Lewis County Historical Society and Museum

Lewis County Historical Society and Museum
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Washington State Heritage Register
Burlington Northern Depot, Chehalis, 1910s
Location	599 NW Front Street, Chehalis, Washington
Coordinates	46°39′56″N 122°58′18.3″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1912 (1912)
Built by	Northern Pacific Railway
Architectural style	Mission Revival
Restored	1975-1978
Restored by	Lewis County Historical Society; volunteers
Website	Lewis County Historical Museum
MPS	Chehalis MPS
NRHP reference No.	74001967
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	November 6, 1974
Designated WSHR	March 8, 1974

The Lewis County Historical Society and Museum, also known as the Burlington Northern Depot, is located in Chehalis, Washington. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1974. The site is located within the Chehalis Downtown Historic District and borders the Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District, both NRHP-listed locations.

Chehalis, then known as Saundersville, attempted to create a train stop and station during the 1870s after the build of a Northern Pacific Railway line through the developing town in 1872. After community-wide petitions and actions, which included flagging down passing trains to stop, the town received an official train stop in 1874. The first station, known as the Northern Pacific Depot, was constructed in 1890 near the downtown core. The station was used as a stopping point by President Benjamin Harrison the following year and Theodore Roosevelt in 1903, who spoke from the McKinley Stump. Though the station remained in operation and brought economic prosperity to the booming community, by the turn of the 20th century the depot was criticized for its appearance, lack of safety, space, and utility.

Northern Pacific constructed the Chehalis historic depot in 1912, located north of the old station. The brick depot is considered Mission Revival architecture and spans nearly a block, situated closely to the railroad tracks. The station is noted for its sectioned façade and gables. The structure once contained a passenger room, telegraph office, and a baggage and freight area. The waiting area was noted for its enameled brick detail and cove ceiling. A portion of the previous station was moved to the new site for use as a freight office. A dedication of the $30,000 train station was held in January 1913.

Most commonly known as the Burlington Northern Depot and in the present-day as the Lewis County Historical Museum, the location went by a variety of names over its lifetime as an operational train station. The Northern Pacific Depot was utilized as one of the first transport hubs in the United States to relocate Japanese-Americans during World War II.

In February 1973, Burlington Northern closed the depot, transferring operations and employees to the Centralia Union Depot. The railroad company initially ordered the historic Chehalis station to be demolished, but after two years of community and political protests hoping to use the depot as a museum, the site was leased to Lewis County in late-1975 for $1 per year. The building was renovated by the Lewis County Historical Society and several volunteers, officially opening as a county historical museum in September 1979.

The depot was renamed as a museum under the oversight of the Lewis County Historical Society, which incorporated in 1965. The Lewis County Historical Museum has remained in operation since the 1970s despite funding difficulties and an embezzlement of the society's endowment fund in the late 2000s. The 4,600-square-foot (430 m²) space hosts permanent displays, most notably exhibits on pioneer life and indigenous culture and people, as well as special presentations tied to the county's past. Over 50,000 artifacts, which include audio recordings, interactive items, newspapers, photographs, and physical objects of historical importance, are stored within the museum or under its management. The original passenger waiting room houses the main exhibit space and the museum is known for a large-scale, working model train display of Lewis County. The site is a standard location for celebrations, events, and festivals pertaining to Chehalis and Lewis County.

Names and monikers

The depot has been known under several names and monikers over its lifetime, including early titles such as the Chehalis Depot, Chehalis Train Depot, and the Chehalis Union Depot. The building was often named under the railroad company that operated the station, such as the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot, which was also the moniker of the first official station in the city. Locally the depot was simply referred to as the Chehalis railway station or as the Chehalis railroad depot.

The National Register of Historic Places nomination form refers to the site as the Chehalis Passenger Station and for a brief time after the depot was dedicated as the Lewis County Historical Museum in 1979, was given the moniker, Front Way Depot.

History

First Chehalis railroad stop

A Northern Pacific Railway (NPR) bridge was completed at Pumphrey's Landing over the Cowlitz River by the fall of 1872, allowing the construction of a fully connected line between the Columbia River and Puget Sound areas. The portion of the NPR line through Chehalis, then known as Saundersville, was completed shortly thereafter. Land for a Chehalis depot was requested by Northern Pacific, but landowner Eliza Barrett Saunders, known as the matriarch of the city, refused to donate a portion of her claim. Barrett increased the price of the parcel and the company opted for a newly platted site at Newaukum Hill, in the town eventually known as Newaukum. The train tracks between the two communities amounted to a continuous wooden trestle spanning over wetlands though treks for farmers and travelers in the area was still difficult due to the terrain.

Despite the failure to have a depot immediately constructed in the town, Chehalis began earnestly requesting a train station in 1872 with an undaunted approach. A unanimous petition requesting a depot was signed by residents and hand delivered by prominent Chehalis businessmen Lewis A. Davis of Claquato, J.A. Long, and William West to the manager of the NPR line, John W. Sprague, who was residing in Kalama. Though Sprague denied the request, he sent the petition to NPR's headquarters and allowed the returning train to drop off the three representatives in Chehalis rather than in Newaukum.

