ca. 1890. John N. Conna, wealthy real estate agent and head of first Black family in Tacoma. John Newington Conna had accomplished much in his 85 years before his death in Alaska in 1921. Born of a mixed marriage in San Augustine, Texas in 1836, Mr. Conna fought in the Civil War as part of the famed 1st Louisiana Native Guards before migrating north to Hartford, Connecticut and then west to Kansas City, Kansas. In 1883 Mr. Conna journeyed to the "City of Destiny," Tacoma, and became a leading seller of real estate. The father of 14 children, he was married to Mary (Davis) Conna. Mr. and Mrs. Conna would donate to the City of Tacoma some 40 acres of land as a Christmas gift in 1889. He held numerous offices including president of the John Brown Republican Club and president of the Washington State Protective League. He was, in a sense, the titular leader of Tacoma's black community and highly influential in the city's black social and political activities. Mr. Conna was also an attorney authorized to practice before the Treasury Department; Conna family lore suggests that he was also an attorney for railroad magnate James J. Hill. John Conna was appointed as Asst. Sergeant At Arms for the Senate in 1889, Washington's first Territorial Legislature. He was the first black political appointee in the history of Washington Territory. Mr. Conna was also a delegate to the 1896 National Republican Convention. At the age of 64 and not ready for retirement, Mr. Conna traveled to Alaska on the S.S. Seattle with Federal Judge and close friend, James Wickersham. Mr. Conna, like thousands of others, had been attracted by the huge gold rush and opportunities in Alaska. Mrs. Conna and family remained behind while Mr. Conna set up his own real estate, mines and mining property company a few years later. John Conna, age 85, stricken with diabetes, a heart condition, and the loss of a leg, died on October 21, 1921. He is buried in Fairbanks. (Tacoma Morning Globe Annual Review, 1-1-1891; www.historylink.org) (Additional information provided by Douglas Q. Barnett, grandson of John N. Conna)

Conna, John N.; African Americans--Tacoma--1890-1900; Pioneers--Tacoma; Real estate development--Tacoma;

ca. 1890. Charles Barstow Wright, 1822 - 1898, a builder of the Northern Pacific Railroad and of the city of Tacoma, Washington. He also founded Annie Wright Seminary, then a private school for girls, donated land which became Wright Park, donated time and money to build the old St. Luke's Episcopal Church, and started the first gas and water systems in Tacoma. Charles Wright Academy is named in his honor. (Image donated by Vic Kucera)

Wright, Charles Barstow, 1822-1898;

ca. 1890. The Arlington Hotel was an impressive sight on Pacific Avenue for forty years before its demolition in 1930. Built by Jim Dorsey with architectural plans by C. Langlois in 1889, the hotel was first listed as 2023 Pacific Avenue before its address was later changed to 1955 Pacific Avenue. The 3+ story structure was built primarily of wood and contained multiple windows. A sample room was installed for the benefit of traveling salesmen to show their wares. Imported and domestic wines, liquors and cigars were available for purchase. Some of the hotel's staff, including the bartender in long apron, and the hotel watchdog, posed at the front entrance in this circa 1890 photograph. (copy of original) Bi-Centennial Project # 75346-2; BU-11870

Arlington Hotel (Tacoma); Hotels--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1891. In 1891 the LaMotte & Watkins Grocery Store, called simply "My Store" on the sign above their door, was located at 2420 Pacific Avenue. The store was owned by John W. Watkins and Mrs. Annie E. LaMotte, the widow of Oscar LaMotte. The four men standing in front of the store are (l to r) Mr. Lenard, a farmer; Charles S. Ecklund, a clerk at the store who later went to Alaska to seek his fortune; Herschel Rawlings, who was the store's bookkeeper and later became a Tacoma dentist; and Robert K. Taylor, a sales clerk who later moved to Seattle. (TNT 8/17/1922 p.4) Copy negative from 1939.

