January 2014 - Bainbridge Island Historical Museum

BIHM Museum News
Dedicated to Preserving the Colorful History of Bainbridge Island
January 2014
 Point Monroe—The Sandspit
The natural occurrence of the Sandspit is a consequence of
an unusual combination of circumstances: a continuous supply
of sand and gravel from eroding banks north of Rolling Bay; a
predominant tidal current running near the shoreline from
south to north; the angular alignment of typical wave patterns
to the shoreline; and the shape of the island’s north shore.
Over thousands of years, these circumstances allowed a shoal
foundation which leads to the typical Puget Sound curved
Sandspit producing the protected lagoon between the sandbar
and the shoreline. The tidal action allows enough water flow
through the mouth of the lagoon to prevent the closure of the
sandbar with the shoreline. Over time, the lagoon evolves to a
salt marsh due to the slow but continuous silt accumulation
from groundwater runoff from the mainland. This silting is
accentuated by the additional drainage directed into the lagoon
by the City and Fay Bainbridge Park administrators.
The Sandspit was a popular camping spot for the native
peoples who used it as a convenient spot for fishing and
shellfish gathering. They also held potlatches there until well
into the 20th century. There is a midden near the Sandspit’s
connection to the mainland. The sediment from the drainage
flows from Madison Avenue and the park have hidden this
midden. It was excavated by the University of Washington
some time in the 1950’s according to Tom Thatcher.
Point Monroe was named by Charles Wilkes when he was
mapping Puget Sound in 1841. Later, it was used as a
temporary living area by white squatters working at the Port
Madison Mill. Chinese millworkers used it as well until they
were fired as a group in 1875 by mill superintendent G.W.
Ballene.
(Continued on Page 6)
2
January 2014
Ordway Elementary School 4th Grade Project
“A Picture of Island History”
The Picture if Island History project is in its fourth year. We were really pleased to be able to build upon past successes and continue to refine
this wonderful program. In teams of two or three, each student in the Ordway 4th grade classes visits the Museum twice. On November 12-14
with help from our knowledgeable teacher docents, students researched locations on Bainbridge that have historical significance. The teams
returned to learn about exhibit design techniques and create their own exhibits on December 3-5. Our docent teams hosted 70 Ordway
students and 24 adults (teachers and chaperones) over the six days. Exhibits from each class will rotate through the Museum through March
and will be displayed at a number of locations around town. The summary below is from (our newest) teacher docent, Kathy Marshall.
By Kathy Marshall
A recent cold snap that hit Bainbridge Island did nothing to deter the excited
teams of 4th graders, who walked to the Museum from Ordway Elementary
School. They bounded through the door in groups of six to eight students with
rosy cheeks, pink noses and their parent volunteers.
Our goals, as teacher docents were to engage the students by using the wealth
of research materials available to the public within the Museum.
Each team jumped right in and began their work. At the end of their time at
the Museum they had collected information, selected 2 historical photos to use
in their exhibit and written down facts to take with them. Now it was back to
school to complete their work writing the text, and out to the field to take a
“now” photograph of their location to demonstrate change over time.
Research 3 Teams—Ready To Make History Create Display December arrived and each team
energetically returned to complete an
exhibit with the photos (past and present)
and the text.
The role of a curator was explained by
Rick Chandler, who took them on a quick
tour through the schoolhouse and
identified examples of exhibit techniques.
After their exhibits were finished the students adjourned to the schoolhouse to show their exhibits and teach their peers what they had learned.
Comments like “it’s the funest thing I’ve done in school,” or “I loved doing the research,” and “I loved picking our own colors and arranging
them on our exhibit boards” expressed their feeling of success. They can hardly wait to see their work displayed at school, at the Museum and
around town!
Feel A Sense of Accomplishment and Pride January 2014
Message From The President
The New Year
brings a lot of
excitement and the
promise of fresh
adventures for our
wonderful treasure
of a museum. All
of you are partly
responsible for my
excitement! I
have spoken to many many of you the
last couple weeks and I am so humbled
by your generosity and pride in our
museum. I will never lose sight of that.
On behalf of the Board and Staff I
want to send an especially hearty thank
you for your more than generous
response to our year-end request for
donations. Between that and our hugely
successful raffle we have bridged the gap
in our budget and are finishing the year
in the black! For those curious about the
raffle, we sold almost $35,000 in tickets.
That is a 40% increase over last year and
a lot of credit for that success rests with
you. Thank you again, one and all. Also,
if the opportunity arises, please thank
Rite Aid manager Dale Reichart, Ace
Hardware owner Steve Mikami and
Town & Country Markets manager Rick
Pederson for allowing us to sell tickets at
their businesses.
All volunteers and members are
invited to attend our newly hatched
gathering…”The Huddle.” It meets
every 4-6 weeks on Wednesdays at 6
p.m. at the Museum. It’s a special hour
for us to have some refreshments,
libation and to share the knowledge and
ideas necessary to keep us “the best little
schoolhouse-museum in the world.”
Whether you have been actively
involved, been away for awhile, or want
to get involved for the first time, this is a
Karen Wilson
great way to informally get together.
And please, invite someone to come
along with you. The next Huddle is
March 5th at 6 p.m. at the Museum.
Please glance at our roster of
wonderful Business Sponsors on page
15. Westside Pizza, one of those
sponsors, is opening a new sit-down and
take-out restaurant in the Village. I hope
you will consider supporting them and
when you go in, wish Tom and Mike
success and thank them for supporting
us.
