July - Kitsap County Historical Society

VISIT
REMEMBER
LEARN
The Kitsap Historian
Summer 2012
KCHS Thanks Our
Supporting
Sponsors
New Book from KCHS Showcases
Port Orchard History in Photos
Just appearing on local bookstore shelves
is Port Orchard, a fascinating pictorial record
of Port Orchard from its early days as “Sidney”
in the late 1880s up to the more recent history
of the 1960s. Published by Arcadia Publishing
as part of their “Images in America” series, the
book is a product of the Kitsap County Historical Society. Co-authors Claudia Hunt and
George Willock drew from Kitsap County Historical Society archives and interviews with local
historians to compile the photos and to research
the extensive history the book depicts.
Claudia Hunt, who refers to herself as a “history geek,” is retired from Puget Sound Naval
Shipyard and serves on the historical society’s
board of trustees. She researched the history of
the pioneer families recognized at the society’s
2011 Heritage Family Banquet and is doing the
same for this year’s event. She recently developed the Old Town Historic Sites tour to benefit
the Clear Creek Trail. The Hunt family has roots
in Kitsap that go back to 1918.
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.
Arcadia Publishing
explains in a press release,
“Our mission is to make
history accessible and
meaningful through the
publication of books on
the heritage of America’s
people and places.”
KCHS Photo: Harry Ward Collection
Also an amateur historian, George Willock
formerly served on the board of trustees of
KCHS and continues to volunteer for the
museum. He is a retired state employee
whose family goes back four generations
in Kitsap. His great-grandfather, a Civil
War veteran, arrived in Fragaria near Port
Orchard in 1882. The Willock family was
honored at last year’s Family Heritage
Banquet.
A photo from the newly published Port Orchard shows Kitsap County
Bank in 1909, a year after it was founded. The Sidney Hotel is up the hill.
Frank Langer purchased the bank in 1922 and served as its president until
his death in 1952. His widow, Hannah Langer, took over as president and
served until 1972. She was the first woman bank president west of the
Mississippi. Today Kitsap Bank claims the heritage of oldest and largest
locally owned bank in Washington State.
Port Orchard is for sale
for $21.99 at the Kitsap
Museum Store at 280
Fourth Street in Bremerton, as well as at local
retailers, online booksellers, and through Arcadia
Publishing, www.arcadia
publishing.com.
Page 2
THE KITSAP HISTORIAN
Susan Daniel
At long last, our
well-known comprehensive history of Kitsap,
Kitsap: A History, is
going to press! Thanks
to lots of skill, diligence,
and thousands of hours
of poring over every
little detail of the text, volunteer Nina
Hallett and her editorial team have made
sure this reprint is better than ever. Photos
have been found, others replaced, a new
single index created, and after five years,
it’s ready to go! The new hardbound cover
will be green rather than brown. So now,
instead of the “Big Brown Book,” it will it
be known as the “Big Green Book”!
Made for Walkin’ is the second and
final exhibit catalog completed by Curator Scott Bartlett. This catalog showcases
not only the exhibit itself, but spotlights
individual shoes and other artifacts from
the installation. This fine publication was
made possible through the generous sponsorship of KCHS member Gerry Peret.
New to Arcadia Publishing’s popular
Images of America series is our own book:
Port Orchard, composed by two KCHS
volunteers, Claudia Hunt and George
Willock. This pictorial history boasts more
than 200 vintage images and provides a
unique opportunity to reconnect with the
history that shaped the Port Orchard community.
The exhibit catalog, Spanning the Great
Peninsula: Bridges of Kitsap, provides a
visually appealing and comprehensive
record of the award-winning exhibit
featuring the history and survey of Kitsap’s
nearly 100 bridges. The book debuted
at the opening celebrations for the new
Manette Bridge on November 11, 2011.
