BIHM Museum News Dedicated to Preserving the Colorful History of Bainbridge Island     May 2012

language, citizenship (with the year of immigration if appropriate), age, color or race, education, and marital condition are all recorded. For each household, we know whether their home was owned or rented – and whether it was equipped with a radio. This information offers many insights into the community, and with the resources of the Historical Museum I was able to furnish more facts about the lives of some individuals. Through books like Let It Go, Louie (the wonderful book about Croatian immigrants and their families by Gary Loverich and Barbara Winther) we can see how the census account of occupations and family circumstances inevitably simplified what it attempted to describe. The census was taken in April of 1930, and it captured the Eagle Harbor community in the midst of wrenching changes. The Depression had just begun to take hold, and it had been preceded on Bainbridge by contractions in the local industrial economy. The 1930 census accounts for a population of 625, and here’s a context for that number: in 1900 the precinct’s population was 330, by 1910 it had jumped to 1,035, and by 1920 it had grown modestly to 1,187. The sharp drop between 1920 and 1930 was due in part to the closing of the Port Blakely mill

Winslow in 1930: Insights from Census Data

Continued on Page 6

By Guest Contributor Jon Quitslund

The 1930 census reveals much about the population of Bainbridge at the beginning of the Great Depression. I expect that some of you have consulted census records while researching family history. Social history – the genealogy of a community – is of particular interest to me. This article will deal with the Eagle Harbor census precinct, which included the town of Winslow and extended west a short distance beyond the Head of the Bay, with New Brooklyn Road forming most of the northern boundary. In 1930, this area was home to 625 individuals in 164 households. Winslow was still sparsely settled; trees, fields, and gardens predominated over houses in most of the town. I imagine there was more activity in the waters of Eagle Harbor than on the unpaved streets of town, and perhaps more travel by foot on paths than on the streets. The census is like an album of group portraits, in which some individuals and family groups stand out, while others are out of focus. Some names are recognizable, with established places in Bainbridge Island history, and as I learned a little about people I had never heard of, I wanted to know more. The census lists occupations, each person’s place of birth, and the places of birth of his or her parents. Native

2 May 2012

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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1930 Winslow Census President’s Message Executive Director Message Donors Volunteers Education & Outreach Message From The Curator Upcoming BIHM Events BIHM Business Sponsors

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Message From The President Dan Fowler

Spring is definitely here and the Museum is blooming with activities and events. Our expanded hours have made our fascinating history available seven days a week from 10 am to 4 pm. We now have a staffed booth at the farmers market where our island history and events can reach an even a broader audience. We continue to receive high praise for our award-winning exhibits and community summer camp. Your Museum board recently completed a strategic plan which will give us stretch goals to strive for over the next five years. Some of our goals include; consistent growth, fostering a culture of stewardship, increasing our educational outreach participants, increase supporting membership, and recruiting diverse and highly qualified board members. We strive to make our island history come alive with community events such as the upcoming Baseballarama happening at the Museum on May 19th. We will have players

from the early days on the island along with current teams. We are encouraging team members to wear their old uniforms even if they are a bit tight. The Mariner Moose will be there to welcome the attendees with a memorable photo op. Of course there will be hot dogs, peanuts, cracker jacks, beer and soft drinks to get everyone into the baseball spirit.

We appreciate you, our loyal members, who have helped to make our work in the community possible. We look forward to another outstanding year with your continued support.

Buy tickets now!

Virginia V Cruise

July 15 3-6 p.m. $85 ($95 non-members) This cruise around Bainbridge Island on the last of the steam-powered

Mosquito Fleet ferries is always a sell-out. Call BIHM at 842-2773 for tickets.

 

3 May 2012

 

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 Collect, interpret, safeguard and display significant items from Bainbridge Island’s colorful past; foster a knowledge of local history through educational programs; support historic preservation on Bainbridge Island, and operate the 1908 schoolhouse museum and historic research library. 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 tax-deductible. President Dan Fowler Vice-President Karen Wilson Secretary David Thorne Treasurer Barbara Anderson Directors: Bernie Baker Karen Beierle Bill Covert Kathy Daugherty David de la Vergne Eric Engelbrecht Becky Mitchell Ellie Montaperto Bill Nelson Joan Piper Deena Poole Tom Thatcher

Executive Director Hank Helm Curator Rick Chandler Education and Outreach Coordinator Katy Curtis Facilities Coordinator Rick Chandler Administrative Coordinator Dan Groff Membership Coordinator Arlene Donahue Managing Editor Hank Helm Copy Editor Dan Groff

From the Executive Director The year has started off with strong attendance, in keeping with all of last year. For the first four months, we have had 2,717 visitors compared to 2,293 for the same time period last year. This is an 18.5% increase. The current active membership of the museum is 857. Certainly part of the reason for the increase in visitors is our increased hours. Beginning in January, we have been open from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM Monday through Friday. Weekend hours were from 1:00 AM until 4:00 PM. Weekend hours have expanded to 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM and will remain that way while the Farmer’s Market is open into Autumn. The additional hours have been made possible thanks to a grant from the City of

Bainbridge Island through the Hotel/Motel tax. Because of the increase in hours, we need additional volunteers. If you or anyone you know can help, please contact us and apply. We really need your help to serve the community and make it possible to keep the museum open for these additional hours.

