ca. 1932. House with detached one-car garage at the So. 9th & Washington (820 So. Washington St.), Tacoma, circa 1932. Photograph taken for John Dower Lumber Co.

Houses--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1931. The wood frame building at the corner of South 8th and Yakima Ave. is apparents getting a new coat of paint. In 1931 the building at 802 Yakima Ave. So. was the Denny Apartments.

Denny Apartments (Tacoma); Apartment houses--Tacoma--1930-1940

ca. 1888. William Nyce Golden Family on front porch of the home at Fernhill. (L to R) Guy Vance Golden, Lydia Dunham Golden, ??, William Nyce Golden (in rocker). Image donated by Cathryn E. Vannice the Great Grand-daughter of William N. Golden from her collection. ?? may be Fred Tucker Golden

Fernhill (Tacoma)--1880-1890; Golden, William N.; Farmhouses--Tacoma; Farms--Tacoma;

ca. 1890. Tacoma Hotel overlooking Puget Sound TPL-2833, BU-11914

ca. 1889. This photograph was taken shortly after the Bostwick Block was completed in 1889. Designed by early Tacoma architect O. P. Dennis, the Bostwick was remodeled in 1924. At that time, the wood-clad exterior was faced with "Duralite" stucco as seen today with its newly painted facade.

Hotel Bostwick (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1880-1890;

ca. 1931. Puget Sound Battery Co., 705-707 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, as photographed circa 1931. The structure was built around 1907 by William Bradley and designed by C.A. Darmer. It was originally known as Bodega Court. Puget Sound Battery opened here around 1919. The building to the left (701-03 Pacific) was the Bradley Block, built by William Bradley around 1890. It was home to the Lawler Apartment Hotel and North Coast Electric Co.

Puget Sound Battery Co. (Tacoma); Automobile equipment & supplies stores--Tacoma; Vehicle maintenance & repair--Tacoma;

ca. 1900. Tacoma grain elevators. The Tacoma Warehouse & Elevator Co. grain dock and Elevator B are in the foreground of this circa 1900 photograph. A masted sailing ship is docked there waiting for a shipment of flour. In the background is Elevator A, operated by Cardin & Bibb. The Sperry Flour Co. would be built on the site of Tacoma Warehouse & Elevator in 1905. Sperry Flour would be purchased later by General Mills, Inc.

Warehouses--Tacoma--1900-1910; Grain elevators--Tacoma--1900-1910; Shipping--Tacoma--1900-1910; Sailing ships--Tacoma--1900-1910; Piers & wharves--Tacoma--1900-1910; Waterfronts--Tacoma--1900-1910;

Western Engineering Company began construction on Stadium Bowl in April 1909, first sluicing what was known as "Old Woman's Gulch" then removing more than 180,000 yards of dirt. Working with architect Frederick Heath, the team had just completed the 12-story modern, concrete Sandberg Building, later known as Schoenfeld's. Tacoma's distinguished stadium was dedicated June 10, 1910. Stadium #B6.

ca. 1931. An older male employee at the Tacoma Grain Company stands next to a large, belt-driven piece of machinery.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1931. A line of men employees work at the flour bagging machines at the Tacoma Grain Company. A supervisor in white shirt, vest and tie oversees their work. The machines are used to fill a number of different bags. Bags are marked "Centennial - Silk Sifted - Family Flour"; "Cross Spears - Wong Sui Yuen"; and "Seattle - 100% Entire Whole Wheat Flour".

Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Bags

ca. 1931. Employees of the Tacoma Grain Company work at what appear to be belt driven grain grinders, to make flour from grain.