The 112-page catalog mimics the gallery
exhibit in layout and design, exploring
the county’s many bridges through four
themes: commerce & economy, engineering & construction, ecology, and community. A coda explores bridges of the
future, both early proposals for current
structures and those that never came to
fruition. A final photo section documents
the gallery exhibit. Each of the sections
features bridges both iconic (the Narrows,
Agate Pass, and Hood Canal) and modest
(the remaining small wooden spans and
large culverts). Published as a compact,
softbound volume, Spanning the Great
Peninsula has received praise from the
Washington State Department of Transportation and community leaders. It will
undoubtedly prove valuable to residents of
Kitsap and the Great Peninsula for years
to come.
We have had two wonderful years of
excellent exhibits produced by our creative
curator, Scott Bartlett. Not surprisingly,
another museum has come across his
talent. Beginning September 1, Scott will
become curator of exhibits at the Pratt
Kitsap County Historical Society and Museum
280 Fourth Street
Bremerton, WA 98337
360.479.6226
www.kitsaphistory.org ♦ [email protected]
Staff
Scott Bartlett, Curator
Russell Motram, Administrative Assistant ♦ Carolyn McClurkan, Archivist
Board of Trustees
Susan Daniel, President
Alan Lowe, Vice President
Bonnie Isaacs, Treasurer
Sara Nell Davis, Secretary
Kathleen Cahall, Don DeMers, Nina Hallett, Claudia Hunt, J. Michael Koch,
Annamarie Lavieri, Scott Nelson, Dave Peterson, Johnny Walker, Anita Williams
Advisory Board
Suzanne Callison Dicks, Roger Horne, Paul Middents, Ralph Munro,
Helen Langer Smith, Ed Wolfe
Newsletter: Sara Nell Davis, Bob Christensen, Scott Bartlett
Museum in Homer, Alaska. The Pratt Museum is erecting a new building, so Scott
will have lots of opportunity to use his fine
skills as an exhibit creator. While at KCHS,
Scott has created award-winning exhibits
and an award-winning exhibit catalog.
We will miss his intelligence and amazing
talents. We wish him well.
Executive Director
Carolyn Neal Retires
Photo courtesy of Ron Potter
President’s Message Departing KCHS Executive Director Carolyn Neal
with a farewell gift basket (and a balloon as a
halo).
Carolyn Neal retired as executive director of the Kitsap Historical Society on June
30, as she had intended when she assumed
the position in March of 2010.
In a message to board members, board
President Susan Daniel described Carolyn
Neal’s service to KCHS: “She has gone
way beyond her job description in what
she has done for the museum in the two
years. Our stability, our funding, our place
in the community are all better because
of her dedicated work. She has been a
terrific personnel manager. She has made
contributions in very quiet ways that have
added up to things going more smoothly,
to the museum simply being better. She
has gifted her own now-out-of-print book
to museum guest presenters. We have
benefited greatly by her knowledge of
the community as well as her expertise
in Kitsap and Northwest history. She has
probably donated as many hours as she has
been paid for. We will certainly miss her
and hope we will continue to see her frequently as we look forward to her remaining part of our KCHS family.”
Summer 2012
Page 3
Photo courtesy of Gary Beanland
Author
Frank Wetzel autographed his
latest book,
Lizzie, for
guests at a
reception
and book
signing
he hosted
at the Kitsap History Museum on June
10. The book’s story is a personal one
for Wetzel, as it is drawn from diaries he
discovered in his parents’ belongings after
they died.
Written by a young woman who was
romantically involved with Wetzel’s father,
the diaries describe life in Kitsap County
from the perspective of an energetic, social
young woman in turn-of-the-century
Bremerton. The story becomes bittersweet
as Wetzel discovers more about the woman
in his father’s past. Full of photos and local history, as well as a touching personal
story, Lizzie may be purchased in the
Kitsap Museum bookstore.
Kitsap History Book
Close To Publication
Fanfare, please! Kitsap County: A History, the third edition of the expansive
record of Kitsap as a county is expected to
arrive from the printer this fall.