This year we will have a booth at the Farmer’s Market. We have a graduate student who is working with Curator Rick Chandler and will be doing outreach from the booth engaging in conversation with island citizens. We also hope to sell Virginia V tickets and Raffle tickets at the booth. Brochures, fliers and other information will be offered there.

You may now reserve your spot on the July 15th sailing of the Virginia V. The cost for members is $85. Non-member cost is $95. This year, we are pleased to have Mr. Dennis Lewarch, the Suquamish Tribal Historic Preservation Officer on board to tell participants about the early Native American presence on the island.

I am very pleased to report that we have received two new Washington Museum Association Awards of Excellence. One is for the new Time Line Exhibit on our south wall and the second is for our Summer Camp. The awards will be presented at the annual WMA convention in June.

Museum volunteers, including several generous Master Gardeners, have put chips down in the planting areas on the East and South sides of the Museum. Betty and Gary Loverich separately put chips down on the West side of the Museum. This will aid with weed control and really dresses up the beds.

The Museum has four additions to the board of directors; three new and one returning. Deena Poole (the new Manager of Union Bank), Eric Engelbrecht (naval engineer) and Bill Covert (4th grade teacher at Wilkes) are the three new members and Bernie Baker is the past board member who is serving once more. The election of these board members took place at the board meeting in February.

The Chamber of Commerce “After Hours” was hosted by the Museum in February and was very successful. Many thanks to Ruby Kidd for her hard work in helping to organize this function. We introduced many people from the business community to the Museum and the board members had a chance to meet and mingle.

An all-day retreat at “Yonder” was held to formulate a new BIHM Long Range Plan. There was a follow up session and a draft has been distributed to all board members to review and approve at the May Board of Directors meeting.

The museum was open and free of charge during the 70th anniversary celebration honoring the Japanese Americans excluded during World War II. Reports are that the many, many people who visited the museum as well as the other events on March 30 really enjoyed the day and the celebrations. Other venues included Lynwood Theater (special film festival), Sakai School (exhibit) and a display at Akio Suyematsu’s house at Day Road Farm.

4 THANK YOU GENEROUS DONORS & VOLUNTEERS!

May 2012

Nakata, Ellen Nakata, Wayne Nolta, Gary Okada, Eileen Oliver, Lynn Oliver, Robert Omoto, Yukiko O'Neill, Bill O'Rourke, Pat Owens, Helen Pauli, Janet Levy Pelto, Mauri Peterson, Lucinda Jacobs Pe ersen, Gary Phillips, DDS, Jeffrey W. Prelutsky, Jack Quitslund, Sonya Rayburn, William Reasoner, Edward A Reveley, Tomas Riely‐Gibbons, Julie Ritzenthaler, Esther Rosen, Michael Roth, Wayne Rudoff, Marcia Rudolph, Joyce Salsbury, Karen Schlosser, Patricia M. Schuricht, Ken Sears, Cynthia Sewell, Howard J Sheldon, James Shopes, William Smith, Joan Smith, Julie Spigal, Jerry Spinak, Naomi Spoor, Dale Stave, Virginia Stege, George Strom, Bobbi Sutherland, Jane Sutherland, John L Su on, Dwight Thackray, Keith Thatcher, Susan Thompson, Janet Thorne, Kathleen Trick, Steve Ulloa, Mark van der Veen, Jan Vander Stoep, Johanna Waddington, Wm Walton, Stuart Weaver Pena, Lisa Weschler, Robert Wheeler, Eleanor Whitley, Robert Willing, Delight Wooldridge, Norman 

Gibbons, Harry Giles, Lisa Gi en, Elliot Goss, Missi Gowen, Laura B. Grainger, Kathleen Gransee, Jane Grindeland, Debra Haefling, Carl Hafer, Roth Hanna, Jewell Hansen, Barbara Harding, John Harrison, Cynthia Harui, Chris na Hayashida, Lore a Hecker, David Hethcote, Herbert W Hey, Jessie Hooper, Diane L. Hoskinson, Robert E. Hun ng, David Hurt, Jeanne Jenness, Robert Johansson, Anne Johnston, George Johnston, Stanley Jonas, Jane e King, Edgar King, Robert Klein, Karen Knapp, Barbara Knutsen, Joyce Kodama, Lilly Koura, Mary LaFrance, Holly Lange, Jennifer Larimore, David Law, Beverly Leach, Alice Leese, Sandra Levine, Mark Lhamon, Joyce Lindsley, Susanne Linz, Robert MacFarlane, James S. Mandell, Nancy Maron, Sallie Matulys, Kathryn McDevi , Margaret McGuire Leach, Gigi McMahan, Nicki and Mick McMaken, Lynda Meslang, Richard Milberg, John Moriarty, Marion Pelly Mulder, Janet Munson, John Nagle, Ann Nakao, Kazuko 

