faces of Olympia, Firehouse Bay 1
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Firehouse Bay 1, Window 1
Margaret McKenny (1885-1969) grew up in Olympia and later attended the Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture in Massachusetts. She was a noted naturalist and helped preserve some of the Olympia area’s best-loved natural areas including Watershed Park, Sylvester Park, Squaxin Park (formerly Priest Point Park) and the Nisqually Delta. Read more here on pages 25-34. Washington State Historical Society Photo, WSHS C2018.0.15.
Firehouse Bay 1, Window 2
William “Billy” Frank, Jr. (1931-2014), Nisqually Tribal Member, was a fishing rights and environmental activist. The long-time Chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2015 and that same year the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge was named in his honor. In 2021, legislation was passed to place his statue in Statuary Hall in Washington D.C. representing the State of Washington. Read more here. Photo courtesy of Steve Robinson.
Firehouse Bay 1, Window 3
Andrea Wilbur-Sigo is a member of the Squaxin Island Tribe and of the SteChess family. She is a notable woman carver and the recipient of many awards for her work. She also teaches Coastal Salish art classes. Her work is in many public places in Washington including the welcome figure at Squaxin Park in Olympia, the “Unity” installation as part of the Karen Fraser Woodland Trail in Olympia, and the Squaxin Island Tribe Veteran’s Memorial. Look for a new welcome figure by Ms. Wilbur-Sigo at Isthmus Park in Olympia. Read more about Andrea Wilbur-Sigo. Photo courtesy of Andrea Wilbur-Sigo.
Firehouse Bay 1, Window 4
Annie Charley Brenner (1881-1962) was the daughter of Mud Bay Charley and Kate Milne who had oyster claims on Mud Bay. She was of Quinault and Squaxin descent. She attended Cushman Indian Boarding School and married Charles Brenner in 1901. She was a member of the Plainview Ladies Club and a charter member of the McLane Grange. Photo ca. 1899 courtesy of the Squaxin Island Museum Library and Research Center.
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Roger Easton (1937-2012) was born in California and raised in Olympia, attending local schools. He graduated from Olympia High School, attended St. Martin’s College and was a longtime teacher in North Thurston Schools. His wide-ranging interests included geology, genealogy and photography. Roger’s deep and abiding interest in local history was the main focus of his interests besides his teaching and students. A longtime member of several local historical groups including the Olympia Heritage Commission, Thurston County Historic Commission and Lacey Historic Commission, he was a founding member of the Olympia Historical Society and active in the Bigelow House Museum. An excellent researcher, he accumulated a wonderful collection of historical materials and was a devoted volunteer with those organizations as well as State Archives. Roger left a bequest to further history education in Thurston County which carries his name. State Archives Photo.
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Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart (Esther Pariseau) (1823-1902) was born in Canada and joined the Sisters of Providence, coming to Washington in the 1850s. She learned carpentry from her father and is noted as one of Washington’s first architects. Mother Joseph represents the state in Statuary Hall in Washington D. C. The Sisters of Providence came to Olympia in the early 1880s establishing Providence Academy. St. Peter Hospital was built in the 1880s, as a Providence facility, originally on the current Capitol Grounds. It was built under the direction of Mother Joseph and others and has continued to two other locations and is now a major regional medical center as Providence St. Peter Hospital. Read more about Mother Joseph here. Read about St. Peter Hospital History here. Photo courtesy of Providence Archives Seattle.
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Elizabeth Ayer (1897-1987) was an Olympia native and graduate of Olympia High School. She was the first woman graduate of the University of Washington School of Architecture and the first licensed woman architect in the state. She worked with Edwin Ivey and later formed the Ayer and Lamping Architectural firm. She designed many notable residences in the Northwest, including in Olympia and Seattle. She retired to Panorama City in Lacey and served on the Planning Commission there. Read more about Elizabeth Ayer here. Photo courtesy of University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections, PHColl 1051.1-1; POR 1236.
Firehouse Bay 1, Window 8
Artist and Mansion Glass co-founder Tom Anderson is pictured by his retrospective exhibit on display at the Washington Center. for the Performing Arts in downtown Olympia that showed the week of Sept. 14, 2021. Photo courtesy of Steve Bloom/The Olympian.
Firehouse Bay 1, Window 9
Both Ann Elizabeth White (1836-1926) and Daniel R. Bigelow (1824-1905) came over the Oregon Trail in 1851. A graduate of Union College in Schenectady New York and Harvard Law school, Daniel Bigelow was active in early politics, including being elected to the first Territorial Legislature which met in 1854. Ann Elizabeth was one of the area’s first school teachers. They married in 1854. Both were active in the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Susan B. Anthony visited their home in 1871. The house still stands as the Bigelow House Museum, listed on National, State and Olympia Historic Registers as well as the National Votes for Women Trail. More information is at olympiahistory.org. Photo courtesy of the Bigelow House Museum.
Firehouse Bay 1, Window 10
Barbara Harriston O’Neill (1936-2008) was born in Harlem, New York. She came to Olympia in 1969 and worked in state government. She owned Barb’s BBQ/Soul Cuisine in downtown Olympia and became well-known for her generosity and community service providing meals to those in need on holidays. She served on several community boards and was recognized for her community service. Learn more in Blacks in Thurston County, Washington: 1950 to 1975: A Community Album, edited by Dr. Thelma Jackson and Contributing Editor Edward Echtle. Barbara Harriston O’Neill’s obituary. Photo courtesy of the O’Neill Family.
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Sam Fun Locke (1857-1934) “Locke Sam Fun arrived in the U.S. in 1874 as a railroad laborer. He later became a partner in the Hong Yek Kee Co, in Olympia, where he rose to the position of senior partner. Hong Yek Kee was a mercantile and labor contracting firm, supplying and outfitting Chinese laborers for projects and industries throughout Southwest Washington. In 1904 Locke visited China and married Lay Shee. Together they raised a large family in their home above Hong Yek Kee. Locke Sam Fun also acted as banker for the Chinese community and invested in Chinese-owned businesses throughout Western Washington. By the time he died he was a wealthy and well- respected leader in the community. His large funeral procession was attended by Chinese dignitaries and white pioneers alike. The newspaper described the event as one of the most elaborate in Olympia history. Originally, Locke was interred at Tumwater; his family later moved him to Seattle.” Quoted from Find a Grave Site. See also here. Photo courtesy of National Archives and Records Administration.
Firehouse Bay 1, Window 12
Amanda Smith (1906-1996) was Olympia’s first woman mayor who was first elected in 1953 and served until 1960 when this building was Olympia City Hall. She was an active reformer. A street in downtown is named in her honor. Read more about Amanda Smith here. Mayor Amanda Smith, 1954, by Merle Junk, Susan Parish Photograph Collection, Washington State Archives.