We are fortunate to welcome two
new board members: Everett DuBois and
Carolyn Hart. There is a great
opportunity to meet Everett, Carolyn and
all our board members at our Annual
Meeting on February 9th at the American
Legion Hall. I hope to see you there.
From the Executive Director
The year is finishing up with colder
weather and we have even had a skiff of
snow. We are also setting records for
number of visitors. We ended 2013 with
12,129 visitors, a yearly increase of
15.4%. The increase can be attributed to
the fact we are open every day of the
week and visitors are enjoying the
exhibits. We have also had a record
number of school and special groups visit
the Museum. There have been 800
participants in these groups. The number
of students is an ever-increasing
component of visitors and an important
service the museum provides.
We have a wonderful group of
volunteers who help out in numerous
ways. but with the ever-increasing visitor
traffic and seven-day schedule severely
taxes our ability to have docents all of
the time. The staff is taking shifts on
weekends and helping during the week,
but we could use more volunteers. If you
can spare three hours for a day or two a
month, please consider volunteering.
You do not have to be an expert on
Island history. You just need to enjoy
people and have a willingness to help.
The board has approved drawing up
plans and obtaining estimates to improve
the efficiency of the library and staff
areas of the Museum. Preliminary
sketches and conceptual design has been
done by board member and architect
Bernie Baker. Watch for more news
early in the New Year. The board will
not give final approval until drawings are
finished and estimates obtained. Any
changes would be made at the same time
as a new library/office floor (thanks to a
grant from the Rotary Club of Bainbridge
Island) is installed.
The revised Walking Tour and
Driving Tour brochures have been
completed and printed. They are
available for visitors at the Museum and
at the Chamber of Commerce.
The history quiz on the ferry
walkway is proving to be very popular.
Many have commented on it and have
enjoyed the questions and finding the
answers on our website. The link to the
answers can be found on the bottom right
of the museum webpage. Have you taken
3
Hank Helm
the quiz yet?
The museum
has a new general
brochure that is
printed in-house for
distribution to
visitors. Hope to
see you at the
museum soon.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ITEM
PAGE
Point Monroe-The Sandspit
1, 6-9
“A Picture of Island History”
2
President’s Message
3
Executive Director Message
3
Message From The Curator
4
Agate Pass Bridge Construction
5
By Dick Shryock
Museum Move 10th Anniversary 10-11
Education & Outreach
12-13
Donors & Volunteers
14
Business Sponsors
15
4
January 2014
Message from the Curator
By Rick Chandler
bridge contract was awarded to Manson
Construction & Engineering Co. of
Seattle. After the 1948 election
Republican Governor –elect Arthur
Langlie took over the mantle of bridgebuilder, and by the ceremonial spade
turning on May 25, 1949 the bridge
construction was well under way. At the
shovel ceremony some Islanders were
taken aback by the foreboding comment
delivered by Seattle Mayor William F.
Devin: “I formerly lived here and loved
Bainbridge Island without the bridge. I
am going to see if I love Bainbridge
Island as much with a bridge.”
The projected fourteen-month
construction time ran long by
about two months and the
official “Big Day” opening
arrived on October 7, 1950.
(Eight young daredevils made a
”tight-rope” first crossing in
early July.) The bridge was an
immediate success as over
10,000 people crossed the span
in the first four days of
operation. However, the initial
toll schedule of 35 cents per car
and 5 cents per passenger was
dropped after less than one
Gov. Langlie and dignitaries at groundbreaking BIHM #416a year.
The opening of the bridge was
accompanied by the grand opening of the
Mon Wallgren announced his vision of
“New…Modern…Built for the Future”
the state’s “Number 1” project: a fourferry terminal in Winslow. The
lane, 1.45 million dollar construction to
subsequent dynamic impact of our Island
be managed under the auspices of the
becoming this unique transportation hub
Washington Toll Bridge Authority. After
continues to shape our Island’s destiny
Community protests and input the final
The Bane of the Bridge
Documented history of the bridge
across Agate Passage appears to have
begun with a report in the May 5, 1932
issue of the Bainbridge Review. The
State Highway Director at that time was
proposing a road connecting Port Blakely
with the north end of the Island and on to
the Kitsap Peninsula. Tentative approval
for the bridge by the state legislature
didn’t occur until 1940, but it was not
until World War II ended in the late
1940s that serious progress was made on
the project.
In July 1947 Democratic Governor
and development. Currently the State’s
number one tourist activity is a ride on
the Washington State Ferry system and
the busiest run is the Seattle/Winslow
route. The transition of our Island from
an isolated refuge to a socio-economic
phenomenon has had a mixed effect on
our lifestyle. Opportunities and
annoyances like
increased traffic
may become even
more pronounced
as the west sound
region grows. The
Washington
Department of
Transportation
projects that
Alfred T. Agate self portrait
afternoon rush
hour backups at the bridge currently at
the 1.5 mile range could reach to nearly 4
miles!
In self-defense, Island residents can
help avoid traffic congestion by paying
heed to the offloading times of the
Winslow Ferry. To that end, the Museum
is offering free handy-dandy schedules
that can be posted on your dash board or
tucked into your wallet. Come in to the
Museum and ask for your “Beat the
Boat” card.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tollbooth on Bainbridge Island circa 1951
BIHM #416c
Interesting Bridge Facts
Agate Passage named after Alfred T.