Affectionately known as “the Brown
Book,” because of the color of its cover, Kitsap County: A History was out of print and
desperately in need of careful and caring
scrutiny. The upcoming edition will have
a green cover and much enhanced content
and organization. Facts have been checked,
researched and corrected, lost photos have
been found or replaced, and pages have
been recreated. The previous five indexes,
for each of the five sections of the book, will
be consolidated into one general index, a
cause for celebration by itself. The new edition has taken a dedicated committee five
years to bring to fruition.
Kitsap County: A History is being
re-issued by the Kitsap County Historical
Society. Full of photographs, maps, and fascinating anecdotes and narratives, the book
sells for $75. To purchase your copy, contact
the museum at 360-479-6226.
From the Curator
Scott Bartlett
Those of you who
read the last issue of the
Historian will remember Carolyn Neal’s
“Director’s Message” as
one of farewell as she
moved on to (a second
attempt at) retirement.
Her recent departure
makes me a tiny bit nervous about announcing my own plans to move on. My
apprehension comes only from wanting to
assure you all that despite quick transitions, the museum and society are in a
wonderful position.
For the past two and a half years, I’ve
been holding the reins of exhibits and collections at KCHS, but not without a whole
lot of reliance upon volunteers, staff, and
the board of trustees. In that time, we’ve
mounted an ambitious series of exhibits.
We have published two books and are on
the cusp of two more. We initiated the
annual Kitsap Heritage Family Banquet,
and have created a more targeted web and
social media presence. We’ve made significant upgrades to the building and collections facilities, both benefiting design and
reducing energy costs.
In the world of non-profit organizations, including museums, the cost factor
can be very important. My leaving closely
on the heels of our recent executive director can actually help out in the long run.
This dual vacancy will allow the board of
trustees, the museum, and its members, to
focus on the future. Still, I hope to remain
connected to the museum as a distant but
on-call consultant, and to many friends in
Bremerton and throughout the county.
You may notice above that I’m still
using the collective “we,” which is hard to
drop. We’ve been a pretty close team here
at the museum. When that circle expands
with volunteers for First Friday, exhibit installations, and the pole barn, it stays close
despite the increase in numbers.
I’ll be leaving Bremerton and Kitsap
at the end of August for a post that more
closely fits my academic research and skill
set, and provides a unique set of opportunities for my family. Leaving, however,
is always hard. It seems like just yesterday
that we sailed (quite literally) into harbor.
Having celebrated our wedding on the
Bremerton waterfront, borne our first
child here, and had many adventures both
professional and recreational, Kitsap will
always have a special place in our hearts.
I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to have served the Kitsap Historical
Society and for the many wonderful people
that I’ve been able to work with both in
and out of the museum. I am excited about
what the future holds for KCHS and you
should be too!
Curator Wins Award
For Bridges Catalog
Photo courtesy of Washington
Museum Association
Lizzie Debut
Curator Scott Bartlett, center, with KCHS board
members Nina Hallett, left, and Susan Daniel at
the Washington Museum Association Annual
Conference in Seattle.
Kitsap History Museum Curator Scott
Bartlett has been recognized by the Washington State Museum Association with its
2012 Award of Excellence for Publication.
Scott received the award for the catalog he
developed for Spanning the Great Peninsula: Bridges of Kitsap, his first major
exhibit for KCHS. The exhibit itself won
the WSMA Award of Exhibit Excellence in
2011.
The Award for Publication was presented June 14 at the WSMA annual conference held at the Experience Music Project
in Seattle. The award-winning catalog is on
sale in the museum bookstore.
Curator Bartlett’s traveling exhibit,
Mosquitos in Kitsap, also received the association’s Award of Excellence in 2011.
Visitors can view that exhibit on display in
the museum.
Visit KCHS on the Web
It’s easy to keep informed about
KCHS programs and activities.
