Shell damaged cathedral on set of "The Patent Leather Kid" located at Camp (Fort) Lewis; photographed on April 14, 1927. Desperate German soldiers would hole up in the church that they had attempted to previously destroy. American troops and massive tanks would rout the enemy from the church cemetery although suffering losses by sniperfire from the belfry. Star Richard Barthelmess would kill his nemesis, German General Lucien Prival by bayonet at this location. The cathedral would be blown up by dynamite at the movie's end. BGN-125

Richard Barthelmess & Harry Dillon at Camp (Fort) Lewis on March 29, 1927 during break in the filming of "The Patent Leather Kid." Still in his doughboy uniform, Mr. Barthelmess shares a moment of conversation with Canadian boxer Harry Dillon who was in town to defend his light heavyweight crown. In "The Patent Leather Kid," Mr. Barthelmess portrays a self-centered boxer who finally enlists in WWI for the love of beautiful Molly O'Day. He was invited by Mr. Dillon to attend the March 31, 1927, match held at the Greenwich Coliseum downtown. Mr. Dillon ultimately lost the bout to southpaw Washington native Fred Lenhart. (TNT 3-30-27, p. 10) BGN-120

Lt. Cdr. H.L. White, Chief Engineer, and U.S.S. Lexington commander, Capt. Frank D. Berrien, flank Tacoma Mayor James G. Newbergin on the deck of the massive aircraft carrier in December, 1929. The ship is berthed at Baker Dock and shortly will be pouring electricity into Tacoma's power lines. By the time the Lexington left in mid-January, it had generated over 4 million kilowatt hours.

Aerial view taken in February of 1926 of the Northern Pacific shops in South Tacoma. Known as the "South Tacoma Shops," the plant was composed of 36 separate brick buildings, covering 15 acres. Craftsmen from 20 expert fields were employed to build, rebuild and service anything that travelled on wheels for Northern Pacific west of the Mississippi. The plant operated from 1890 until its closure in 1974. The body of water to the left was a wetlands area commonly called the "South Tacoma Swamp." It has since been filled in. (TNT 2/18/1927, pg. 2)

Action scene from "The Patent Leather Kid" filmed at Camp (Fort) Lewis in early April, 1927. A billowing curtain of smoke obscures advancing American troops from German soldiers entrenched behind rocks and hay during the "big drive in the Argonne." Two lines of trenches would be dug across the top of a hill as far as the eye could see and masses of barb wire entanglements, stumps, fallen trees and debris would stretch a quarter mile to the nearby forest. These German soldiers, and others, would tensely await the storming of thousands of American infantry and 21 tanks. Nine cameras would be used to film this battle sequence which would show an Army truck blown up and hand grenades and exploding shells decimating the earth. (TDL 4-2-27) BGN 112

Dressed in Army gear, a squad of "German" soldiers awaits instructions during the filming of "The Patent Leather Kid" on the grounds of Camp (Fort) Lewis in March, 1927. They do not bear arms but carry rucksacks and wear, in some cases, badly fitting helmets. Thousands of regular USA personnel participated in the filming of the war drama and 600+ civilians were recruited as extras. This particular platoon of Imperial Germans spent the day drilling under the direction of Army officers and also hiked several miles. (TNT 3-22-27, p. 1) BGN-607

On July 28, 1929 Harold Bromley's Lockheed Vega monoplane, the "City of Tacoma," failed to take off on his first attempt to fly solo across the Pacific from Tacoma to Tokyo. The huge orange low wing craft was designed specifically for this 4,762 mile flight, with a 48 foot wing span, a 425 horse power engine and tanks that held 900 gallons of fuel.. Bromley, a dashing twenty-nine year old Canadian native, was a former Royal Air Force Lieutenant, a barnstorming stunt man, a World War I hero and a "Tacoma Boy," who now taught aviation at the Tacoma air field. On take off, everything went wrong. The over-filled gas tanks drenched gasoline onto the windshield; as Bromley leaned to the side for a better look, gasoline spewed onto his goggles and into his eyes. The plane veered off the runway and crashed. Bromley escaped from the gasoline soaked vessel unharmed. The insured wreck was followed by two more "City of Tacoma " monoplanes designed by Lockheed, each of which crashed in test flights. The third plane crash, and resulting fire in May of 1930, killed the pilot testing the plane for Bromley. BGN-310L