Agate; artist & cartographer on the
Wilkes Expedition
Type of bridge design “Cantilevered
Warren Through Truss”
Length of largest span= 540.1’
Total length=1,229.1’
Deck width= 25.9’
Vertical clearance above deck =15.5’
Posted to the National Register of
Historic Places on May 24, 1995
Average daily traffic 2010: 21,217
Deck, Superstructure and
Substructure condition rating:
Satisfactory (6 out of 9) Inspection
appraisal as of 2011 “Functionally
obsolete”
5
January 2014
Reminiscence of the Agate Passage
Bridge Construction
Project Underway
By Dick Shryock 11 January 2014
As I was looking at the new student
exhibit featuring the Agate Passage
bridge construction, I remembered my
small part in its building. I had just
finished my first summer job and was
looking for work and heard that the
contractor building the approach on the
Island side was looking for laborers.
Bob Siegle and I headed out to the
bridge to apply.
The contractor for the approach on the
Island side was Halloran Brothers and
we spoke to one of the Hallorans, who
said he would love to hire us, but it was
a union job and we needed at least a
permit from the Laborer’s union. The
union hall was in Bremerton and to get
to the Island bridge site a man would
have to take the Pt White to Bremerton
ferry and drive to the North end of the
Island. It seems that not many laborers’
union members were interested in making
the trip even for the excellent wage of
$2.38 per hour. One could hire a
handyman for $1.00/hour.
A couple of days later we heard that
the union business agent was going to be
at the bridge site that day and Bob and I
headed to Agate Passage. We got there
just as he was leaving and we both
jumped in front of his car. When he
stopped, Bob got in one side and I got in
the other and we both started talking.
When we got out we both had permits
from the Hod Carriers and Common
Laborers’ Union and went to work for
Halloran Brothers the next day.
The work was fun and physically
challenging. Mr. Halloran eventually let
his other laborers go and kept Bob and I.
It seemed we were willing to work
Stretching Across
BIHM Photo #2000.4
BIHM Photo #4535
despite threats from other laborers to
“slow down, make the job last.” Our zeal
and ignorance of union turf managed to
get us in trouble with every trade union
represented on the job.
We installed all the guardrail posts, a
laborer’s job, and then we erected all the
steel rails, bolting them to the concrete
posts, a boiler makers or iron workers
job, then painted all the black caps on the
posts, a painters job, and drove the
truck with the air compressor for the
spray paint rig to the next post,
obviously a Teamsters’ job. The iron
workers would drive by in their bus and
lean out of the windows, shake their
fists and shout threats (mostly obscene).
They actually walked off the job for
half a day because of our actions. That
brought a swarm of business agents,
including our own to explain the rules
of the game to us. Mr. Halloran just sat
back with a big grin on his face. No
real damage was done.
I had a personal epiphany and
discovered that I was a builder by
nature and changed my college major
from electrical to civil engineering.
6
(conƟnued from page 1)
January 2014
Point Monroe—The Sandspit
The spit at Point Monroe was called
Whisky Spit, Sand Spit, or simply the
Sandspit by most residents of the Island
and is still called that today.
The lagoon was a favorite swimming
spot for native and settler youngsters.
There was a trail connecting the spit to
Port Madison.
During the Port Madison Mill era,
picnics were held on the Fourth of July
and one story told is of foot races being
held through the “mucky tide flats of
Whisky Spit.” Some of the ladies heard
of it and, although not invited, decided to
see the race. Hatted and gloved (as was
the holiday custom) they walked to the
beach and waited. What the ladies did
not know was that the men ran unclad to
increase their speed through the mud.
The men at last came into view,
splattered with mud from head to toe,
nearing the finish line. Some of the
ladies fainted, some screamed and ran for
the sheltering trees. The men, covered
with mud and nothing else, crossed the
finish line. Laughing and yelling,
ignoring the ladies, they plunged into the
Sound for a swim and a scrub. John A.
Parfitt collected the winners prize, $100
in gold.
1936 looking east from end of spit. Lighthouse in center.
we saw the spit had been surveyed and
Fay property and he had built a tall,
strong barbed wire fence from the top of staked out in fifty foot lots. Ken went to
Marshall Realty in Winslow, who had
the hill to the beach. Evidently, he
gotten the Port Madison lot for us and
wanted to keep people off the property.
The Fay's had a two-storied house on the found that the Sandspit was for sale. A
hill, across the road from what is now the Mr. Wood had purchased a lot of land in
upper park. John P. Fay was a lawyer and this area in the early 1930's and was
traveled to Seattle on the passenger boat selling the lots. After much deliberation,
that stopped at the Port Madison dock to we decide to sell our Port Madison
property and buy the Sandspit, that is, the
pick up passengers and freight.
In 1940, we bought a front lot in Port main part of it, from the road down the
The following account was written by Ida Madison and planned to build there. One hill to a little beyond the point.
Thatcher and published in “Times, Tides day when we came to the Sandspit beach, This was quite an undertaking, as our
and Traditions 1990” a pamphlet written
and distributed by Sandspit residents.
1936 looking SE across lagoon. Windmill was used to cut drift
When the Thatchers originally purchased
logs into rough planks. Henry Fransen trawler anchored right.
the spit, their idea was to build a fishing
camp, a popular enterprise in the San
Juan Islands at that time. The war ended
plans for the camp.