Find us on the web at:
kitsaphistory.org
Page 4
THE KITSAP HISTORIAN
Eat Your Way through Kitsap History
Research Corner
Bonny Chrey
The sheriff ’s office is hoping the public
might help locate photos of the following;
G.A. Page (1857)
Isaac Parker (1857)
I.C. Card (1857)
Isaac Parker (1857)
(they are all from 1857!)
A.W. Arnold (1859)
H. Spaulding (1861)
H.B. Manchester (1861)
Charles Noyes (1863)
Theodore O. Williams (1864)
Fred Fein (1912 & 1918)
Shattuck and Dan Davis (1913)
John Stanioch (1920)
Daniel Blankenship (1931)
Rex Haynes and Pete Henderson (1947)
Dean Jones (1949-1963)
Pat Jones (1979-1998)
Please contact me, Bonnie Chrey, at
360-479-6226 or research@kitsaphistory.
org if you have information about photos
of any of these former sheriffs.
Leave a Legacy
Please consider designating the
Kitsap County Historical Society a
beneficiary as you set in place your estate planning. Through planned giving
and/or a bequest in your will you can
provide a stable source of support for
KCHS and help assure that our community’s history will be well cared for.
Call the museum at 360-479-6226
for information about leaving a legacy
for KCHS or to make a donation.
Summer Hours
May through September
Tuesday –Saturday: 10 am – 4 pm
Sunday: Noon – 4 pm
— — —
First Fridays – 10 am – 8 pm – Free
Active duty military and families free
at all times
Photo courtesy of Susan Daniel
The Kitsap County Sheriff ’s Office is
trying to find photos of past sheriffs to
display on a remembrance wall. KCHS
has several photos in its archives, including David Sackman (1898-1900), Amos
Corliss (1913), Rush Blankenship (1939),
Fred Vetters (1941), and Art Morken
(1963-1979).
Eat Your Way attendees enjoy wisteria in full bloom while they stroll the grounds of the
elegant Willcox House as part of the May program featuring Seabeck and Holly.
Spaces are still available for the September 13 Eat Your Way tour of Swedish pioneer Carl
Grahn’s homestead in Gilberton and for the November 8 tour of the Suquamish Fish Hatchery,
House of Awakened Culture and newly opened Suquamish Museum. The October Bainbridge
Country Club of Seattle tour is filled, but those interested may place their names on a waiting
list in cases spaces open up. Please call the museum at 360-479-6226 for reservations.
Come to the Fair!
Be sure to visit the
Rural Heritage Barn
a Kitsap County Historical Society museum
at the
Kitsap County Fair & Stampede
August 22–26
Fascinating artifacts, often handmade, always ingenious, include:
Native American herring rakes, nets and other fishing
equipment ☼ logging drag saw ☼ logger’s waterproof
clothing ☼ butter churn ☼ blueberry sorter ☼ baby chick
warmer ☼ blacksmith anvil and forge ☼ hay trolley ☼ early
farming equipment ☼ tailoring artifacts ☼ 1931 Chevrolet
mail truck
Try your hand at the corn-shucking machine!
A little bit of nostalgia, a lot of history
Fun for the entire family!
For information call KCHS
360-479-6226
Summer 2012
Save the Date!
Page 5
2012 Heritage Banquet To Honor Kitsap Families
The second annual Kitsap Heritage
Banquet will celebrate Kitsap’s rich early
history by honoring five Kitsap families
whose roots date back a century or more.
The gala event, a benefit for the Kitsap
County Historical Society, will be held
September 21 at Kiana Lodge. Families
are chosen for their contribution to the
community, as well as their longevity in
the county, and they must have family
members still residing in Kitsap County.
Descendants will represent their pioneer
families at the banquet.
The Heritage Banquet will take place
from 6 to 9 p.m. and will begin with
a social hour, followed by a delicious
Northwest dinner. The heritage families’
stories will be recounted through video
presentations, personal recollections,
photographs, and brief narratives. At the
2011 banquet, guests reacted with amazement, tears and laughter to the family
histories. This year’s event promises more
wonderful history.