Grocery stores--Tacoma--1890-1900; My Store (Tacoma); Ecklund, Charles S.; Rawlings, Herschel; Taylor, Robert K.

ca. 1891. This portrait of Elisha P. Ferry, first Governor of Washington State, was taken circa 1891. On October 1, 1889, Washington voters ratifed the state's first constitution by a four to one majority. Republican Elisha P. Ferry (1825-1895), former lawyer and mayor, was elected governor. He served from 1889-1893. President Ulysses S. Grant had appointed Ferry governor of territorial Washington in 1872 and he was the only territorial governor to be appointed a second term. Ferry County in the northeastern corner of the state was named for the governor in 1899. (www.secstate.wa.gov/history; Washington HistoryLink.org)

Ferry, Elisha P., 1825-1895; Governors--Washington (State);

ca. 1891. Mud from the wide, unpaved dirt streets that surrounded it, did not deter the crowds that attended the grand opening of the Western Washington Industrial Exposition Building on September 10, 1891. Built in the elaborate, ornate Italianate style by Opperman & Berens, contractors and designed by Proctor & Dennis, architects, it was located in the 700 block of Tacoma Avenue North, not far from the current home of Annie Wright Seminary. Grains, fruits and vegetables were displayed along with machinery and a Northern Pacific Railway exhibit. The best of the products were to be sent to Chicago in time for the World's Fair. Those present at the gala opening saw Governor Elisha P. Ferry in attendance and heard a letter of congratulations sent by President Benjamin Harrison. After such an auspicious opening, the Exposition Building would see further developments including a roller skating rink, Interstate Fair and music hall. It was destroyed by fire seven years later on September 20, 1898. (TDL 9-8-91, p. 6, TDL 9-11-91, p. 5)

Western Washington Industrial Exposition Building (Tacoma);

ca. 1891. This was the smoking room of the Union Club, 539 Broadway, circa 1891. The Union Club was built in 1888 by prominent Tacoma businessmen who sought to form a social organization and construct a building where they could spend leisure hours, develop friendships and probable favorable business connections. The clubhouse was a handsome five-story building which overlooked Commencement Bay and faced Broadway (then called "C" St.) The main entrance was on the third floor which also contained the reception room, steward's apartment, dining room, reading and waiting room, and according to the Tacoma Daily Ledger of June 6, 1890, the "general loafing and smoking room." The smoking room opened up on a veranda that ran the full length of the building on the east. The room was furnished with comfortable leather chairs and couches along with gas fixtures and a fireplace. (Tacoma Daily Ledger, 6-6-1890)

Union Club (Tacoma); Clubhouses--Tacoma--1890-1900; Smoking rooms--Tacoma;

ca. 1891. The Union Club, built in 1888, provided a serene and relaxing atmosphere for its select membership which initially brought together many of the city's well known businessmen. Membership was limited to 400 in three classes with 200 proprietary members given votes in controlling club affairs, 100 associate members who enjoyed the same privileges as the proprietary without the ability to vote, and 100 non-resident members. Elegant furnishings brought the cost of the club to $40,000 which also included the lots and structure. Pictured above is a view of the front hall and grand staircase, finished in cherry with carved trimmings. Although the photograph by LaRoche & French is labeled "first floor," the main entrance actually opened on the third floor. It was the first, however, of the two main floors which the members would mostly use. (Tacoma Daily Ledger, 6-6-1890-article; Morning Globe, 11-4-1889, p. 8-article)

Union Club (Tacoma); Clubhouses--Tacoma--1890-1900; Passageways--Tacoma--1890-1900; Stairways--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1891. The Greco-colonial five-story building housing the Union Club was located on the corner of Seventh and "C" (now Broadway) with breathtaking views of Commencement Bay. Among amenities enjoyed by its membership was this large billiard parlor on the fourth floor. The 20 x 32-foot room opened out upon the balcony and was directly above the club room. Four tables, three of which are visible, were available. Nearby were two card rooms that adjoined the porch. (Tacoma Daily Ledger, 6-6-1890-article; Morning Globe, 11-4-1889, p. 8-article)

Union Club (Tacoma); Clubhouses--Tacoma--1890-1900; Billiard parlors--Tacoma;

Once home to the ultimate in refined entertainment, the Alpha Opera House had been reduced to a pool hall, the Brunswick Billiard Hall, in this 1891 photograph by Arthur French. Built in 1882 for Andrew J. Baker, the Alpha Opera house hosted plays, operas, vaudeville, and town meetings including Tacoma's celebration of statehood in 1889. Its heyday ended when the magnificent Tacoma Theater opened in 1890 on C Street, now Broadway. The building was torn down in 1892 and replaced by Chilberg's restaurant. In 1928, the stately Bank of California building was constructed on the site. BU-10258

