This Month in Edmonds History: Thanksgiving, Circa 1894

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Edmonds’ Main Street circa 1895, taken from the schoolhouse, 7th Avenue and Main Street.

My Edmonds News is proud to present a monthly look at Edmonds history, straight from the archives of the Edmonds Historical Museum. For the month of November, we’ll revisit 1894.

In November 1894, the Edmonds Lyre newspaper pages were filled with sentiments of thanksgiving. An article titled, “Our People Give Thanks: Not Many Eat Turkey, But Thankful all the Same,” lists the comings-and-goings of many local residents during the holiday. In its usual journalistic pizzazz, the article began:

“The Lyre pencil-pusher, in one of its usual downtown jaunts, discovered by chance, that Thursday was Thanksgiving. How we come to discover it was thiswise: On the corner of turkey-track alley we discovered Tom Grant and Zach Saulcer quarrelling over a turkey leg. The up-shot of the out-come was that Tom was very thankful for the meat while Zach was exceedingly thankful for the—bone.”

In the same issue, the newspaper published other local activities in its column, “The Local Grist.” With the holiday and an election the next week, it seems much was happening in November 1894:
– City election next Tuesday.
– See stock of winter hats at Miss Pugh’s.
– The Congregational church will give a war-song concert in the near future. Announcements later.
– There are a few unruly boys who think it smart to pound on people’s doors and then run away. A term in the “cooler” would lower the temperature of the self-same kids.”
– The public schools took a vacation on Thursday to give the children an opportunity to guzzle turkey legs and throw stones.
– The Misses Frankie and Ora Carroll came up from Seattle and attend the Odd Fellows’ ball Thanksgiving Eve.
– There will be two tickets in the field next Tuesday—a straight Populist ticket and a citizens’ ticket. There are some good men on both, take your choice.
– The editor and family are indebted to MR. W.W. Sias for a fine silver salmon, it being one of the three which he had the good fortune to catch in the little stream on Capt. Hamlin’s place.

This newspaper, along with more than 40 other artifacts, is on display at the Edmonds Historical Museum as part of its 40 for 40 exhibition, showing through February 2014.

  1. The photo above is taken from the school house as listed in the photo. The School house was located in the same spot as the library and the Frances Anderson Center. This would make the prominent street coming up the hill as Main Street. We can also see a street in the top right as we look to the water. This street would be Bell Street.

  2. Nathan is correct, the house in the foreground is the McDONALD McGARRY Insurance office @ 630 Main St. We have the house up for a historical designation and the City Council is to vote on this Monday night The Historical Commission has given its OK. We’re excited about the designation.

  3. Spot-on observation, Darrol! But I don’t think several of the historic buildings in the photo would make the “tall building” cut (i.e., a couple of churches, possibly that block structure in the left center, and the old Edmonds Hotel in the right distant background). Lots of empty lots though, in keeping with the “no residential growth” stand at least one candidate for council has apparently now included as part of his platform. It’s interesting to note that trees were and remain the major view corridor blockers in the bowl, not the “taller buildings” (not 5 feet more, dagnabbit!) feared by some.

    Great photo, however–hopefully, of our past.

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