Many nominations for families
deserving of recognition were submitted
to KCHS by individuals and by community heritage organizations. From those
nominations, five families, representing
different areas of the county, were chosen
to receive this year’s recognition. To be
honored on September 21 are:
The William DeShaw family from
Bainbridge Island, which has had connections to the Suquamish Tribe, including to Chief Seattle, since William opened
a trading store near Agate Pass when
he arrived on the island in the 1850s.
Appointed Indian Agent for the Port
Madison Reservation, William was tasked
by the U.S. Government with destroying
Old Man House to prevent the spread of
disease. His first marriage was to Mary,
granddaughter of Chief Seattle. Virgil
Temple, a grandson from William’s second marriage, spent many years researching the loss of Suquamish lands through
government surveys. A grandson from a
third marriage was one of the builders of
Kiana Lodge. Leonard Forsman, a greatgreat grandson, currently serves as Chair
of the Suquamish Tribal Council.
The Norum / Sommerseth / Langer
family from North Kitsap. The Anton
H. Norum and Jorgen Sommerseth
families arrived in Kitsap County in
1905. Both were active in the Poulsbo
Lutheran Church and the Sons of Norway. Hickman J. Sommerseth married
Esther Norum, uniting these two pioneer families. They had a daughter, Ann
(Sommerseth) Frodel. When their home
was taken over by the U.S. Government
for the Keyport base, Anton and Masse
Norum moved to Poulsbo and began the
First National Bank of Poulsbo. Their
daughter Hannah married Frank Langer,
son of an early North Dakota legislator.
These families’ community involvement
has included commercial fishermen, city
councilmen, director of First National
Bank of Poulsbo, two presidents of Kitsap
County Bank, school founders, teachers,
church builders, cemetery restorers, and
business owners.
Kitsap
Heritage
Banquet
The Charles E. and Edith Greaves
family from Central Kitsap, who came
to Silverdale in 1894 and settled on a farm
where the Kitsap Mall is now located.
Charles was instrumental in the development of Silverdale and Kitsap County. He
served as county commissioner and was
involved in the early farmers’ cooperative
movements that evolved into the Silverdale Poultry Association. A founder of the
Silverdale State Bank in 1919, he served
as the bank’s president for 18 years. His
son, William, and grandson, L.C., served
on the bank’s board of directors. William
capped the many years he was active with
the Kitsap County Fair by serving as its
president in the 1960s. L.C. continues the
family’s tradition of community involvement.
The John Gorst / Charles Ainsworth
family from South Kitsap. The Gorst and
Ainsworth families are closely connected
by marriage and share much of the same
history. John and Lorinda moved with
their family to Port Orchard (Sidney) in
1888. After working in the gold fields of
Alaska for several years, John and Charles
came home with enough money to start
Ainsworth’s Grocery, Vergne’s Flying Service, Walter Wheeler’s newspaper The Independent, and more. Vern Gorst’s Pacific
Air Transport business combined with
other airlines in 1931 to become United
Air Lines. Family members have been
postmasters, Port Orchard mayor, navy
yard employees, members of Knights of
Pythias and leading community leaders.
The James H. and Annie L. Lent
family from Bremerton. After being
discharged from the Marines in Bremerton in 1904, Shippy Lent, the fourth son
of James and Annie, decided to stay and
convinced his parents and three of his
brothers to join him. Llewellyn, “Lou,”
the oldest of the Lent sons, arrived from
Nova Scotia in 1907 and, with Shippy, immediately started a plumbing business on
Burwell Street. Since then, four generations have participated in the business
and served the community in various
positions, including state legislator,
fire chief, Charleston City councilman,
Bremerton mayor, and member of the
Chamber of Commerce and Elks, among
many other organizations of benefit to the
community.