When we were first married, Ken and
I lived at Pleasant Beach, but we liked the
Sandspit side of the Island and came
often to enjoy it. Ken remembered, as a
young boy, biking with his friends from
Port Madison to swim in the warm water
of the Sandspit lagoon. It was like a
private swimming pool for them as there
were no people around, and the nearest
house was the Fay's. The early road that
connected Port Madison with the
Sandspit ran near the beach behind the
cemetery. There was no park at that time.
A Mr. Nolan was the caretaker of the
January 2014
7
his life.
had a large police dog, kept some
When Mr. Meigs' mill was still
chickens and at one time had a donkey
that ran about on the sandspit. Next to the bustling at Port Madison around 1854
there were many Chinese mill workers
light and bell tower a Frenchman had a
living on the Sandspit. Long after this
little house. The others called him Fred
and it was his job to turn on the bell when when we had built our cabin here, our
little Tom came in to show me a Chinese
the fog came in.
coin he found while playing in back of
Several of the fellows dug clams out
the cabin. I had a feeling that it was a
in the middle ground and sold them in
coin dropped by one of these early
Seattle. Their little shacks were located
Chinese. The Suquamish Indians used the
about were the Barnak's place is now.
Sandspit for their clambakes in the early
One Indian lived aboard his boat in the
lagoon.
1942 Thatcher cabin foreground,
Henry
Larson cabin back right.
Fransen, a
Finnish
fisherman,
lived on
his boat in
the lagoon
during the
winter, in
the spring
he would
head south
along the
coast as far
as
days. A history professor, who stopped
California to fish.
There was one very industrious fellow, by one day, told us that the spot behind
Mr. Benson, he was always working. He our house on the lagoon had been a place
for these gatherings.
would be building a boat, and the other
When we first came, I remember the
fellows would congregate around and
whole Sandspit was covered with little
watch him.
They would all lavender flowers, each with a little round
1942 photo of McDonald summer cabin with MV
lavender blossom at the top of a straight
laugh and tell
San Mateo heading to Indianola in background.
stem. I learned that they were wild
stories. Mr.
onions, with all the fill dirt that has been
Benson was
brought in, they have all disappeared.
talented: he
After we signed the papers on
made very nice
December 7, 1941, we divided the Spit,
furniture, did
Hank and his family taking the northern
some oil
lots and we took the southern part near
paintings, and
the Fay property. Our first cabins were
played the
violin. Another about in the center, one lot apart. Frank
Birkholz now has our place and Hank's
man, Mr.
Henderson, had cabin was completely remodeled by the
been a cook on fishing boats. His house Andersons and is now the home of the
represented by the fellows living here.
Driscolls.
One of the most colorful was a German, was out beyond Happy's. He was very
It was an adventure and experience for
called Happy. His shanty, just around the worried when he heard that someone was
us to build our cabin. It was Ken's first
bend of the spit, was built from logs and buying the spit. He was afraid he would
attempt at carpentry. As we lived at
boards he found on the beach. He was up lose his home. Ken told him he could
move his house behind our lot, which he Pleasant Beach, I would fix a picnic
early every morning, walking the beach
did. He lived there until the very end of supper and with the
to see what the tide had brought in. He
(ConƟnued on Page 8)
two children, Carol and Tom, were small
and my time was quite taken up with
them. Ken felt we should have a partner
and asked his brother Tom to join us in
the venture. Tom lived in Seattle at the
time and although he liked the idea, he
felt he could not do it, he did buy one lot.
Ken then offered Hank Larson the chance
to join us. Ken and Hank were friends
and often fished together. Hank was
working for his father who owned the
Larson Lumber Yard at Pleasant Beach.
Hank decided to join us as a partner, but
most of our other friends thought we were
simply crazy! When we first came to the
Sandspit, it was just a long narrow piece
of land with a few logs that had at some
time been washed up by the tide. There
was a narrow road that zigzagged along
the spit. At the south end, about where
my house is now, there were large holes
dug by people who had taken loads of
gravel to build their basements,
bulkheads, and swimming pools. Where
the turn- around is now, there was a tall
light and bell tower. Halfway from there
to the tip of the spit was a white house.
Built long ago by Jack McDonald, it was
the only real building here. It is now
occupied by the Coles.
There were no other buildings on the
spit, except for quite a few squatter's
shacks. Many nationalities were
8
(continued from page 7)
January 2014
Point Monroe—The Sandspit
for a State Park. The Fay's son was a
surgeon in Chicago and he offered to sell
their property for $5,000.00, if the Fay
name could be used in its title. Gertie
persuaded the
legislators to
1950 photo from Hecker property on hill above lagoon.
approve the sale
and the papers
were signed in
1944. The first
rangers lived in
the old Fay
house, but the
termites had
gotten into the
structure and
made it unsafe.
It was torn
down and a new
cottage was
built inside the park entrance for the
would start on a special project, some
friend who was an expert carpenter would ranger. Also a storage building and office
were built nearby. All the lower part of
come. Ken didn't want to show his
the Fay property was a continuation of
carpentry skills while an expert was
watching. With his work, Ken was on call the lagoon, lots of water and hundreds of
every other weekend, so on the free times logs. Much work and lots of fill dirt were
needed to make it into a park. When this
we would come to work and enjoy the
lower part was filled, the park entrance
cabin. It was so peaceful out here and
for cars was at the bottom of our hill.
great to get away from the telephone.