On July 28, 1929, Harold Bromley took off in his big orange Lockheed monoplane, the "City of Tacoma," planning to fly into history books as the first pilot to make a solo trans-Pacific flight. Instead, overfilled gas tanks spewed gasoline blinding Bromley who crashed the plane. The plane ended nose down with the right wing badly damaged and the fuselage cracked in at least two places; while the left wing, tail and motor remained largely undamaged. The crowd of 25,000 there to view the dawn take off had to be held back, to keep them from stripping pieces from the gasoline drenched plane as souvenirs. BGN-310M

Arthur Edeson, director of photography, manipulating camera on location of "The Patent Leather Kid," March 29, 1927. Dressed in suit and tie but with a newsboy's cap, Mr. Edeson may be surveying the scene at Camp (Fort) Lewis. He is perched aboard a wheeled cart while his crew help to steady the tripod. Mr. Edeson entered the film industry with the Eclair Co. in 1911. He would play a pivotal role in location sound photography when the silent era came to a close in the late 1920's. BGN-166

Submarine S-27 visits Tacoma in July, 1926, along with several warships. Skippered by Lt. Carlye Craig, one of the country's newest submarines paid a visit to Tacoma in early July, 1926. The 219-foot long submarine, pictured above probably resurfacing, carried a crew of four officers and 39 enlisted men. It was capable of reaching depths of 300 feet. 38 members of the Tacoma Engineers Club were lucky enough to tour the bottom of Commencement Bay, 50 feet below the surface, courtesy of the S-27 on July 1st. Most of the engineers concurred with the opinion of a relieved member who was happy to take the tour but happier to be once again on top of the water and breathing in fresh air. (TNT 7-2-26, p. 1, 13)

Young evangelist Mary Agnes Vichestain on 1926 visit to Tacoma in full preaching pose. Described as a modern girl preaching the old-fashioned gospel, Pittsburgh's Mary Agnes Vichestain, age 18, preached to a full house at the Gospel Tabernacle on July 8, 1926. Accompanied by her newspaper publisher father, V.H. Vichestain, Miss Vichestain stopped in Tacoma on her way to the West Coast. Her father reminisced that her favorite occupation as a child was to corner a family member and vigorously preach. Her first public appearance as a preacher came at age 9; she has since then spoken to audiences as large as 25,000. Miss Vichestain devotes most of her efforts to work in missions in order to help the less fortunate find salvation. (TNT 7-9-26, p. 14)

Young female evangelist, Mary Agnes Vichestain and her father, wealthy newspaper publisher J.H. Vichestain, made a return visit to Tacoma in July, 1926. Pittsburgh's "girl preacher" was known for preaching the old-fashioned gospel. An ordained Baptist minister, she spoke to a full house at the Gospel Tabernacle on July 8, 1926. Miss Vichestain planned to go on to Everett and then spend a month in Los Angeles before returning to Pittsburgh for her college education. Preaching had been her passion since age 4 when she preached to her grandfather. Her first public appearance was at age 9 when a mission leader allowed her to preach before a congregation. She also had a deep interest in politics and contemplated running for the Pittsburgh mayor's position. (TNT 7-8-26, p. 11, TNT 7-9-26, p. 14)

When the first imported strawberries reached the Ryan Fruit Co., 1137 Dock Street, on March 3, 1927, Rhoda Merritt, cashier, couldn't resist slipping outside to nibble the choice fruit. A rough Washington breeze was blowing and her bobbed locks, about the same color as the plump luscious fruit, blew with the wind. However, Miss Merritt still smiled for the camera, delighted with the taste of southern sunshine. (TNT 3/8/1927, pg. 2)