Recipients of the 2011 Kitsap Heritage
Family Awards were the Nakata family
from Bainbridge Island, the Myreboe/
Anderson family from North Kitsap, the
Sackman family from Central Kitsap, the
Willock family from South Kitsap and the
Fellows family from Bremerton. Each of
the families was presented with a commemorative booklet of family photos and
written history.
KCHS is extremely grateful to the following businesses for sponsorship of the
2012 Kitsap Heritage Banquet: Kitsap Sun,
Suquamish Tribe, Kitsap Bank, Evergreen
Upholstery, Puget Sound Energy, Macy’s,
Donald DeMers Investigations, the Nakata Family and Harrison Medical Center.
Invitations to the 2012 Family
Heritage Banquet will be mailed the
third week in August. Tickets are $75 per
person. Please call the Kitsap History Museum, 360-479-6226, to have your name
added to the invitation list.
Page 6
THE KITSAP HISTORIAN
A Family History Adventure – Far Away and Close to Home
There is a wealth of local resources and
heritage sites that helped us bring these
two history subjects alive and into focus,
especially since both world wars shaped
Kitsap County, and defense activities continue to be a driving force in our regional
economy.
One of our first stops was the Kitsap
County History Museum in Bremerton for
an overview of local history. Will is fascinated by the old typewriter and switchboard set up as a hands-on experience and
amazed these were once considered “high
tech”! The Main Street exhibit gives a feel
for old time Kitsap. An entire day can be
spent in downtown Bremerton at museums that include the Puppet Museum, the
Puget Sound Navy Museum, the displays
at the Harborside Memorial Plaza, and the
Turner Joy historic ship. Not far are other
wonderful history sites: Keyport Naval
Undersea Museum, Suquamish Tribal
Museum and Chief Sealth’s grave, and the
Bainbridge Island Historical Museum.
Travelling a little further from Kitsap
County, we enjoyed the Seattle Museum
of History and Industry, the Washington
State History Museum in Tacoma, and the
state capitol tour in Olympia. In Everett
Will was fascinated by the Boeing factory
tour and their display of the company’s
history. We timed our visit to Bellingham’s
Heritage Flight Museum for one of their
“fly days” when the WWII-era planes take
to the skies.
We were fortunate to venture quite a
way from home for two family vacations
in keeping with the WWII theme. Because
we have German heritage on my mother’s
side, Grandma joined us for a late summer
European trip to Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. The visit to the Dachau
Concentration Camp outside Munich is an
unforgettably sobering experience. Hitler’s
Eagles Nest is a beautiful location. Many
cities were heavily damaged in the war so it
was fascinating to visit Rothenburg, a preserved medieval town spared from WWII
bombing. If you visit there, don’t miss the
funny and intriguing “Night Watchman”
history tour.
What better way to wind down our
family history sabbatical than to escape
January’s wet chill to visit the location that
brought the United States into WWII: the
site of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii. There we visited the somber Arizona Memorial, toured the submarine USS
Bowfin, explored the Pacific Aviation Museum, and enjoyed an outing to Bremerton’s “own” USS Missouri battleship, where
the war’s formal surrender was signed. In
addition to beautiful beaches, Honolulu is
also home to the Hawaii Army Museum,
housed in a battery built around 1911. The
veteran volunteers there were delighted
by Will’s interest in the museum’s displays
and took him under their wings for several
hours, answering his questions while mom
and dad relaxed at the nearby beach.
Once back home, we visited the Bain-
Photo courtesy of Kathleen Cahall
Our 12-year old son, Will, was growing up fast. I wanted to spend some quality
time with him before he reached the stage
when parents were totally “uncool,” so I
devised a plan for his dad and me to adjust
our work schedules in order to home
school Will the first semester of 7th grade.
Will was not so keen on this idea, so we
needed to find an angle to convince him
this would be a fun thing to do. Will is the
family history buff and, typical of many
boys his age, he is fascinated by planes,
ships, weapons, and war stories. As we
wanted this interest to be balanced by a
healthy dose of historical accuracy, we let
Will choose World War II as the theme of
our sabbatical. With the promise that he
would be spending time learning about
war, he agreed to give the home school experience a try. Seventh grade is also when
students study Washington State history.