We had no water. When we came we There was no fence and the cars entered
and came out at the same place. Later, a
had to bring all our water with us. We
new road was built inside the park for
had no electricity. When the cabin was
cars to enter and exit on Sunrise Drive.
complete enough for us to stay in it
overnight, our gas lamp was our light. We This cut down on the amount of traffic on
cooked on a big iron woodstove like you our hill.
Ken knew Gertie Johnson quite well
see in antique shops today.
and through her he got permission to use
There were a few sturdy folks who
liked our idea and bought lots right away. a spring above the kitchen in the park for
water. We were then able to get our first
The McDonalds from Wing Point built
first. Their's is the house where the Welds water line down to the spit. The boys put
live now. The Thompsons came out one a pump house and storage tank on the
back of our lots.
day and by evening had their whole
Our next project was to get electricity.
building up and painted. I think Mr.
Ken got the power company to come
Thompson had all the lumber cut,
down. The poles were placed on the
numbered and ready to go. Paul and
lagoon side, and the telephone company
Gayle Robbins bought their house and
rebuilt it all. Hank Larson had someone then came using the same poles. The
build their cabin for them. Don Kallgren county straightened the road and moved it
to the back of the lots. When the water
and the Eliasons also started building
and power was in we all added plumbing
early.
and septic tanks to our houses.
Gertie Johnson from Rolling Bay
Ken found a spring on the property at
about this time was the State
across from the park, so our next effort
Representative from the Island and she
worked very hard to get the Fay property was to locate the owners and try to buy
children, would meet Ken at the beach
after his work, and he would do as much
as he could before dark. Many times little
was accomplished because just as he
the land, which we did and soon started to
develop the spring and put pipes across
the lagoon. We thought it best to have our
own water system, but were grateful to
have gotten water from one of the unused
springs in the hillside of the park for
awhile. It was about this time that we got
together with our neighbors and formed
the Point Monroe Water Company. By
now many years had passed. I had
returned to school and Ken, with the help
of a carpenter, had added on to our cabin.
When the children were in junior high
school, we left Pleasant Beach and moved
to the spit permanently. In 1956, we
finished the house that Ken's brother had
started next door and we moved there.
One summer we rented our cabin to the
Welds and got them hooked on the
Sandspit. We later sold our house to the
Jack Chambers and moved to the first
home on the Spit, which Ken had the
pleasure of watching carpenters build for
us.
When we first moved here, we had to
stop at the top of the hill to get our mail
and paper. It was a dangerous place to
stop. After there were several of us living
here permanently, I took a list of names
to Mr. Mannen, the Postmaster in
Winslow, and asked if we could have our
mail delivered down on the Sandspit. He
approved it and soon the mail carrier was
bringing the mail right to our house and
the paper boy brought the paper down
too.
If we could have had a crystal ball and
been able to see ahead, we might have
done differently. No one could have
foreseen how quickly homes would fill
the Sandspit. With so many homes being
built, our little water system just couldn't
supply everyone, so we were all happy to
have Bob Rodal bring his water system
here.
I think people moving here today have
the feeling that the Sandspit was always
like this. Not so! It took lots and lots of
pioneering.
————————————————-Sources: Picture Bainbridge, Tom
Thatcher files, museum files.
9
January 2014
Sandspit Hosts Sportsmans Club Salmon Derby
For many years, through the 1940s and into the 1950s, huge crowds parked on the spit
and at neighboring Fay Bainbridge Park for this popular Island event.
1950 Sportsmans
Club Salmon Derby
(Pictured from left)
Bert Lindquist with
mixmaster; Thor
Anderson with television; John Mikola
with tool set; Vera
Anderson (?) with
tea set; Sam Nakao
with Toaster; and
unknown man.
1946 crowd gathered to hear results
and see awards ceremony.
Bainbridge Island
Historical Museum
215 Ericksen Avenue NE
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Contact Information
Phone: 206-842-2773
Email: info@bainbridgehistory.org
Website: www.bainbridgehistory.org
The mission of the Bainbridge Island
Historical Museum is to collect, preserve
and foster knowledge of Bainbridge
Island history.
The Society
The Bainbridge Island Historical Society is
a nonprofit 501(c)3 public-benefit
Washington State corporation with
directors elected from public membership.
Your donations to the Society are taxdeductible.
President
Karen Wilson
Vice-President
Tom Thatcher
Executive
Director
Hank Helm
Curator
Rick Chandler
Secretary
David Thorne
Education and Outreach
Coordinator
Treasurer
Barbara Anderson Katy Curtis
Directors:
Bernie Baker
Karen Beierle
Jim Chapel
1946 Salmon Derby—Cars parked in Fay Bainbridge Park and at base of spit for awards ceremony.
Bill Covert
Everett DuBois
Kathy Daugherty
Facilities
Coordinator
Rick Chandler
Administrative
Coordinator
Dan Groff
Membership
Coordinator
Arlene Donahue
Anita Evans
Carolyn Hart
Andrea Mercado
Becky Mitchell
Deena Poole
Gary Sakuma Visitor & Volunteer
Records
Coordinator
Wynne Jacobson
Newsletter Editor
Dan Groff
Hank Helm
10
January 2014
th
How To Move A Museum
2014 marks the 10 anniversary of the Museum’s move from Strawberry Hill Park to the present downtown location.