Brunswick Billiard Hall (Tacoma); Billiard parlors--Tacoma; Alpha Opera House (Tacoma);

ca. 1891. The reading room of the Union Club, 539 Broadway, was accessible by entering the main entrance on the third floor, passing by the grand staircase and down to the north end of the main hall. It measured 14 x 22 feet and had a smaller 7 x 12 foot writing room between it and the grand 12 x 16 foot staircase. Footsteps were quieted by flowered carpets and a serene atmosphere provided by (then) modern lighting, brick fireplace and paintings in gilded frames. A tall bookcase held stacks of newspapers while bound copies of Life and Harpers magazines were available on the ornate table. Comfortable seating was provided with stuffed leather chairs. (Tacoma Daily Ledger, 6-6-1890-article; Morning Globe, 11-4-1889, p. 8-article)

Union Club (Tacoma); Clubhouses--Tacoma--1890-1900; Reading rooms--Tacoma;

ca. 1891. The faculty and pupils of Washington College pose on the wide steps of their secondary school, located on Tacoma Avenue South at the present site of Central School, ca. 1891. Washington College opened as a boys school on September 2, 1886, with a $50,000 endowment by Charles B. Wright. It started with 65 pupils, half of them day students. According to a letter from John Kirtland, a former teacher at the school, the college was headed by a Mr. Pulford at the time of this photograph. Mr. Kirtland was not in this particular picture but he indicated the presence of other faculty: Mr. Dudley, Mr. Ayrault, and Mr. Reed. The school closed in 1892 as the Great Depression of 1892 caused many of the pupils to leave school to find work. Its endowment was then transferred to Annie Wright Seminary.

Washington College (Tacoma); Private schools--Tacoma;

Back of Photo:
Yesteryear Feb. 7, 1986
Puyallup Indian Tribe members gathered on Feb. 9, 1891, as part of their monthly neighborhood meetings. This was the time when Indian families gathered to discuss the business of running the reservation and making improvements in the quality of life. The women were not generally included in business affairs of the tribe, which would explain their absence in the photograph.
State of Washington Views
Rutter, Photo
Tacoma, Wash.

ca. 1891. Homes overlooking Wright Park, ca. 1891. Statues of "dancing maidens" donated to the city by Clinton P. Ferry flank the Division Street entrance to Wright Park. The north end of the park was very desolate in appearance with a gravel road and sparse vegetation. The 1890 double house built for Charles E. Clancey and the Queen Anne-styled home of John Holgate, constructed in 1889, overlook the park. Both homes were in the 100 block of South "G." The sepia print by A.C. Carpenter is very faded and mounted in postcard fashion.

Sculpture--Tacoma--1890-1900; Wright Park (Tacoma); Houses--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1891. Tacoma Eastern Railroad - near Tacoma This circa 1891 photograph shows the water in the reservoir behind Dam Number 3 on Tacoma & Eastern Gulch Creek. Dam Number 3 was located near what is now South 32nd and East B. The bridge in the background is probably the South 30th Steet high-tressel bridge. (Although the photo is on a card stamped French, it was probably taken by Thomas H. Rutter)

Dams--Tacoma; Reservoirs--Tacoma; Bridges--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1891.

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. 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. 1891. This familiar Greco-Colonial building was the Union Club, built in 1888 overlooking Commencement Bay. A broad Corinthian balcony extended the entire length of the eastern portion of the building, providing commanding views of Mount Tacoma (Rainier), shipping in the harbor, the Cascades and even the Puyallup Valley. The granite for the structure was quarried at Bellingham Bay. Architects Whidden & Lewis designed the original building but it also underwent several renovations over the years. The Union Club was the oldest of Tacoma's clubs and hosted many prominent visitors including President William Howard Taft in 1909. It had been organized in the summer of 1888 by a group of widely known businessmen including C.W. Griggs, Henry Hewitt, Jr., Theodore Hosmer, George Browne and C.P. Albertson. John S. Baker and Alexander Baillie were also charter members. Its name changed in 1939 when the Union Club merged with the University Club to become the University-Union Club.