Wright, Robert Wya , Cathy Young, Dallas Young, James Zonoff, Katherine  

Annual Appeal We are grateful for the  tremendous response to this year’s appeal.  We are close to mee ng our goal. Thanks to everyone who has donated! Albrecht, Richard and Constance Alloin, Jacques Anderson, Barbara Bainbridge Organic Dis llers Baker, Bernie & Ray, Linda Barne , Cornelius Beierle, Karen and Tom Bentryn, JoAnn and Gerard Brainerd, Paul and Debbi Burzycki, Louis Bussell, George and Delores Champeness, Harold Chris ansen, Jack and Suzanne Clark, Liesl and Athans, Peter Coleman, Fern Columbia River Mari me Museum Conley, Ann and Bernard Covert, William Faltermeier, Carole and Joe Flodin, Roger Forbes, Cliff and Cleo Fowler, Daniel and Patricia Furlong, Constance and Clement Gale, Maradel K. Greenawalt, Donna Greiner, Albert and Jola Halvorsen, M. C. Hun ng, David Kent, Barton Kitayama, Ted Klavins, Dorothy and Andrew Kodama, Lilly and Mits Ku na, Janet Loverich, Gary and Be y Maas, Claudia Macdowell, Michael and Linda Malbon, Sid and Helene Ma son, Vince McNe , James Miller, Roger and Carolyn Moe, Margaret Munson, John Nakamura, Gary and Kinoshita, Kimi Nakao, Kazuko Nakata, Larry and Alexandra Oliver, Robert and Laurel Omoto, Yukiko Ostrand, Bob Paup, Evere  and Andrea 

Adam, Nancy Albright, Jaye Anderson, Barbara Anderson, Mary Anderson, Rebecca Andrus, Lois Appleton, Carolyn Arnstein, Rita Atwater, Jean Averill, Charles Bay Hay and Feed Inc, Business Bayley, E. Jonathan Beierle, Tom Benton, Paul Best, Peter Bishop, Gayle Black, Alan Blackinton, Grant Blissell, Phyllis F Bo les, Kim Branson‐Meyer, Kirsten Broatch, Catherine E Brown, Leslie Bunn, Deborah Burns, Michael Bussell, George Butler, Robert Carroll, Jason Chamberlain, Amy Colcord‐Moen, Kathleen Crichton, Rob Crissman Family Founda on Croker, Tom Crooks, Phyllis Crooks, Richard Cross, Leonora S. Cuff, Charlo e Cunningham, Suellen Cur s, Stan Curwen, Sheila M Davis, Chris ne Davis, Malcolm de la Vergne, David Derzon, Mike Dieterich, Robert Downs, Thomas Duffy, Judy Egaas, Pat Egashira, Henry Egashira, Sherri Elfendahl, Judie Evans, Jennifer Fay, Barbara Fowler, Patricia Fredrickson, Katharina Gale, Maradel Geehan, Gregory Gerdts, George 

The donations above were recorded from our last newsletter through April 30, 2012. If we have inadvertently omitted any donors or volunteers, we sincerely apologize, and please let us know.

Memorial Gi s Memorial gifts are a way to celebrate, honor, or say goodbye to loved ones or people who are important in our lives. These gifts help the museum preserve memories by telling the history of the Island and the important events in these lives. We thank all of you who give in their memory. We are also always happy to have something written about them and will place it in our biographical files if provided.

In Memory of Ted Spearman Munro, Ralph In Memory of Lucille Galbraith Kodama, Lilly and Mits Jeffcoat, Janice In Memory of Ted Lefkovitz Faltermeier, Carole and Joe In Memory of Ted Chambers Bussell, George and Delores

 

 

Dona on In Kind Bainbridge North Storage Kodama, Lilly and Mits Reliable Storage Town & Country Markets Wilford, Jim Loverich, Gary and Be y Bainbridge Island Vineyards & Winery Brunton, Bruce Alphagraphics Sea le  

Matching Dona ons General Mills Founda on  

One Call For All Aexel, Carol King and John Ikegami, Frances Saunders, Joanne N. McCarthy, Carol and Ron Baillargeon, Pat Kitayama, Ted Nakata, Vern  

One Call For All Thanks for your generous contribu ons to the Museum through One Call For All.  The majority of these dona ons were made in the last months of 2011.  We do not receive a list from OCFA in  me for inclusion in January’s newsle er.     

