaren
Phyllis Merhaut
Barbara Merriman
Kristi Mills
Melba Moran
Alma Morgan
Joan Morris
Margaret Mortensen
Emily Moshay
Betty Lou Mullay
Norm Mundhenk
Donna Munro
Robert Ostrand
Marilyn Paja
Donald Palmer
Ruth Parmley
Darryl Parr
Robin Paterson
Helen Payne
Leona Peterson
Sophie Peterson
Sue Hein Plummer
Howard Polansky
Andrew Price
Vanessa Pustek
Alyne Richard
Joyia Rubens
Sandy Schaut
Bonnie Schourup
Linda Sheely
Diana Shoemaker
Richard Sims
Joan Simmons
Kathleen Solas
Verda Stroh
Saturo Tashiro
Alice Trainer
Jim Trainer
Lorna Ullstrom
Ione Visick
Elizabeth Warren
Dolly Williams
Ward Yohe
LaVerna Young
Nick Wofford
Charlene Zettle
Made for Walkin’
...an exhibit for feet of all ages!
Through December
October - November - December 2011
Nestled on a hillside leading down to
Port Orchard Bay south of the Brownsville
Marina, lies Brownsville Cemetery, one of
the many small cemeteries dating back to
the early days of the county that depend
on volunteers — often descendents of the
people whose names are engraved on the
headstones — to keep them maintained.
Michael Brownell, whose grandmother
is buried in the cemetery, and whose father was a trustee of the cemetery association, is one of those volunteers. Although
he lives in Virginia, Brownell coordinates
efforts to oversee the restoration and
maintenance of this historic pioneer burial
ground. He hopes to locate descendants
of the original owners of the property in
order to establish legitimate ownership of
the land.
The cemetery site may well have been
a burial ground for Native Americans in
the area and for local pioneers as early as
the 1860s, according to recently deceased
local historian Lisetta Lindstrom, who
lived near the cemetery and researched
its history. Andrew (“Dogfish”) Nelson,
originally from Denmark, jumped ship in
Port Townsend in the 1860s and went to
work at the Port Blakely Mill. In 1903 he
officially deeded a portion of his homestead —for $1—as a cemetery to neighbors
“Carl Grahn, Louis Peterson and Chas E.
Newman and their successors.” “Newman”
was a misspelling of “Nyman.” It is their
descendents Brownell hopes to locate.
In the 1950s, locals estimate there were
approximately 50 Native American graves
and perhaps as many of white settlers.
Florence Colby of Gilberton remembered
“many wooden markers” in the 1950s,
some of which were for graves of bodies washed ashore at Brownsville and
read “Lost at Sea.” Current records list 36
known burials. One of the few remaining
grave markers belongs to John Madison,
for whom Madison Avenue on Bainbridge
is named.
Over the years, the cemetery has
suffered from neglect. John Colby, son of
Florence, recalled as a boy seeing people
take coffins out of the ground and loading
them on wagons to save the remains from
being destroyed. In the 1950s a developer’s
attempt to bulldoze a portion of the cem-
New Exhibit:
Amy Burnett’s Pioneer Family
and Bremerton Airport
Photo: Gary Beanland
Brownsville Cemetery:
Then and Now
Page 9
Gordon Allen holds a portrait of his
grandfather, J. W. Allen, at a reception
sponsored by Amy Burnett at the
museum September 15. The Allens were
original homesteaders on the land that is
now Bremerton Airport. Amy Burnett,
who is the granddaughter of the Allens,
donated portraits of her grandparents
to the Kitsap Historical Society at the
reception. Amy’s grandmother, Maggie
etery was restrained by concerned neighbors, but not before some of the graves
were damaged. Over time gravestones
deteriorated or were vandalized or stolen.
Recently a nearby property owner cut
trees in the cemetery in order to improve
his view of the water. Spurred to action
by this violation, concerned parties have
increased efforts to restore and protect
Brownsville Cemetery. In 2007, the Puget
Sound Genealogical Society dedicated a
sign to identify the site. In 2009, Brownell,
working with the genealogical society
and the state (abandoned cemeteries are
protected by the Washington Department
of Archaeology & Historic Preservation)
incorporated the Brownsville Cemetery
Historic Preservation Association. A Boy
Scout troop surveyed the boundaries,
removed trash, and helped build a stairs
up to the cemetery. Neighbors and friends
conduct annual clean-ups and help keep
an eye on the cemetery. And Michael
Brownell travels from Virginia to check on
this cherished part of his past.
Michael Brownell asks that anyone
who has knowledge of the descendants of
Grahn, Peterson and Nyman, please contact the museum at 360-479-6226
Allen, inspired her “hat” paintings.
Norma Bayes McVeigh, whose
grandparents also homesteaded the
airport land, spoke at the reception and
donated documents and memorabilia
related to Bremerton Airport history.
Gordon Allen didn’t really know
his grandfather, having seen him only
once as a small child. He traveled from
Mukilteo after a friend told him about the
reception. He was delighted to meet his
second cousin, Amy, for the first time.
In conjunction with the donation,
the museum is pleased to present Fleet
Field: Homestead to National Airport.
The exhibit displays artifacts and images
from the KCHS collection that tell the
story of the development of the airport,
including the inaugural airmail flight of
1930, the 1947 Kitsap County Air Show,
and airport businesses such as Olympic
Aviation. The recent donations from
Norma Bayes McVeigh and Amy Burnett
join the exhibit, which is on view in the
Wally Kippola Library.
A beautiful bowl turned from the
wood of a big leaf maple that was felled
on the Brownsville Cemetery property
is for sale in the Museum Store. The
artist, Roger Dunn, gave the bowl to
the Brownsville Cemetery Association,
which is offering it for sale in the store.
Half of the proceeds from the bowl will
benefit the museum.
Kitsap County Historical Society
Museum & Store
Non-Profit Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
280 Fourth Street
Bremerton, WA 98337
Bremerton, WA
Phone: 360.479.6226
www.kitsaphistory.org
Permit #42
Fleet Field
from homestead to
national airport
Sponsored by:
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
October
November
4 First Friday Art Walk – Museum showcases just-published
exhibit catalog Spanning the Great Peninsula: Bridges of
Kitsap. Books will be available for sale. 6 - 8 pm
9 History Book Club – Jack Nesbet, The Collector: David
Douglas and the History of the Northwest - 10:30 am
24 Thanksgiving. Museum closed.
December
2 Kitsap County Historical Society Annual Meeting – 5 pm.
Drawing for Membership Drive prizes following the Meeting
11A Mill Town Family Christmas – Seabeck Conference Center
24 Christmas Eve. Museum closed.
VISIT
1947 Kitsap County Airshow royalty. One of many photos
taken at the event by photographer Harry Ward, and
currently on display at the museum.
REMEMBER
KCHS, Harry Ward Collection
12 History Book Club – Timothy Egan, The Big Burn – 10:30 am
13 Eat Your Way: Carl Nelson House in Olalla – 10:30 am
21 First Annual Kitsap Heritage Banquet – The Farm Kitchen
LEARN