Slideshow and discussion of the planning surrounding the move will be presented at:
BIHM Annual Meeting & Potluck Lunch—Noon on February 9th— American Legion Hall, 7880 Bucklin Hill Rd.
PLEASE JOIN US!
#1 Preparing to install wheels #2 Ready to roll #3 Heading West down High School Road #4 Approaching New Brooklyn and Sportsman Club #5 Rounding the corner onto Madison Ave January 2014
11
Photos on pages 10,11 & 16 by Pat Egaas and David Warren
#9 Into the driveway #6 Around the Roundabout #7 Past the Pavilion #8 Official Gree ng #10 Squeezing past City Hall #11 Onto a new founda on 12
January 2014
Education and Outreach -
Katy Curtis
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
October 11th Elementary School Exchange Students, Chengdu,
China
For the second year in a row, teacher docent Robert Weschler of The
Northwest International Student Exchange arranged a special BIHM
visit for elementary school students visiting from Chengdu, China.
Robert gave the 4th grade students a wonderful overview of Island
history to enhance their cultural exchange experience.
st
November 1 FIUTS Leadership Program’s High School
Students, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bainbridge High School alum, Tom Lang, brought 18 high school
students to visit historic sites; an opportunity to gain understanding of
cross-cultural relationships in the Puget Sound area. The group of
high school students and three teachers from Bosnia and Herzegovina
were hosted by The
Foundation for
International
Understanding
Through Students
(FIUTS). They
were in Seattle for
three weeks as part
of a Youth
Leadership Program
that is sponsored by
the State
Department and
focuses on
leadership,
community
engagement and
diversity. The
experience included
programs at the
Museum, the
Memorial, and Suyematsu Farm. They ended their tour at the
Suquamish Museum with a program led by Barbara LawrencePiecuch and her daughter Kah-Ty-Ah. The students and teachers had
a deep connection to stories of being forced to leave home. The
Bosnian teachers told of family members who had 24 hours to pack
and leave, and who were unable to return until two decades later.
November 11th Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) and Youth
Exchange Study (YES) Programs for High School Students
Linda Sohlberg brought her group of eleven exchange students to the
museum on November 11th. The juniors in high school live locally
with their host families for the school year. FLEX and YES are
sponsored by the State Department and provide full merit-based
scholarships to students
from the countries of
the former Soviet
Union and from
countries with
significant Muslim
populations. Our
teacher docents
welcomed the group
which included two
American Sign
Language interpreters, 3 host parents and one New York FLEX
administrator. Sitting around the library table, our discussion topics
moved beyond Bainbridge. We had a lively discussion about what
the students wish Americans would realize about their countries. One
Egyptian student offered, “When you think of people from Egypt
imagine more than pyramids. I do not have a camel, though I rode on
one once; and please know I do not live in a sandy desert.”
November 20th University of Washington Intensive Fluency
Program
Thirty students from two classes of UW Intensive English Language
Learners visited and toured the Museum on November 20th. This
group now comes both in the spring and fall semesters.
November 22nd The Little School, Bellevue
Following the suggestion of board member Kelly Webster, long-time
Islander and beloved educator, The Little School in Bellevue, made a
special trip to Bainbridge Island. A group of six adults, and eighteen
5th and 6th graders toured the Museum, Suyematsu Farm and the
Memorial.
January 2014
December 11th Eton School, Bellevue
Eton School Bellevue middle school students returned this year.
They study the Exclusion every other year and said they’ll see us in
2015. The 7th and 8th grade students came well prepared, having read
several books and studied for weeks before their visit.
13
Clarence Johnson. The hunt, “Clarence Johnson’s Trees and Vines,”
was developed by Teacher Docent Emily Grice. Families and groups
of children combed the farm braving the downpours. As a reward,
the kids chose packets of seeds that were generously donated by
Bainbridge Gardens. High School volunteers Clio Batali, Kea
deRiese, and Roaa Hamadeh had kids lining up for decorative face
painting. Docent Monica Penninger said despite the inclement
weather, “there was no less enthusiasm than in previous years.”
October 27th Howl-o-Ween
IslandWood partnered with the Museum which held the ninth annual
Howl-o-ween event. The event was very successful and brought 527
attendees. There were actors along the History Mystery trail including
a cook, midwife, gambling millworker, frontier woman, schoolteacher
and gravedigger. Christina Doherty, Community Programs Naturalist,
said the Museum was a great partner in providing guidance and
unique, historically accurate props for the event.
MUSEUM EVENTS
October 19th Sock Hop
Swing dance, Twist, or doing your own thing – it was impossible to
resist the great music at our Sock Hop this year. With the Bainbridge
High School group of 2014 Exchange Students and their Island
friends, the vibe was upbeat, foot-loose and fancy free!! We were
delighted that one guest was a dance teacher, so the high school kids
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMS
and any others interested quickly reflected the glory days of High
th
September 29 Harvest Fair
School Sock Hops. The gym at The Island School is elegant as gyms
In spite of the heavy rain, the fair was a success. Elinor Ringland and
go, the musicians were masterful, the food delicious, the desserts
her team spent many hours collecting stories and researching the
impressive—a most memorable and entertaining affair!!!
history of the Johnson Farm. With Museum curator, Rick Chandler’s
help there is now a display that can be used annually.