5 May 2012

 Annual Appeal (Cont’d) Powel, Ann Prahm, Ole and Patricia Ribeiro, Olaf and Allison, Nancy Sco , Lorraine and Brian Sears, Cynthia and Buxton, Frank Shopes, Will and Sandy Sievertson, Ann Skommesa, Pa y Sonnier, Arlea Stafford, Shannon & Donna Stanton, Janice Su on, Dwight and Edith Thomas, John Thorne, David and Kathleen Waddington, Connie and William Wheeler, Eleanor Whitley, Mikel Wilson, Karen  

Volunteers BIHM owes so much to the volunteers who welcome visitors, keep the grounds and facility looking good, and help design programs, publica ons and exhibits; Thanks!  

Abbo , Megan Adkins, Abigail Alloin, Jacques L. Anderson, Barbara Aoyama, Lillian Sakuma Armstrong, Pa y Baker, Bernie Beierle, Karen Berg, Richard Boyce, Kay Brandt‐Erichsen, Haley Broatch, George Burke, Helen Bussell, George E. Bussell, Delores Cheadle, Ralph K. Christensen, Chris Covert, William Covert, Audrey Craig, Lindsey Cur s, Katy Curwen, Sheila Daugherty, Kathleen de la Vergne, David Devin, Kern Donahue, Michael Donahue, Arlene Drew, Peggy E. DuBois, Evere  Duffy, Christopher Duffy, Judy Egaas, Pat Engelbrecht, Eric Engelbrecht, Marilyn Evans, Shannon Flood, Debbie 

Fowler, Daniel Fraga, Kaleena Gale, Maradel K. Garfunkel, Jon Garrison, Allison Gartrell, Jim Gaulding, Cookie Grover, Andrea Hafer, Roth M. Hager, Jennifer Hansen, Reid Hansen, Barbara Harui, Donna Hempelmann, Ashley Hewes, Kimberlee Hoffman, Michael Holland, Jacqui Houser, Casandra Hwang, Vivian Hwang, Cho Jacobs, Margot Johnston, Stan Johnston, Linda Kennedy, Jack Kidd, Ruby Kitamoto, DDS, Frank Y. Klein, William Knapp, Barbara Kodama, Lilly Kitamoto Kodama, Mits Kojima, Yuri Lilly Lawrence‐Piecuch, Barbara Lewis, Wynne Lhamon, Frederic T. Lhamon, Joyce C. Loverich, Be y Loverich, Gary Maron, Sallie Marshall, Kathleen Matsudaira, Hisa McCarthy, Ron McCarthy, Carol McDevi , Margie Meader, Tami Mitchell, Becky Moench, Silven Mollitor, Chris an Montaperto, Eleanor Moriwaki, Clarence Mortensen, Lynn Mueller, Tom Munro, Ralph Murphy, Marilyn T. Nakao, Kazuko "Kay" Nakata, Vern Okada, Eileen Oliver, Robert  Packard, Salvatore Penninger, Monica Penninger, David Peratrovich, Evelyn Piper, Joan Poole, Deena 

Price, Jr., Andrew Rapada, Doreen Rapada, Dan Rekow, Nancy Ribeiro, Olaf Ringland, Elinor Rudoff, Marcia Sakuma, Gary Sco , Lorraine Seed, Margaret A. Sell, Jordan Shopes, William Shryock, Richard Sinclaire, Libby Sjolseth, Jack Sjolseth, Karen Sonohara, Toshi Spiro, April Stallworthy, Emma Stephens, Amy Stowell, Frank Strom, Dick Strom, Bobbi Sutliff, Joan Thatcher, Thomas Thorne, Kathleen Thorne, David Vander Leest, Kaari Wall, Jessica Walton, Janie Watanabe, Matsue Whalley, Doug Wiersema, Susan Wiersema, Ken Wiersema, Kenneth Williamson, Trese Wilson, Karen Winston, Cur s Winther, Barbara Woodman, Robert Woodward, Mary Yoshihara, Yae Sakai  

Student Volunteers We receive consistent and valuable help from students at local schools, colleges and universi es.  Here are just three who have made significant contribu ons in the last several months.  

Casandra Houser, Eagle Harbor HS, 

played a major role in organizing and preparing materials for this year’s Blakely Elementary “Blast From The Past.” Cas organized materials, created documents and displays, and generally made sure the program was a success.  She also made major contribu ons to other educa on programs.  Her determina on and diligence in making sure the end result looks professionally done.  

Sal Packard, a volunteer from Sea le Central CC, spent a great 

deal of  me with us early this year.  He was both researching topics for class and providing valuable assistance with  facili es maintenance and upgrades.  

Ka e Zappala is a student intern in the Museum Studies Cer ficate Program at UW.  She has a BFA in photography and has worked on photographing items from our collec on and restoring materials for the Overland Westerners exhibit (coming soon!).  Ka e can also be 

found opera ng the BIHM Farmers Market booth.  Ka e grew up on an island in Vermont; she and her husband currently live in Sea le. 