Union Club (Tacoma); Clubs--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1891. The Union Club, home away from home for prominent Tacoma businessmen, offered their members an extensive selection of wines and other alcoholic beverages. Its basement contained a wine cellar, managed by a steward hired with the stipulation that he not drink. The bar itself, however, was on one of the upper floors, possibly on the third floor near the main entrance. Mention was made in the Tacoma Daily Ledger's June 6, 1890, edition of a "steward's apartment" on that level which had a "large sideboard for the accommodation of members." Since there was no obvious mention of a bar, this may have clued readers to the availability of liquor in the clubhouse. (Tacoma Daily Ledger, 6-6-1890-article)

Union Club (Tacoma); Clubhouses--Tacoma--1890-1900; Bars--Tacoma--1890-1900; Alcoholic beverages;

ca. 1891. "Office Union Club" Various descriptions of the new Union Club, built in 1888, do not specifically mention an office as one of the many rooms in the Greco-colonial building. This photograph could possibly be that of the directors' room which was located on the fourth floor in the southwest corner of the building directly above the reception room. Ledgers are displayed on stands and tables where members dues and business expenses associated with the club were probably noted. (Tacoma Daily Ledger, 6-6-1890-article; Morning Globe 11-4-1889, p. 8-article)

Union Club (Tacoma); Clubhouses--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1891. The Union Club, 539 Broadway, had two dining rooms on the third floor. It is not certain which of the two is pictured above but is possibly the larger of the two, measuring 16 x 25 feet, furnished in oak, and containing a fireplace and sideboard. It fronted the east end of the third floor. The second dining area was a small private banquet hall adjoining the dining room on the north. The space, measuring 12 x 14 feet, was connected to the larger dining room by arched, folding doors. (Tacoma Daily Ledger, 6-6-1890-article; Morning Globe 11-4-1889, p. 8-article)

Union Club (Tacoma); Clubhouses--Tacoma--1890-1900; Dining rooms--Tacoma--1890-1900;

ca. 1891. This circa 1891 photograph by LaRoche & French was labeled "Front Hall 2nd Floor Union Club." Because the massive building had five stories which included in order a sub-basement, basement, two floors and an attic, this particular scene was probably not a basement view but is possibly the floor that contained the directors' room, bath room, billiard parlor and card rooms. This floor, which was accessible by ascending the grand staircase, was actually the second of the two main floors that members would be most interested in. Newspapers of the day called it the "fourth floor" which also had a main hallway. Heavy oak furnishings, a brick fireplace, oil painting and gas fixtures were on display. (Tacoma Daily Ledger, 6-6-1890-article; Morning Globe 11-4-1889, p. 8-article)

Union Club (Tacoma); Clubhouses--Tacoma--1890-1900; Passageways--Tacoma--1890-1900; Fireplaces--Tacoma--1890-1900;

Under a sea of umbrellas, hundreds of Tacomans await the arrival of President Benjamin Harrison on May 6, 1891, his second visit to Tacoma. A few intrepid souls have climbed and are clinging to tall poles in order to get a better view of the celebratory parade. Military and civic organizations would march up C St. and through residential Tacoma, Yakima and Division Avenues before marching back to 9th & C where a public reception was held for the President. The Gross Bros. Store, a major retail firm located at 9th & Broadway, is pictured above decorated in yards of cheerful bunting. It was just one of the many businesses spruced up for the short presidential visit.

Celebrations--Tacoma--1890-1900; Visits of state--Tacoma--1890-1900; Gross Bros. Store (Tacoma);

Four huge arches spanned Pacific Avenue to welcome President Benjamin Harrison to Tacoma on May 6, 1891. The arch, built of coal taken from the mines of Roslyn, stood near South 13th Street; near its base was a single lump of coal weighing 16,000 pounds. The other arches were built of iron ore from Ellensburgh, wheat and flour from Washington's rich grain fields, and timber. President Harrison arrived by train at 8:00 am from Portland to the roar of a twenty-one gun salute. Although it was raining heavily, thousands flocked to Tacoma's commercial center for a fleeting glimpse of America's twenty-third President. (Also under G68.1-030)

Arches--Tacoma; Commercial streets--Tacoma--1890-1900; Visits of state--Tacoma--1890-1900;