Shingle mills were once Snohomish County’s economic backbone, and their employees — shingle weavers — were often regarded as the elite workers of the lumber industry. This status came with a price, though. Their jobs were dangerous, often ending in death, and the constant struggle between mill owners and unions made work unpredictable at best. Come to the Edmonds Historical Museum to learn more about these people and the industry that shaped Edmonds and Snohomish County.

The Edmonds Historical Museum is located at 118 5th Ave. N. in downtown Edmonds. It is open Wednesday through Sunday from 1-4 p.m. Suggested donation is $2 per adult and $1 per child.

Washington Coast Utilities advertisement, printed in The Tribune-Review January 4, 1918.

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 January, we’ll revisit 1918.

Like many newspapers of its time, the Edmonds Tribune-Review often printed the comings and goings of its residents in a column called, “About Town.”  Each story—no more than one or two sentences—gave a snapshot of life at that time. Topics included residents’ travels, visitors, politics, and any other newsworthy items at the moment. In January 1918, this is what was happening “about town” in Edmonds:

Miss Clara Everton, student in the University of Washington, spent the holidays at home with her parents.
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Young pigs for sale.  Home Stores Company.
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The Misses Bea and Bessie Sutton, of Seattle, and Levi Sutton of the State College at Pullman, visited their grandmother, Mrs. P.R. Reynolds, and aunts, Mrs. R.T. Roscoe, Mrs. D.M. Yost and Miss Phoebe Reynolds during the holidays.
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Some railroad men are trying to figure out whether they are working for the same old railroad superintendents or the U.S.
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Joe Knowles, who has been working for the Saginaw Timber Co., at Saginaw, Wash., is at home on account of the mill shutting down night work.
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Merchants and business men generally are taking stock this week.
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Mr. and Mrs. T.A. Olsen visited friends in Tacoma and Seattle last Sunday.
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Born to Mr. and Mrs. S.A. Yost, on December the 30th, a boy.  Sam is still proffering the cigars.
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Last Saturday afternoon in the city of Seattle, Edward Hagan of the city and Miss Lena Keuhl of this place were married. They will make their home in Seattle
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Pat Cull of the Arlington Branch of the Washington Coast Utilities was in Edmonds for a few days last week assisting O.M. Carter with the office work during the temporary absence of Miss Minnie Burbank (see ad inset).
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Mrs. Mabel Thorpe Jones, formerly music and art teacher in the public school of this place, but now holding a similar position in Mt. Vernon, visited friends here during the holidays.
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Claude Smith, secretary of the Richmond Beach Telephone & Power Co., transacted business in Edmonds Wednesday.
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Read every word in this issue, and especially the advertisement of your local merchant, and then make up your mind that in the future you will patronize them. They will sell you goods just as cheap as the city merchant, and are in a position to favor you, should you ever need one.

M.E. Hyner Groceries & Dry Goods and Post Office, with Hyner home in background, circa 1887.

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 1887.

In November 1887, Matthew E. Hyner was named postmaster of Edmonds. Hyner and his family arrived in Edmonds nine months prior, in February, when only five other houses existed in the town. He bought the general store at the foot of Main Street, then called George Street, and expanded it, offering flour, dried beans and spices to his pioneer neighbors. At that time, the nearest post office was located in Bothell, so Hyner filed an application and became Edmonds’ first postmaster on Nov. 7.

The post office was located inside Hyner’s store. The mail would arrive by steamer, and Hyner would often have to row out to meet it if the tide was low. The first flag to be displayed in Edmonds was also flown at this post office every fair day; it arrived in 1887, and bore 13 stripes and a star for each of the 38 states at that time.

The Hyner family, which consisted of Matthew, his wife Clara and their four children, built a house one block from the store that served at least one business function as well as domestic ones. The two-story home had a cupola with windows on all sides above the second story, which was used by the children to report an approaching steamer. When the steamer’s smoke could be seen off Point Wells to the south or the tip of Whidbey Island to the north, they would alert Edmonds residents that mail and passengers were arriving. (The house and cupola can be seen behind the store in the above photograph.)

Hyner is considered Edmonds’ first real merchant, and he was also instrumental in the construction of the Congregational Church.  He remained postmaster until 1896, and passed away in 1929.

Guest speaker Louise Lindgren will talk on “Then and Now: A Century and More of Farming in Snohomish County.” In honor of the Edmonds-South Snohomish County Museum’s Carnegie Building, Lindgren will offer a look back at other century-old buildings, specifically farms. Snohomish County boasts numerous homesteads and barns that are 100 years old or more.

The evening begins with a reception/appetizers at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the program at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $23 for museum members and $30 per guest. For registration information, call 425-774-0900.