6 May 2012

ethnic groups are prominent in the census, by far the largest number of adults (131 individuals) were born in America to parents who themselves were born in America. This group itself was diverse, coming from all parts of the nation, and arriving in the Puget Sound region at different times. Among the immigrant groups, the Eagle Harbor residents of Japanese ancestry stand out. Those families are enumerated together on the first pages of the census. No other ethnic group is treated separately in this way. Twenty-four households are listed in this group. All are engaged in farming; in many cases berry farming is specified. Of the 32 commercial farms listed in the census, 23 belonged to Japanese families. With one exception, the head of the family has a wife, and in most cases there are several children. (In the exceptional case, the head of a family with three children is a widow.) Elsewhere in the census, wives and most other adult women are assumed to be without an occupation, but in the Japanese-American community, the wives are all described as farm laborers. Since several of the Japanese family names are recognizable, with descendants living on Bainbridge Island today, I will include an alphabetical list of those in the Eagle Harbor precinct: Amatatsu, Furukawa, Katayama, Koba, Kojima, Koura, Masukawa, Matsushita, Moji, Moritani, Nakagama, Nakamura, Nakao, Nakata, Okajuki, Okamoto, Omoto, Oyama, Sakai, Sakuma, Tarashita, Yamagata, and Yamashita. All told, the 24 households contained 147 people – almost 24% of the Eagle Harbor population. All but one of these families are identified as owners of their farms, in spite of the Alien Land Laws preventing those born in Japan from owning land. The value of their properties is not indicated, as it is for most other owners. Whatever their legal and financial status,

it is clear that the families in this community intended to stay on Bainbridge at a time when the population was shrinking and many were leaving. Farming provided a livelihood

for hardworking families when the mill jobs that had brought many Japanese men to Port Blakely ran out. Farming was the basis for entry into other forms of commerce. The occupations of Scandinavian immigrants varied considerably, although many of the men worked on and around boats. Niels Christensen, for example, was the captain of a diesel boat, and his two older sons were sailors; Rasmus Jacobsen was a sailmaker; Alfred Magnuson was a fisherman. Of the 28 Eagle Harbor men employed in the shipyard, 12 were either Scandinavian immigrants themselves, or were born in Washington to parents from Sweden, Norway, or Finland. Several of these men lived on the east side of Ericksen Avenue, and the street’s name honors Christian Ericksen, who was a foreman in the shipyard. Other homes on the street were occupied by Benjamin Elofson (a ship carpenter) and his family, and by Reidar (‘Ray’) Ericksen, one of Christian’s three sons. Ray

in 1922. The Hall Brothers’ shipyard in Winslow was also in decline during the decade, although it remained an important employer of Eagle Harbor residents, as did the Creosote plant on the south side of the harbor. In 1930 Bainbridge Island was primarily a blue-collar community, but the town of Winslow supported retail businesses and was involved in commerce with Seattle and other parts of Puget Sound. The Depression of the 1930s undoubtedly slowed the development of opportunities for white-collar work in Seattle’s offices and businesses, which had begun to develop in the 1920s. More can be said about the wide range of occupations present in the social fabric of the Eagle Harbor community, but first I need to describe its ethnic and cultural diversity. Ethnic background often determined the kind of work that was attractive, or perhaps the only job available, to a willing worker with specific skills. To quantify the cultural diversity of the Island’s population, I counted the number of adults in the census who were born outside the United States. The census lists 30 adults born in the Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden). Six English-speaking countries contributed a total of 40 immigrants as follows: 21 came from Canada, 2 from Australia, 7 from England, 2 from Wales, and 4 each from Scotland and the Irish Free State. Another 40 were born in Japan. The census lists 21 – all single men – from the Philippines. The coastal islands in the Adriatic Sea that are now part of Croatia accounted for 10. Five other nations are represented by one or two adults: France, Germany, and Switzerland each by a married couple, and Russia and Turkey by individuals. If one counts adults born in the U. S. to immigrant parents, the numbers in Bainbridge Island’s crazy quilt of ethnic groups increase, and they increase yet again when the children in immigrant households are counted. Although the members of foreign

(Continued from page 1)

Japanese Bap st Church    circa 1936    BIHM Photo #1236 

7 May 2012

schools. The 9 individuals identified as teachers were all women, and most of them were

single, living as ‘boarders’ or ‘roomers.’ Many were in their twenties: the high school teacher Alice Howard (age 25) is a good example. The schools’ administrators were also young: the superintendent, Arthur Towne, who also had teaching duties at the high school, was 34, and the new principal at the high school, Robert Williamson, was only 26. By 1930, a vibrant community had taken shape in and around the town of Winslow. It had emerged as the commercial and cultural center of Bainbridge Island. The hopes of Eagle Harbor’s earliest pioneers, such as Riley Hoskinson and Ambrose Grow, were validated and in some respects exceeded. At the time, no one could anticipate the shocks and changes that the next fifteen years would bring. Jon Quitslund is a former BIHM board member who grew up on Bainbridge Island. He taught English and Humanities at George Washington University for many years before returning to Bainbridge where he writes and is active in community affairs.