Tacoma Grain Co. (Tacoma); Flour & meal industry--Tacoma--1930-1940; Grain industry--Tacoma--1930-1940;

ca. 1910. In this photograph that dates from around 1910, workers at the Atlas Foundry pause in the process of building a form, probably a mold or "pattern," to pose for the camera. Atlas was the first foundry built in Tacoma; it began in 1899 as a manufacturer of iron castings. The company incorporated in 1903. Through the years, they added steel and brass to their list of moldable metals. By 1946, they offered the only complete foundry service in the Northwest. Utilizing their over 50,000 wooden patterns, they could make castings varying in size from 2 oz to 16 tons. TPL-9515

Atlas Foundry & Machine Co. (Tacoma); Foundries--Tacoma--1910-1920;

ca. 1916. Employees of the Washington Parlor Furniture Company, 402 East 11th Street, posed outside the plant in this circa 1916 photograph. Alfred J. "A.J." McKee has been identified as the man leaning against the telephone pole. The company manufactured medium and high grade furniture for parlors. The factory was built in 1909 in Tacoma's Tideflats and added a big dry kiln in 1918. It would go out of business in 1933 during the Depression.

Washington Parlor Furniture Co. (Tacoma); Washington Parlor Furniture Co.--Employees; Furniture industry--Tacoma--1910-1920; McKee, Alfred J.;

The stars of the future Weaver Productions, Inc. motion picture "Totem Pole Beggar" arrived at Tacoma's Union Depot on March 5, 1926. The movie was scheduled to begin filming at the H.C. Weaver studio near Titlow Beach on March 8. H.C. Weaver, studio head, is in the back row, third from the right. In the back row are George F. Whitcomb, Louis von Weithoff, Tom Santschi, Weaver, director W.S. Van Dyke and Peter L. Shamray. In the front row are Mrs. Peter L. Shamray, Mrs. H.C. Weaver, Mrs. Llewellyn Jones, Dorothy Jones, Anne Cornwall, Wanda Hawley, Violet Palmer and actor Gareth Hughes, in knickers and argyle socks. Dorothy Jones and her mother, Mrs. Llewellyn Jones, were prominent Tacomans involved in the theater. Most of the women are wearing full length fur or fur trimmed coats. "Totem Pole Beggar," whose title was later changed to "Eyes of the Totem," was the second film made by the recently opened H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc. motion picture studio. Filmed partially in the Narada Falls area, the drama opened at the Broadway Theatre on June 10, 1927. (TDL 3-6-26, p. , TNT 3-6-26, p. 1)

Weaver, H.C.; Actors--Tacoma--1920-1930; Actresses; Hughes, Gareth; Santschi, Tom; Shamray, Peter L.; George F. Whitcomb; Palmer, Violet; Jones, Dorothy; Van Dyke, W.S.; Hawley, Wanda; Cornwall, Anne; H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc. (Tacoma);

It cost a whopping $151.68 in postage but the H.C. Weaver Productions' first film, "Hearts and Fists" arrived in the nick of time on January 2, 1926, for its scheduled world premiere at the Rialto Theater. Moore Amusement Co. head Henry T. Moore, left, owner of the Rialto, and Postmaster Clyde J. Backus are shown holding the wooden box, sent airmail from New York, which contained the reels of film. Note the sender neglected to list the Rialto's street address on the box but it was delivered anyway, five minutes before the premiere. The 40 lb. box took 72 hours and 42 minutes to travel from New York to Tacoma. (TNT 1/4/1926, pg. 8)

Boxes; Clothing & dress--Tacoma--1920-1930; H.C. Weaver Productions, Inc. (Tacoma); Moore, Henry T.; Backus, Clyde J.;

On October 2, 1907, loggers building a sawmill in the woods paused to have their photograph taken. The mill is being constructed using cut logs from the heavily forested hillside. The name of the logging company and the location of the mill were not provided.

Logs; Sawmills; Construction;

This disturbing photograph of a gathering of the Ku Klux Klan in South Tacoma was taken in April of 1924. The klan members had gathered behind the Piper Funeral Home at 5436 South Puget Sound Avenue for the funeral of a Tacoma resident. The klansman at the front center (fifth from the right) is holding a small "fiery cross" which was used during the funeral ceremony. When published in the News Tribune in 1924 this photograph was attributed to C. Tucker of South Tacoma.(TNT 4/26/1924, pg. 3) TPL-5452