Edmonds, like many towns along the shores of the Puget Sound, has weathered its fair share of storms over the years. It is said that one fateful storm even forced pioneer George Brackett onto shore in 1870 when he was canoeing and scoping timber in the area. Since then, many storms have left their mark on the land that Brackett explored.

The storms of the 1930s and 1940s have been well documented in Edmonds’ newspapers. Rains caused flooding, and heavy winds often sent loose logs into docks or — in one instance — even blew down the smokestack at the Quality Mill. The storms caused even greater concern when rail and ferry services were interrupted.

Sunday, Oct. 24, 1934 was considered one of the worst storms in Edmonds’ history. The storm caused extensive damage along the waterfront and throughout town; surrounding communities sustained 80-mile-per-hour winds, which downed trees and damaged numerous buildings and vehicles. Power and telephone lines were damaged, and ferry routes were suspended until the wind subsided.

Prior to this, several other memorable storms plagued Edmonds’ past. In 1913, high winds drove scows into the Edmonds city dock and took out 160 feet of pilings, causing nearly $2,000 in damage. This was a continuing problem over the years as the docks proved no match for impending storms.

As infrastructure improved, each storm had the ability to cause more damage than the last. By the 1930s, people were more reliant on telephone services and electricity, and the loss of these services due to weather was often detrimental.

In April 1943, a downpour of rain and hail flooded gutters and transformed streets into rivers. The intersection of Fifth and Main became a lake, and a two-foot-wide rut opened down the middle of Dayton Street. The street superintendent at the time announced that it would take a month to repair the damage that the rain caused in just a few minutes. His words rang true, and this pattern repeated itself many times in the course of history.

First school in Edmonds with students out front, circa 1889.

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 September, we’ll revisit the school days of yesteryear.

September is back-to-school month, and the Edmonds School District has a long and interesting history to celebrate this month. Edmonds School District No. 15 organized in 1884, holding its first classes in George Brackett’s feed barn.

In these early years, school was only held about three months each year. A schoolhouse was built between Third and Fourth, north of Main Street, and attendance reached more than 32 students by 1889, necessitating an addition.

By 1891, the population had outgrown its first schoolhouse and other options, so Brackett once again donated a site for a new school, this time above Seventh Avenue. The school district passed a $10,000 bond to build the frame schoolhouse that served Edmonds’ schoolchildren for many years.

By September 1907, enrollment had increased to more than 200 students. At this time, the district offered two years of high school studies.  In 1909, facing ever-increasing enrollment, the school district decided to build a separate high school building. On June 9, citizens voted to construct the building on a two-acre lot between Third and Sixth, north of Daley Street; the contract was awarded to Ward & Robertson of Seattle.

The high school’s cornerstone was laid on Nov. 30, 1909, and in May 1910 it graduated its first class (three students). By 1911, enrollment in the city was more than 350, not including the four rural schools in the area. Attendance steadily increased over the years, and voters approved several bond issues to construct additions and purchase additional land. By 1924, a record-breaking 850 students were enrolled, and talk was already circling about constructing a new grade school building. Grade school children moved into their new Spanish Mission Revival style building on Oct. 15, 1928.

During the next couple of decades, the district saw increased enrollment, the construction of a high school athletic field with help from the WPA, the expansion of the grade school, and the addition of an Art Deco auditorium to the high school with assistance from the Public Works Administration.  Enrollment continued to increase during the 1940s, and in 1950 attendance reached more than 2,400. Voters approved a $475,000 bond issue in September 1950 for the addition of more classroom space.

In 1957 a new Edmonds High School opened at Holmes Corner, and the old school building became the city’s junior high.  The school was closed in 1975 and used as a community college until 2001. Edmonds Grade School closed in 1972 and became the local community center in 1979.  In 2005, the high school building was demolished and groundbreaking began for the Edmonds Center for the Arts.

On August 23, 1884, George and Etta Brackett file a plat for the first townsite in Edmonds. The plat includes provisions for a mill site, water, and parks.  It is the first plat filed in a spot that will grow to become the second largest city in Snohomish County.

Founder of Edmonds

George Brackett (1841-1927), a Canadian-born logger, had arrived in Seattle in 1872 and shortly began exploring possible timber stands along Puget Sound.  In 1876 he acquired property along the shoreline and up the hill beyond in what would become the town of Edmonds.

From that beginning he sought to develop the small, growing community.  He expanded his own land holdings and encouraged others to come and do the same.  He was responsible for the first mill, an early wharf, and for starting a school system. After the town incorporated in 1890 he became the first mayor and served city council terms during much of his lifetime.