Through his grandson’s account of the family history, I see in Tomas Lovrich a man of great versatility and restless enterprise. In 1921, he and Tina bought the general store on the Winslow dock at the foot of Madison Avenue, and the family left their house on Ferncliff to live above the store. Tom continued to work in the shipyard and elsewhere. Gary says that Tina was “the driving force behind the store’s success.” Although the census says ‘none’ under Occupation on Tina’s line, it recognizes Hilda (25) and Alfred (19) as sales clerks. At the cost of leaving out some important people and aspects of the community’s life, I want to give some attention to the children included in the census, because theirs is a remarkable part of the total picture. The census recorded a total of 159 school-age children in the precinct – a quarter of its total population, and a striking contrast to the demographic spread on Bainbridge today. Students in the six lower grades attended Lincoln School, where the Winslow Green is now, and students in

the upper grades went to the first Bainbridge High School, which had opened in January of 1928 to serve the whole island. The census lists 14 public school employees, ranging from a janitor and a bus driver to two principals and the superintendent of all the district’s

Ericksen didn’t work in the shipyard: at 25 he is listed as the proprietor of a garage. Wilbur Nystrom deserves mention as another representative of the younger generation of entrepreneurs in the town of Winslow. He was born in Nebraska to Swedish immigrants parents. In 1930 he was 27 years old and married to Dorothy Cave; their daughter Carol was seven months old. Along with Dorothy’s brother Clifton (the son of Robert Cave, a horticulturist from England), Nystrom had recently purchased a grocery and general store on Winslow Way from H. C. Wallace. Like the Scandinavians, Croatian immigrants were familiar with boats and with fishing. Of the men heading the six Croatian households included in the Eagle Harbor census, three are identified as fishermen (Sam Ugles, Marion Medalia, and John Uglesich), and one, Antonio Guiricich, was a caulker in the shipyard. In Let It Go, Louie, Gary Loverich provides fleshed-out stories of these men, their families, and the other Croatian households in the census, which were headed by Tomas Lovrich and Michele Antoncich. Gary refers to John Uglesich as ‘Captain John’; he and Sam Ugles were brothers. Commercial fishing figured in all the men’s lives. The census describes Tomas Lovrich as a ‘retail merchant’ with a business in ‘groceries.’ He was that, and more: having come to Eagle Harbor in 1903 with his wife Christina, he was involved in the shipyard’s transition from Port Blakely to a bigger yard in Eagle Harbor. For many years the shipyard was his primary employer, while he did other work as well.

Alice Howard—Photo from the 1930 Bainbridge High School Yearbook  

Lincoln School—1930      BIHM Photo # 3642 

8

SchoolGroups

A record number of students visited the Museum this winter. We had over 350 students in 22 groups from local, regional and international schools.

The Museum hosted an enthusiastic group of students from the Island’s

Mosaic Home Education Project on January 5th. Rick captured their attention with some huge ancient bones. These talented 4th and 5th grade students showed appreciation by giving the Museum the biggest thank you card ever!

On January 11th, Lilly Kodama gave a tour of the Museum and the Japanese American Exclusion Memorial wall to a group of 12 students from Seattle Urban Academy. Lilly shared the following after the visit:

A majority of the students at the Academy are African American students, one student said to me, ‘we think the blacks were the only ones discriminated against and I learned that other people were not treated right too.’

Foreign Exchange program coordinator

May 2012

Education and Outreach - Katy Curtis

Linda Sohlberg brought international students on January 29th, who were visiting the United States thanks to the YES and FLEX programs. Offered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education & Cultural Affairs, these programs provide scholarships to students from

countries with significant Muslim populations and/or former Soviet Union countries. The students, eager to learn about Bainbridge Island and our local history, were from Oman, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Moldova, Russia and Georgia. On February 23rd and 24th, three 2nd grade Ordway Elementary classes visited to study the history

of communities and schools on

Bainbridge Island. Carol McCarthy stood in as Lizzy Ordway and treated the kids as if it was 1908. Teacher Seana Hruska wrote afterwards that students were really engaged and enjoyed the personal stories from the docents, and being taught by Lizzie Ordway. “A few were worried they would have to come back and bring in firewood the next day! :)”

At the end of February, four Ordway 4th grade classes visited the Museum over a five-day

period to conduct research and collect historic photographs for their class project called “A Picture of Island History.” On March 20-24, the students returned to the Museum to create “then

and now” exhibits combining their text and historic photos with their own contemporary photographs.