Ku Klux Klan (Tacoma); Racism--Tacoma--1920-1930; White supremacy movements--1920-1930;

ca. 1891. A small room in the Harry Ball Block was an early location of the Tacoma Public Library. This photograph by Librarian William Curtis Taylor, circa 1891, shows an unidentified mustached gentleman engrossed in reading. Three partially filled bookcases line the wall behind him. Light is provided by two overhead lamps and a desk, covered with books and files, is next to the man. The library would move to more spacious rooms on the fifth floor of (Old) City Hall, 625 Commerce St., in 1893. (TNT 4-7-1953, E-10)

Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma--1890-1900; Bookcases--Tacoma; Books; Reading--Tacoma;

ca. 1893. Tacoma Public Library on 5th floor of Old City Hall. The three statues in the large room were purchased by City Librarian William Curtis Taylor and donated to the library. Mr. Taylor had decorated the library with several busts and frames paid for by himself. The library had previously been located in the Ball Block, 919-21 Broadway, before its move to Old City Hall, 625 Commerce St., in 1893. Mr. Taylor had been the librarian since 1892 and was appointed by Mayor Huson as City Librarian in 1894 when the library came under the control of the City of Tacoma. (Tacoma Daily Ledger, 4-22-1896-article)

Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma--1890-1900; Old City Hall (Tacoma); Statues--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1951. Buildings on 11th St. across from future Tacoma Public Library circa 1951. These structures would eventually vanish, making way for the new County-City Building. In the foreground are three dump trucks and an earthmover that were photographed on the excavation site for the new Tacoma Public Library, 1102 Tacoma Ave. So. After many decades and much discussion, the Main Library was expanding from the original Carnegie Library to a more spacious, accommodating building. Groundbreaking had occurred in March of 1951 and the library would be completed and finally dedicated in November of 1952. BU-11779

Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma--1950-1960; Excavation--Tacoma--1950-1960; Trucks--Tacoma--1950-1960;

ca. 1911. Interior of the original South Tacoma Branch of the Tacoma Public Library (TPL.) This was the first branch library in a building of its own in the TPL system. The idea for the branch evolved from the Women's Christian Temperance Union's (WCTU) reading room. The reading room was started in 1905 in the Grieb building on South Union Ave. (now South Tacoma Way) to lure young men away from the rowdy saloons of South Tacoma. Miss Lillian L. Beattie (later Mrs. James Smyth) served as the first librarian from 1905-1907. She originally worked for no wages, later to be paid $10 a month by the WCTU and $15 a month by TPL. Finally the Tacoma Public City Librarian was authorized to spend up to $30 a month to maintain a library branch and the library moved to two more locations until, in 1909, $5000 was earmarked for the construction of a branch library building. The South Tacoma branch was dedicated on May 3, 1911. It was designed by George Gove and built at a cost of $3,620. (TNT 11/29/1959, pg. 4)

Tacoma Public Library, South Tacoma Branch (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma--1910-1920;

ca. 1904. Interior of Tacoma Public Library. Originating in Grace Moore's South Tacoma home in 1886 from the donated volumes of 18 women friends, Puget Sound's first circulating library grew towards this ornate structure. In 1893, the 2,000 volumes in Mrs. Moore's Mercantile Library were given for free to the city of Tacoma as a public library. The library was housed in a series of buildings until it moved to City Hall. In 1901, the Reverend Calvin Stewart, a Presbyterian minister, obtained for the city a promise of $75,000 from industrialist Andrew Carnegie for the construction of a library. The donation was made on the condition that the city provide a suitable site and $7,500 yearly in maintenance. Tacoma would soon have the 85th Carnegie library built in the United States and the first in the state of Washington. It was designed by the New York architectural firm of Jardine, Kent and Jardine in the Renaissance style. The building featured a grand staircase of White Vermont marble, an ornate copper clad dome, decorative ceiling stenciling, Ionic columns and high ceilings. It was dedicated June 4, 1903. At the rear of the photograph behind the columns is the public reading room, the area is now occupied by the rare book room. To the right is the wooden structure that housed the librarian, who retrieved books from the closed stacks behind them. Potted plants and ornate lighting fixtures complete the opulent setting. ("A History of Pierce County Washington" volume 3, pg. 99)