The three of us were excited to begin our
history adventure!
KCHS trustee Kathleen Cahall with her son Will
and husband John at Hitler’s Eagles Nest in
Bavaria last summer. The family toured sites
relating to World War II as part of Will’s semester of home study with a focus on history.
Kathleen Cahall
bridge Island Japanese American Exclusion
Memorial and watched the accompanying
video at the Bainbridge Island Museum in
Winslow.
To end our home school experience,
we invited several older friends for lunch,
and Will enjoyed hearing them talk about
what it was like being a kid during WWII
in Sweden.
Supplementing these field trips were
wonderful books and movies about WWII.
Will’s favorites included Unbroken by
Laura Hillenbrand, The Book Thief by Marc
Zusak, The Diary of Ann Frank, Victory
Gardens and Barrage Balloons by Frank
Wetzel, and Band of Brothers by Stephen
Ambrose. Will watched more than 20
movies about WWII. The films that made
a special impression were Tora, Tora, Tora,
Life is Beautiful, Flags of our Fathers/Letters
from Iwo Jima, and the Band of Brothers
HBO mini-series.
In addition to all the amazing historical
activities during the semester, we also fit in
course work in algebra and science, visited
art and science museums, and even toured
the Theo Chocolate factory!
Families especially might be interested
to know that many museums have a day
each month with free admission. The Kitsap County History Museum, for instance,
is free, open until 8:00, and often has a
special activity on the first Friday of the
month. Check each museum’s website for
their specials.
Will had trepidation about returning
to school mid year — he didn’t want to
feel like the “new kid” — but he adjusted
quickly back to the middle school schedule. We are grateful for the encouragement
of Will’s teachers and for the Bremerton
School District’s Alliance Academy, who
helped with the home school logistics.
Toward the end of our semester at
home Will turned 13. I realized my son
had grown taller than me and his voice
was as deep as his dad’s. I think we timed
our family history adventure just right, and
the experience will forever be a treasure to
each of us. What an amazing education we
all received!
Kathleen Cahall is Bremerton’s Water
Resource Manager and serves on the Kitsap
Historical Society’s board of trustees.
Summer 2012
• AY Petter Family Advised Fund held
at the Kitsap Community Foundation
for making possible the replacement of the
huge glass window above the entrance to
the museum.
• Philip and Cecilia Hughes, for opening
their elegant Willcox House to the May
Eat Your Way tour, and to the Holly
Community Club for delicious desserts in
the historic former Holly School.
• Country Gardens Nursery, Barbie’s
Seabeck Cafe, Be Tempted, Siloam
Retreat and Wine Shop and Bremerton
City Nursery, for contributions to Eat
Your Way raffle baskets.
• Bonnie Chrey, KCHS researcher,
for providing fascinating history for
the June Eat Your Way, Frank Wetzel
for reminiscing along the way about
his boyhood in the Gregory Way
neighborhood, and Mrs. & Mrs. Trent
England for opening their beautiful 1926
Mediterranean-style home for the tour.
• Author Frank Wetzel for hosting a
delightful book signing and reception at
the museum for his new book, Lizzie.
• Kevin LaCombe for sharing his
extensive knowledge of Burley history and
being our guide for the July Eat Your Way
tour.
• Bill Brown for diligently watering the
flowers in the planters in front of the
KCHS museum.
Tall Ships Event
The Kitsap History Museum will participate in a Bremerton geocaching event
as part of the festivities when the Tall Ships
Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftan
visit Bremerton Marina August 25. For
information: http://cushing.0catch.com/
Caching/PiratehtmlPIRATE.htm.
KCHS Needs a Desk
KCHS would like to improve the
executive director’s working conditions
and office with a better desk. Please call
the museum at 360-479-6226 if you
have a desk you would be willing to
donate or if you know of one that might
be available.
is even an Olympic torch carried on the
run through Bremerton by local resident
Ralph Lintz for the 1996 Olympics.