Teacher Mary Madison brought Wilkes 4th graders on March 12th for their annual visit. The students were well prepared and had many great questions. On March 29th Cultural Homestay International Academic Coordinator, Erin Auckland, brought a Japanese teacher with ten Japanese 4th graders to learn about local history and WWII from living history storytellers Hisa Matsudaira and Kay Nakao.

9

EducationOutreachandPartnershipsMuseum staff and volunteers took part

in the “Leaving Our Island” event on March 7th at Sakai Intermediate School with the unveiling of the new “The 7-Ups” exhibit. This partnership with the Sakai Arts and Traditions Committee celebrated the story of seven Bainbridge Island girls, who call themselves the “7-Ups.” These girls ages 12 - 13 bonded while behind barbed-wire in the early 1940’s, and formed and enduring friendship which has lasted now for over 70 years.

On March 30th, the Museum was part of BIJAEMA’s Island-wide event honoring the 70th anniversary of the day Islanders were forcibly removed. The event, entitled “History, Honor and Healing,” allowed participants to visit many historic locations on the Island.

The event attracted large numbers of Museum visitors. Included was a group from Kokoro Kai, an adult day program in Seattle. They had arranged for a special tour of the Museum and the Memorial, led by Lilly Kodama. The Museum’s Ansel Adams Exhibit was featured as part of the event’s day-long festivities.

From April 15th through 18th, the Only What We Can Carry project (OWWCC) went on its fourth journey from the Island to former Manzanar concentration camp in California. The

May 2012

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 call-ing the museum or by emailing Katy Curtis outreach@bainbridgehistory.org!!

Education and Outreach - Katy Curtis

2012 delegates, which included three of the 7-Ups and others who were in middle school or high school 1942, marked the spots where their families lived 70 years

ago. Educators included Wilkes Elementary Principal Sheryl Belt who said, "It was both personally and professionally powerful to experience this important historical connection to our curriculum and community." Programs&Tours

Long time docent and expert on the history of significant ports worldwide, Dick Berg gave a talk and hosted the Pacific Northwest Heritage Council meeting on January 28th.

On January 16th Nikkei Horizons returned with another group from Seattle to visit the Historical Museum and Memorial Wall. In a thank you card to the Museum a participant wrote, “Your

tour is very important and meaningful for a lot of people. Please be proud of what you deliver to us.”

Museum staff and docents were invited for a special tour on March 27th of the farm home of Akio Suyematsu by Jon Garfunkel and Karen Silvar. One amazing artifact they shared was an intact wallet with all of Akio’s ID cards from about 1941 to 1946 --- including his cards for the mess hall in both Manzanar and Minidoka.

On April 19th the Museum had overfilled-tours for Olaf Ribeiro’s tree

walk and we are excited to announce that Olaf has agreed to offer another tour in the fall this year – we’ll keep you posted.

Reid Hansen narrated an entertaining and informative bus tour on April 20th , visiting more than 20 historic sites and sharing Island history . Due to overwhelming demand, the tour is scheduled to be repeated on May 19 and July 29. The Museum works with Reid to produce materials and help promote this BI Senior Center event.

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May is Historic Preservation Month and there are over 400 historic homes inventoried on Bainbridge Island. The Museum is very interested in seeing these homes preserved. One way to save historic homes that may be in the path of progress is to move them to a new location; two of the historic homes on the next page have been moved. As well as the homes themselves, the Museum is interested in saving images of those homes. We are fortunate that in addition to old photos, we also have a wonderful series of watercolor house “portraits” by Charles Hill. Thanks to UW student intern volunteer, Katie Zappala, for her efforts to digitize the framed objects in our collection, including the Charles Hill watercolors. Katie has been a huge help with this task and many others. More on these subjects below and on the next page. From Katie Zappala— On Photographing Artwork at The Bainbridge Island Historical Museum:

My Tools—Canon 5D Camera -100mm 2.8L Macro Lens-Tripod-Level-Easel-Photoshop CS5

The Method—I chose the 100mm L-Series macro lens because it captures edge-to-edge detail in the artwork that I am photographing without distorting any part of the image. My camera is set to aperture priority (f/5.6 or f/8) to maintain a sharp focus on images with different layers of texture as well as photos that have begun to curl at the edges. To minimize glare, I turn off overhead lights, use a lens hood and occasionally resort to blocking reflective background objects with my coat. Making sure everything is level before I start shooting saves a ton of time when I bring the files into Photoshop. Because I am photographing for the archives, I only edit out glare and crop to remove the background. The photos will be used as a reference so I make sure that the color is accurate and any signs of aging are visible.

Going through the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum archives has been amazing. The collections are incredible. Everyday I am discovering new artists and interesting stories from the island’s past.