Portrait of pugilist Gene Tunney, taken on February 8, 1927, when he landed at Camp Lewis, enroute from Seattle to Olympia. The military two person plane was met at Camp Lewis by a delegation from Olympia, headed by Governor Roland H. Hartley. Tunney, heavyweight boxing Champion from 1926-28, was honored at a luncheon in Olympia where he spoke about a proposed boxing commission bill for the state. Tunney had defeated Jack Dempsey in 1926, and again in 1927, for the heavyweight crown. He retired as Champion in 1928. (TNT 2/8/1927 p.1)

Former Tacoman George A. Billings, one of the leading impersonators of Abraham Lincoln, was convinced to "make up" and pose for the Tacoma News Tribune while visiting family in February of 1927. He had resided in Tacoma from 1907-08, working in the building and loan business and had returned to Tacoma in 1919 after serving in the first World War. That time he lived in Tacoma for 2 years with his brother Orville Billings. He soon left for Los Angeles where he was involved in various film productions. In 1924, he was approached to play Lincoln, to whom he bears an uncanny resemblance, in "The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln." He starred in the epic and continued to portray Lincoln in vaudeville for the remainder of his career. (TNT 2/12/1927, pg. 1)

George A. Billings, center, formerly of Tacoma, filled his later acting years with portraying Abraham Lincoln, to whom he bore an uncanny resemblance. He was in Tacoma in February of 1927 visiting family and friends and was persuaded to "make up" as Lincoln and pose for the Tacoma News Tribune. He is pictured with his niece Rhea Thompson and her husband L. L. (Lindsay) Thompson, a Tacoma attorney. Mr. Thompson had served as the Washington State Attorney General from 1919-1923. Mr. Thompson was the first Washington native to serve in that office and at 31 was one of the youngest. Mr. Billings was best known for his 1924 film depiction of Lincoln in "The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln." He also toured the country's vaudeville houses portraying Lincoln. (TNT 2/12/1927, pg. 1) (Thompson identification supplied by a family member and www.atg.wa.gov)

Heavyweight Champion Gene Tunney, center, removes his leather flying helmet after arriving at Camp Lewis by plane from Seattle on February 8, 1927. He is met by Governor Roland H. Hartley, left, and Brig. Gen. Robert Alexander. Tunney will complete the remainder of his journey to Olympia by automobile. He is being honored at a luncheon in Olympia where 200 guests will hear him speak about the proposed boxing commission bill for Washington. Tunney was the Champion from 1926- 28, defeating Jack Dempsey for the crown, and retired undefeated in 1928. He was known as being handsome and intellectual. He served in the Navy in World War II, was successful in business and wrote two books. (TNT 2/8/1927 p.1)

This photograph from May of 1928 shows the buildings on the east side of St. Helens Avenue from 7th Street looking south. Second in from the corner is the building that was shared by the News Tribune and the Tacoma Daily Ledger from 1918 to 1937. Built in 1910 by Darmer & Cutting for the News Tribune, the Ledger moved into the building when it was bought out by the Tribune in 1918. Both papers published independently from this building until the Daily Ledger went out of business in 1937. The News Tribune kept the name of the Ledger alive in the masthead of its Sunday paper until August of 1979, The Tacoma News Tribune and Sunday Ledger.

On April 27, 1928, local girl Franc Hale returned to Tacoma on a special Pullman car belonging to her employer and mentor, famed actor Walker Whiteside. Miss Hale was appearing as Whiteside's leading lady in two productions at Tacoma's Helig Theater and Tacoma turned out to welcome their native daughter. Miss Hale poses with an armful of American Beauty roses; to the right is Mayor M.G. Tennent with a beribboned key to the city for her use. On the left is Clinton S. Reynolds presenting a less ornate key to the city to Walker Whiteside. In the center, holding his hat, is John Dower, president of the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce. Also present were Calvin Helig, head of the Helig Theater Co., and Miss Hale's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank L. Hale. (TNT 4/27/1928, pg. 1)

The U.S. Navy submarine S-27 paid a visit to Tacoma in early July 1926 along with several warships. The 219-foot long submarine was one of the newest in the Navy's fleet having been commissioned in January 1924. It carried 12 torpedoes and had a top designed underwater speed of 11 knots. It was helmed by Lt. Carlye Craig. (TNT 7-2-26, p. 1, 13)