December 15th Holiday Volunteer Party
We were inspired because with the increased interest in farming, an
Thank you to those who volunteered in various ways: Andrea and
increasing number of fair-goers come to our booth with questions
Ruby Mercado (coordination), Kathy Marshall (sign-in and welcome
about the Johnson brothers and the story of their family’s land. This table, and raffle), Lilly Kodama and her team of volunteers (set-up
year’s booth featured two new activities.
and clean-up). A cozy and festive holiday evening was shared by all.
A scavenger hunt required finding plants planted by namesake
Are you a teacher or do you lead a student group? Do you know students who would like to earn Service Learning Credit or
volunteer hours? Do you have a group that would like to visit the museum and have a private tour? It can be arranged by calling the museum or by emailing Katy Curtis outreach@bainbridgehistory.org!!
14
January 2014
THANK YOU GENEROUS DONORS & VOLUNTEERS!
Special Gifts
Celebrating Art Mikkola's
100th Birthday
Tusa, Susan
In Memory of William
Douglas Dow
Munro, Ralph
In Memory of Bob Cederwall
Munro, Ralph
In Memory of Ernie Biggs
Munro, Ralph
In Memory of Carl Berg
Fisher, Ellen & Don
Hafer, Roth & Maily
Shryock, Mary
Berg, Tom & Barnes, Lesa
Beierle, Karen & Tom
Nakata, Ellen
Bussell, George & Delores
Kitamoto, Frank
Law, Beverly
In Memory of Yae Yoshihara
Schabert, Brad & Curtis, K.
In Memory of Robert Oliver
Schabert, Brad & Curtis, K.
Knutsen, Peter and Joyce
Kramer, Judith
Kutina, Janet
Lange, Ned and Priscilla
Langemack, William & Chapple
Le Dorze, Juliet & Philippe
McCormic, Gidsken
McDevitt, Margaret
McFarland, Cestjon
McMahon, John & Barbara
Meacham, Colleen & William
Milberg, John & Justine
Miller, Roger & Carolyn
Morris, Adalaide
Nakao, William & Harrison,
Pamela
Pauli, Janet and William
Paup, Everett & Andrea
Pearson, Paul
Pelto, Mauri & Anderson,
Marjorie
Powel, Ann
Prahm, Ole and Patricia
Price, Andrew
Rana, Kathryn and Kulpreet
Scoble, Matthew
Matching Corporate
Sheldon, David & James
Contributions
Shopes, Will and Sandy
Chubb & Son
Skommesa, Patty
Denise &Jeffery Brown
Spearman, Marie
General Mills Foundation
Sutton, Dwight and Edith
Donna Greenawalt
Thrash, Virginia and James
The Peach Foundation
Tjossem, Donald
Pat Baillargeon
Walters, Liz and Fred
Walton, Stuart & Mary Jane
Annual Appeal
Warberg, James & Barbara
From 9/1 to 12/31/2013
Albrecht, Richard & Constance Watanabe, Matsue & Samuel
Whealdon, Nancy & Robert
Alloin, Jacques
Wiggins, Norma
Baillargeon, Patricia
Young, Dallas
Bottles, Susan & Kim
Campbell, Patricia & Robert
Sock Hop Fundraiser
Chapel, Faith and Jim
Thanks to everyone who
Christiansen, Jack & Suzanne
bought tickets and helped to
Curtis, Lois
make this event so much fun!
DuBois, Everett & Bernetta
And special thanks to the
Egashira, Tomi and Henry
following for additional
Ericksen, David A.
donations:
Flaherty, Hiroko
Baker, Bernie and Ray, Linda
Fleming, Lou & Carol
Beierle, Karen and Tom
Foster, Donna & Cameron
Furlong, Constance & Clement Bonkowski, Steve
Curtis, Kathryn & Schabert,
Gaulding, Cookie and Clark
Bradley
Greene, Betsy & Tom
Fay, Barbara
Harrison, Cynthia & David
Fowler, Daniel and Patricia
Hawran, Paul
Fox, Madelyn
Jackson, Oreen
Helm, Hank and Lynn
Jonas, Doug and Janette
Mitchell, Rebecca and Owen
Kane, Tom and Marge
Murray, Marva and Paul
Kirz, Stephanie
O'Hern
Klasky, Arleen & Sheldon
Snyder
Thatcher, Thomas & Susan
White, Horace (Sandy)
Whiteman, Alison
IN KIND DONATIONS
Brunton, Bruce
Reliable Storage
Bainbridge Self Storage
Alphagraphics
Tom Lamping
Bainbridge Disposal
Town & Country Markets
Harbor Square Wine Shop
Donahue, Arlene
Donahue, Michael
Drew, Peggy E.
Drury, Peter
DuBois, Everett
Duffy, Christopher
Duffy, Judy
Egaas, Pat
Egashira, Tomi
Eisenhauer, Dee
Eshom, Sharon
Evans, Anita
Flaherty, Hiroko
Flood, Debbie
One Call For All
Fowler, Daniel
Thanks to everyone who
Garfunkel, Jon
participated in this year’s “red
Garrison, Allison
envelope” event, and special
Gartrell, Jim
thanks to those who mentioned
Gaulding, Cookie
BIHM. A list should be
Gilbert, Georgia
available soon and we’ll
Goins, Gary
include donors in the next
Grice, Emily
newsletter.
Grimm, DDS, Fred
Grindeland, Debra
Volunteers
Groff, Linda
Abbott, Megan
Hafer, Roth M.
Adam, Jenine
Hamadeh, Roaa
Ahvakana, Kate
Han, Jenny
Alloin, Jacques L.