Public Libraries--Tacoma; Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma);

ca. 1891. This view of Mt. Tacoma (Rainier) from the Tideflats showing the McKinley Hill area was taken circa 1891. The building at far right is Union Stock Yards built in 1891. There is a Northern Pacific train crossing the Tideflats. (Copy of original print) S7.2

Rainier, Mount; Northern Pacific Railroad Co. (Tacoma);

ca. 1930. A crowd of well-dressed youngsters were pictured in the McCormick (now Wheelock) Branch Library, 3722 North 26th, circa 1930. The north end library was dedicated on December 2, 1927. 200 children applied for library cards on the first day of business, December 5th. The English Tudor building was designed by local architect Silas E. Nelsen and named after Mrs. Anna E. McCormick, widow of Robert Laird McCormick.

Tacoma Public Library, Anna E. McCormick Branch (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma--1930-1940; Children--Tacoma--1930-1940; Books;

ca. 1975. Sue Connolly at General Services desk, Main Branch, Tacoma Public Library. Mrs. Connolly, in purple sweater, is assisting a pair of patrons at the desk. Seated at the Information desk is Rosa McClatcher, who also manned the switchboard.

Connolly, Susan; McClatcher, Rosa; Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma--1970-1980; Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma)--Employees;

ca. 1975. Karen (Goettling) Kelley in Literature Dept., Tacoma Public Library. A smiling Mrs. Kelley is obtaining information over the telephone in this circa 1975 photograph.

Kelley, Karen; Goettling, Karen Jane; Librarians; Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma); Public libraries--Tacoma--1970-1980; Tacoma Public Library (Tacoma)--Employees;

On Wednesday July 12, 1899, 375 members of the National Editorial Association and their wives arrived in Tacoma for a short visit. They were met at the Tacoma depot by a reception committee consisting of members of the Tacoma Press club, various citizens, and the Tacoma Military Band. After breakfast at the Hotel Tacoma, the editors were taken by barge to the Point Defiance waterfront where their visit included a clambake. It was anticipated that entertaining the newspaper men and their wives would cost a substantial amount of money, and plans were made to raise the required $700. The Military Band was directed by Julius Adler and played daily concerts at Tacoma Parks, travelling from site to site on a tiny private streetcar. Their uniforms consisted of dark trousers and scarlet coats with bright blue trim. This photograph was recently donated by Ann Jorgensen and is from the Alta Scofield Collection/TPL (TNT 6/25/1950, PG. D-11, names of band members in caption)

Point Defiance Park (Tacoma); Tacoma Military Band (Tacoma); Military bands--United States;

Undated photograph labeled "War Correspondents." Roy Knapp, a 1900 graduate of Tacoma High School (now Stadium High), is pictured with fellow newspapermen at work outside a tent. Mr. Knapp is seated second from the left. He was employed for several years after his graduation by the Tacoma Daily News; a copy of the newspaper is attached to the tent flap. There were several wars that occurred between 1900 and 1906 so it is not clear which war he may have covered. The youthful editorial staff member passed away of heart failure on December 18, 1906, while residing in Altadena, California. He had gone to California in hopes of recovering his health. According to the Daily News, he was buried in Tacoma cemetery. (TDN 12-18-1906, p. 1-obit.; 12-19-1906, p. 4-obit.; 12-24-1906, p. 4-obit.; 12-26-1906, p. 2-obit.)

Knapp, Roy; Reporters--1900-1910;

ca. 1905. Families are pictured in this circa 1905 photograph enjoying a pleasant day at Point Defiance Park at what is now called Owen Beach. People dressed more formally back then with ladies and gentlemen in hats, suits and for women, long skirts. Even small children were not seen barefoot. The lack of benches did not prevent visitors from sitting on the somewhat rocky terrain to view the Sound. The beach would later be named Owen Beach in 1959 in honor of longtime Metro Parks employee, Floyd Owen. In the early days of the 20th century, the beach, then only accessible by boat or walking, was called "new" beach or sometimes "Picnic Beach." (metroparkstacoma.org)

Owen Beach (Tacoma); Beaches--Tacoma; Point Defiance Park (Tacoma);