He was one of those persons instrumental in establishing streets and other aspects of the community infrastructure, and he encouraged the establishment of an automobile ferry route across Puget Sound from Edmonds.  Although he was not the only person to develop the town, he became generally acknowledged as the founder of Edmonds long before his death on December 27, 1927.

Etta Jones Brackett (b. 1859) was born in Minnesota; she moved west and married  George Brackett on June 20, 1877.  Her home was one of the first and largest in early Edmonds and as such was often a center for social gatherings and prayer meetings.  The couple had six children and divorced in bitter proceedings in the fall of 1905. She later married Edward Carpenter and moved to California.

Prepared by The Johnson Partnership, this survey project has expanded on a 2004 survey of historic sites in the downtown area. The new effort supplements the sites identified in the 2004 survey by adding to the downtown inventory as well as expanding the historic review into other areas of the city.

As part of this project, The Johnson Partnership surveyed more than 120 additional sites, identifying their historic merit and adding to the understanding of how they fit into Edmonds history. A more detailed description of the project may be obtained from the Edmonds Planning Division, 121 Fifth Avenue North, Edmonds, WA 98020, by calling 425-771-0220, or by email at chave@ci.edmonds.wa.us.

Princess Theater on Main Street, circa 1927.

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 August, we’ll revisit 1929.

On Aug. 29, 1929, the first movie with sound was shown in Edmonds.  Broadway Melody opened to a packed house at Princess Theater that night, and admission prices were set to 35 cents to accommodate the theater’s new feature.

The debut of this talking movie timed well with the rest of nation; sound film technology had been making advances throughout the silent era, and by the end of 1929 almost all movies featured sound. In many ways, the Princess Theater remained at the center of local and national trends throughout its history.

The theater changed hands and was renamed several times before it was purchased in August 1921 by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Berry and officially named “Princess Theater.”  The Berry family announced in May 1923 that they would build a modern theater on the north side of Main Street; the following November they held a grand opening of the new building, featuring music on the street by the Edmonds Band.

Over the years, Princess Theater has marked many of the major events in Edmonds’ history. In April 1928, Edmonds’ second major fire devastated the downtown area, burning parts of the theater and several other buildings. The theater, along with other businesses that shared the building, suffered approximately $1,000 worth of damage but was able to rebuild and open to the public again.

In 1932, as one of the first indicators that the depression had hit Edmonds, Princess Theater reduced admission prices to 25 cents.  The theater also participated in many wartime efforts. In 1942, it hosted a special bond show where manager Lionel W. Brown sold more than $14,000 worth of War Bonds. The following year, the theater held an Army Relief Fund benefit show and showed a free movie to aid in the sale of war bonds.

Following the war, the theater underwent several renovations, including the installation of a refreshment counter, new seats, carpet, screen and sound equipment. Operating today under the name Edmonds Theater, the building seats more than 250 people and shows first-run films daily. More than a building, it has contributed to the social history of Edmonds and remains a fixture of downtown life today.

Early Edmonds post office on 4th Avenue.

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 July, we’ll revisit the 1930s.

By the 1930s, population in Edmonds had surpassed 1,100 and the city was faring better than larger and more highly industrialized communities. During these lean years, however, Edmonds’ mail service saw many improvements. In 1931, the city added a mail train and extended its two rural mail routes to accommodate growth in population. In July 1933, an early morning mail service began in Edmonds, and the mail was dropped by the fast mail train every morning at 6:20 a.m.  In 1935, Edmonds’ post office brought in receipts totaling more than $11,000, breaking all previous volume records and prompting the city to begin looking for larger postal headquarters.

On July 1, 1936, Otto Sorensen took office as Edmonds’ postmaster. Sorensen graduated from Edmonds High School in 1918. At that time, the post office employed five other people—Edith Miller, head clerk; Mabel Sanford, clerk; S.J. Perrine, temporary substitute clerk; Richard Fisk, rural carrier for Route 1, and N.H. Bowen, rural carrier for Route 2—a large staff compared to its earlier years.

Edmonds first received authorization to establish a post office in 1884, with George Brackett as postmaster. The mail was carried once or twice a week by horse to Bothell, where it was exchanged for incoming mail, and then brought back to be distributed to settlers.  Matthew E. Hyner, one of Edmonds’ early merchants, served as postmaster from 1887 to 1896. At that time, mail arrived by steamer from Seattle, and if the tide was low Mr. Hyner had to meet the steamer with a rowboat to transfer the mail.

As the town grew, so did its services. The Edmonds post office continued to increase in staff and volume over the years.
By 1953, receipts totaled more than $42,000 and the post office had seven delivery routes. A new post office at 2nd and Main was in use by the early 1960s, and continues to be used today.