Visitors to the Kitsap History Museum
may be surprised, as Curator Scott Bartlett
was, by the number of Olympic athletes
who have hailed from Kitsap County. A
new exhibit at the museum showcases the
eight Olympians from the county, including the current 2012 gold medalist, Nathan
Adrian, a graduate of Bremerton High
School.
Nathan Adrian receives the Gold for Team USA in
the 100-meter freestyle. London, Aug. 1 2012.
The exhibit displays photographs and
memorabilia of the champions, graciously
donated by the athletes and their families,
along with historic photos from the KCHS
archives depicting similar sporting activities in the early years of the county. There
Other athletes represented in the
exhibit are Poulsbo’s Scott Shipley, whose
kayak is on display, and bobsledder Bree
Schaff. Swimming sisters Tara and Dana
Kirk are featured, as is runner Brad
Barquist, swimmer Emily Silver, and
archer Edwin Eliason, who, in 1972, was
the first Kitsap athlete to compete in the
Olympics.
The exhibit will be on display through
September.
KCHS photo
• Gerry Peret for sponsorship of the
Made for Walkin’ exhibit catalog.
Olympians from Kitsap
AP Photo / Lee jin-man
KCHS is grateful to …
A swimming party in Port Gamble, circa 1900.
KCHS Welcomes New and Renewing Members
Lifetime
Alice Fellows
Larry Nakata
Wayne Nakata
Mary Lou Slaughter
Sustaining
Scott Nelson
Bill Swope
Sponsor
Christine Petig
Patron
Kevin Ahl
Claudia Hunt
Claude Langridge
Doris Linkletter
Frances Willyard
Family
Roger & Claudia Coyle
Henry Henneman
Keith & Edna Johanson
Kevin LaCombe
Paul & Ellen Middents
Ronald & Margaret Morse
Roy & Carole Oesterhaus
Carol & Edward Schwabe
George Strong
Gordon & Sue Walgren
Mark & Lisa Whitney
Individual
Ray Abundis
James Baxter
Charlotte Bleile
Laura T. Boyle
Ronald Bright
Irmgard Bruser
Tom Cameron
Orion Culver
Nancy Draper
Alice Harris
Leslie Harrison
John Hawk
Emmajean Hemingway
Trena Hewitt
Katherine Duncan Hughes
Randy & Marvel Hunt
Irvin & Diane Mann
James Marriman
Kristi Mills
Michael Mjelde
Margaret Mortensen
Russell Mottram
Ruth Parmley
Helen Payne
Alyne Richard
Sandy Shaut
Toby L. Warren
Pete Wiggins
Richard Winderl
Dolly Williams
Th
yo ank
u!
Thank You!
Page 7
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
Currently on exhibit:
MAIN STREET
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
August
18 KCHS booth at Olalla Bluegrass Festival
22-26 Kitsap County Fair & Stampede –
KCHS Rural Heritage Pole Barn Museum open
25 Geocache event with the Tall Ships (see p. 7)
September
7
8
13 21 23 First Friday Art Walk – Museum open until 8 pm
YWCA event and exhibit
Eat Your Way: Grahn homestead in Gilberton 10 am
Family Heritage Banquet – Kiana Lodge 6-9 pm
KCHS booth at Forest Festival, Port Gamble
October
5
6
First Friday Art Walk – Museum open until 8 pm
Eat Your Way: Country Club of Seattle, Bainbridge
Island 10:30 am
Scene from the current exhibit, Summer Games, featuring Bree
Schaaf’s helmet and body suit fromt he 2010 Winter Olympics, as
well as a sled used by the Lenihan family since the 1920s.
November
2
8
First Friday Art Walk – Museum open until 8 pm
Eat Your Way: Suquamish Hatchery, House of Awakened Culture, and Museum 10:30 am
VISIT
REMEMBER
LEARN