Hansen, Barbara
Anderson, Barbara
Hansen, Reid
Anicker, Kim
Harrison, Cindy
Aoyama, Lillian Sakuma
Hart, Carolyn
Arends, Madeleine
Harui, Donna
Armitage, Richard
Henshaw, Kay
Armstrong, Patricia
Holland, Jacqui
Baker, Bernie
Hwang, Cho
Batali, Clio
Hwang, Vivian
Beierle, Karen
Ikegami, Frances
Berg, Richard
Jacobs, Margot
Bickerton, Joan
Jacobson, Wynne
Binder, Jeremy
Johnston, Linda
Bonifield, Emma
Johnston, Stan
Boyce, Kay
Joyce, Kathy Katayama
Braun, Charlene
Kennedy, Jack
Buday, John
Kitamoto, DDS, Frank Y.
Bussell, Delores
Knapp, Barbara
Bussell, George E.
Kodama, Lilly Kitamoto
Callaham, Chuck
Kodama, Mits
Chapel, Faith
Kojima, Yuri Lily
Chapel, Jim
Kulfan, Riley
Chargualaf, Sequoia
Laughbon, David
Cheadle, Ralph K.
Lawrence, Ian
Cole, Barbara
Lawrence, Jewelian
Combs, Ann Gowen
Lawrence, Kah-Ty-Ah
Covert, William
Lawrence, Nigel
Curwen, Sheila
Lawrence-Piecuch, Barbara
Daugherty, Kathleen
Lawson, Damien
de la Vergne, David
Lawson, Romina
de Riese, Kea
Lehman, Leslie D.
Dearsley, Dick
Leik, Robert K.
Dettman, Mark
Lhamon, Joyce C.
Loverich, Betty
Loverich, Gary
Lundgren, Bud
Marshall, Kathleen
Matland, Patrice L.
Matsudaira, Hisa
McAllister, Bob
McCarthy, Carol
McCarthy, Karen
McCarthy, Ron
McCormick, Joanna
Meader, Tami
Meehan, Evan
Mercado, Andrea
Merifield, Kate
Mitchell, Becky
Montaperto, Eleanor
Moriwaki, Clarence
Mueller, Tom
Mumpower, Amy
Munro, Ralph
Murphy, Marilyn T.
Nakao, Bill
Nakao, Kazuko "Kay"
Nakata, Vern
Nakata, Wayne & Judy
Nakata, Yoshi Kitayama
Nishimura, Joyce
O'Brien, Makaila
Okada, Eileen
Penninger, David
Penninger, Monica
Piper, Joan
Poole, Deena
Price, Jr., Andrew
Ran, Elise
Ran, Frances
Rapada, Dan
Rapada, Doreen
Rawlins, Michael
Reed, Evellyn
Rekow, Nancy
Ribeiro, Olaf
Riha, Pat
Ringland, Elinor
Rowe, Adrian
Rowe, Rita
Rudoff, Marcia
Sackett, Michiko
Sakuma, Gary
Santos, Denita
Schlosser, Patricia
Schwalbach, Winsome
Scott, Adelaide
Scott, Lorraine
Seed, Margaret A.
Selvar, Cheryl
Shibayama, Eiko Suyematsu
Shopes, William
The donations above were recorded from our last newsletter through December 31,2013. If we have
inadvertently omitted any donors or volunteers, we sincerely apologize, and please let us know.
January
January2014
2014
15
THANK YOU BUSINESS SPONSORS!
(Volunteers Cont’d)
Shryock, Richard
Sinclair, Libby
Sjolseth, Jack
Spiro, April
Stallworthy, Emma
Stone, Katherine
Sutliff, Joan
Suyematsu, Curtis
Takemoto, Victor
Thatcher, Susan
Thatcher, Thomas
Thompson, Everett
Thorne, David
Thorne, Kathleen
Tollefson, G. Val
Turno, Paul
VanderStoep, Johanna
Walberg, Felecia
Walton, Janie
Watanabe, Matsue
Watanabe, Samuel
Whalley, Doug
Whiteman, Alison
Wilson, Karen
Wilton, Marcia
Winston, Curtis
Winther, Barbara
Woodman, Robert
Woodward, Mary
Zhu, Leo
Please make a special effort
to welcome our newest
volunteers:
Richard Armitage
Dick Dearsley
Kathy Marshall
Evan Meehan
Evan Meehan Kathy Marshall Please help us thank these generous community institutions for their support of BIHM.
BIHM Museum News
Dedicated to Preserving the Colorful History of Bainbridge Island
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BAINBRIDGE IS. WA
98110
PERMIT NO 5376
215 Ericksen Avenue NE ● Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
Phone: 206-842-2773 • Fax: 206-842-0914
www.bainbridgehistory.org ● Email: info@bainbridgehistory.org
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
Join us for our Annual Meeting & Potluck at Noon on February 9th at the American Legion Club, 7880 Bucklin Hill Rd.
It’s the 10th Anniversary of the Museum’s move from Strawberry Hill. The annual meeting program will feature a slideshow of
the Museum move and a discussion about details of the move. More pictures inside on pages 10 -11. We hope to see you there!
Museum News © 2014 - BIHM. Editor: Hank Helm. Contributors: Katy Curtis, Karen Wilson, Rick Chandler, Dan Groff, Tom Thatcher, Dick Shryock, Kathy Marshall