Charles Hill—Brief Biography Charles Hill lived in Winslow in the late 1970s and early 1980s. He taught classes in water color technique using a five-color palette and usually only one brush in painting still lifes and landscapes. He left for England in the spring of 1984. He taught classes at Rogue Community College in Grant’s Pass Oregon, where his daughter now lives. It is reported that he is currently living in Portugal. He apparently left 20 original watercolors of Historic Bainbridge Island Homes to the Museum prior to his departure in September 1983. All of the paintings are vividly colored, framed, and in very good shape. Caption notes for selected Charles Hill Watercolors Shown On Page 11

1999.67.6 – 3962 West Blakely Road NE – The Olsen House – Built in 1904 – Martin Olsen settled in West Port Blakely after emigrating from Denmark. He built and occupied the house while working as the cement foreman at Fort Ward. The original house burned down about 1903 and was rebuilt in 1904.

1999.67.7 – 9396 Moran Road NE – The Rodal House – Built circa 1906 – The first home of Mr. and Mrs. Lucas Rodal, early Rolling Bay pioneers. It was located on the southeast corner of Sunrise Drive and Valley Road NE, across from the present day Bay Hay and Feed. It is believed to have been built around 1906 by Norwegian carpenter Bernhard Winthers. The original site is now a parking lot for the Rolling Bay Presbyterian church. The house was moved to the current Moran Road location in 1981 where it was restored by its current owners, Steve and JoAnne Trick.

1999.67.8 – 533 Madison Ave N. – The Wyatt House – Built circa 1908 – Captain Cyprian Thomas Wyatt was a well-known ferry skipper and co-founder of Eagle Harbor Transportation company. All the lumber for the house was felled and milled on the island, and the house was built entirely from fir. The Wyatt family lived in the house until 1964. It became the Helpline/Fishline headquarters and then was renovated for office space.

1999.67.9 –234 Parfitt Way SW - The Franks House – Built in 1913 – The home was built by Joseph and Amanda Clarke in 1913 and sold to Clara and Ebenezer Franks in 1919. Chief Ebenezer L. Franks was co-founder and principal owner of Eagle Harbor Transportation Co. Current building owner, Meg Hagemann, has operated the building as “Captain’s House Bed and Breakfast.”

1999.67.12 – 138 Wyatt Way NE – The Hoskinson House – Built circa 1892 – The house belonged to William Hoskinson, son of Winslow pioneer Riley Hoskinson. Apparently the house was moved to the Wyatt Way location from the Bainbridge Public Library site. After preservation efforts failed the main house was demolished in July 2005. The water tower was successfully relocated to City agricultural property on Day Road.

1999.67.17 – 750 Madison Avenue N.—The Wallace House—Built 1903 (or 1905)—Edward E. Scott, one of the main builders of the Eagle Harbor Congregational Church, constructed this house. The Scott Family settled on five acres bought from the

May 2012

Message from the Curator By Rick Chandler

11

Hoskinson Homestead. The house was reportedly built for his daughter. H.C. “Harry” Wallace was a pioneer grocer in Winslow. He was also the first dock-master at Hall Brothers Shipyard and did hard hat diving on the marine railway. The home’s present owner is Phyllis Blissell.

May 2012

BIHM #1999.67.6 

BIHM #1999.67.9

BIHM #1999.67.7 

BIHM #1999.67.12 

BIHM #1999.67.17 

BIHM #1999.67.8 

BIHM Museum News Dedicated to Preserving the Colorful History of Bainbridge Island

215 Ericksen Avenue NE ● Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

Phone: 206-842-2773 • Fax: 206-842-0914

www.bainbridgehistory.org ● Email: info@bainbridgehistory.org

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BIHM Museum News © 2012 Editor: Hank Helm. Contributors: Katy Curtis, Dan Fowler, Rick Chandler, Dan Groff

Upcoming BIHM Events - June to September

Sunday, June 17—Historic Port Blakely Beach Walk  Noon to 3 pm Curt Winston and Jacques Alloin lead a walk along historic Blakely Harbor.  

Sunday, July 15—Virginia V Cruise 3 to 6 pm.  The last of the Mosquito Fleet Steamers will take us around the island 

with commentary on historic sites as we steam by.  See page 2 for more informa on.  

Mon—Fri, August 6‐10  History Camp  For kids age 8‐10.  Based at the Museum, with special field trips, we explore what it was like to live on Bainbridge in the old 

days.  Registra on by calling BI Parks at 842‐2306.  

Saturday, July 28—Reid Hansen’s Bainbridge Bus Tour, 10 am—2:30 pm  Visit 21 sites of historic significance.  Registra on by calling BI Senior Center at 842‐1616. 

Sunday, August 19—Blakely Cemetery Walk  1 pm.  Andy Price is our expert guide to this fascina ng look into Bainbridge history. Sunday, September 30—Harvest Fair at Johnson Farm  11 am—4 pm  A celebra on of Island farming, both past and present . 

(They’re almost here) 

The Overland  Westerners 

New Exhibit Coming Soon 

 

   

        BIHM #3290  

   4 Men  + 5 Horses  + 1 Dog  + 48 State Capitols  = Fame & Fortune?