Two stories exist as to the beginnings of a train stop in Chehalis. A local pioneer, John Alexander of Lintott-Alexander Park, offered a $20 gold coin to a conductor in exchange for a freight delivery directly to Chehalis. A separate story posits that an initiative led by businessmen and residents in the city began flagging down trains with regularity, an option at the time but unknown to the community. The flagging efforts began after a Chehalis man mentioned that trains were required to stop after being flagged. Flaggers were chosen and specifically used red bunting, holding shifts throughout the day to signal the trains to stop. This numerous constancy led to a regular train stop in Saundersville in 1874. In a continuing competition for the rail company's favor with local and regional communities, such as Claquato and South Bend, the city donated land to NPR for a promised railway turntable; the wheelhouse was never built.

Chehalis experienced growth and economic success quickly, recording monthly receipts by October 1885 totaling $2,020 with over 930,000 pounds (420,000 kg) in combined freight activity.

First Chehalis station

Barrett eventually sold her landholdings near the tracks and Northern Pacific constructed a wood, "regulation depot" in 1890 in a pork processing warehouse. The structure was owned by West and fellow prominent Chehalin, John Dobson of John Dobson Park. A grain warehouse was built later, using funds gathered from company stock offered at $10 per share. Difficulties over the right-of-way remained into August 1890 as the railroad required several hundred feet of access on both sides of the tracks. Parcels were owned by numerous other people, which included large homes that needed to be moved. Estimates to complete the acquisitions reached as high as $25,000. Union Pacific built an extension of their line to the new station beginning in 1891.

Northern Pacific Freight Station, early 1900s

Northern Pacific proposed the construction of a new station in 1897. The plans called for a 32 ft × 132 ft (9.8 m × 40.2 m) one-story building south of the railroad crossing on Market Street containing an alcove, two waiting rooms, office spaces, and passenger and freight areas. Reports from other Washington communities warned Chehalis residents that the promise was more than likely to fail; despite procurement of materials and laborers, no new depot was built. The station was partially rebuilt beginning in mid-1897, finalized by September.

Northern Pacific station and McKinley Stump, ca. 1904

Due to injury concerns, the city attorney in February 1904 declared the train platform a "menace" and demanded the area be tiled. The issue was addressed the following month; the platform was lowered with a 200 foot (61 metres) extension on the south end of the site. The project was expanded to include an enlargement of the building by 50 feet (15.2 m) on the south end, which included a larger baggage area. Additionally, the floors were lowered, as were all doors and windows, and a more convenient bay window ticket booth was installed. The known problem on the platform, which caused repeated falls off the raised area and was known simply as "the ditch", was boxed in. A city-wide paving of streets project begun in late 1907 led to the installation of cement sidewalks at the depot.

The station contained a Western Union telegraph office, a common means of communication of the time. Also common, NPR and Western Union delivered free messages and express mail under the Northern Express Company to the city's residents through means of hand delivery. The practice, considered a "poor one" and often employed a young boy, was meant to keep costs down for residents, though at the expense of a salaried position and deferred costs to residents via gratuity to the delivery person. Due to the advent of a nine-hour workday, railroad financial cutbacks, and the increase in the use of the telephone, the depot's reliance on telegraphy began to wane in 1908, with the station no longer accepting messages transmitted during the evening hours.

The population in Chehalis nearly tripled from 2,300 to 6,500 residents during the original station's lifetime. By 1907, economic success for the town was noted as the depot provided approximately $500,000 in business to Chehalis. The station generated the largest railroad revenue between Portland and Tacoma. However, local residents and officials had long felt the depot was too small, citing a narrow and dangerous platform and freight and passenger rooms much too small.

In 1908, the Chehalis Bee-Nugget newspaper declared the depot a "dump"; another editorial mentioned the location "inadequate" and "too small to accommodate" the growing freight and passenger traffic. A proposal to replace the depot with a brick passenger station was announced in August 1909 by Northern Pacific. Pressure for a new station continued with complaints citing the muddy walkways and water intrusions.

By January 1911, the grounds were in a state of disrepair. A large, "unsightly and unsanitary" mudhole north of the station was stated as "disgraceful", causing locals to use "profane language" while traversing through the business core, covering the district in mud as it was spread. The original depot was lambasted throughout the year in the local press for its appearance and lack of facility, considering it "just as bad" as the station in Centralia. The editors of the Centralia Weekly Chronicle wrote on April 28, 1911 that they hoped by a "lucky combination of flames" coupled with a fire department waylaid by an accident, that the train would suffer a final, necessary end. On May 2nd, the Northern Railroad Depot caught fire. Despite a fire horse that bolted, the crew put out the flames despite the wishes of the local press.

A new station to be constructed by Northern Pacific was announced again in September 1911. A part of the old station was moved on the morning of June 18, 1912 by flatcar to adjoin the new facilities as a freight room. The rail company continued to use the remaining sections of the old station as part of its stockyard, moving the facility a block south in January 1919. A local Carnation Milk plant began using the location to store fuel. The freight room, being the last remnant of the original depot, was demolished in 1964 under orders from the structure's owner at the time,Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad. The 122 foot (37 metres) addition was considered too large to maintain, out of date, and contained amenities, such as bathrooms, that were not needed. A smaller freight office replacement was built across the street.

Notable events and incidents

The depot welcomed President Benjamin Harrison on May 6, 1891 during a train stop visit in western Washington. Chehalis was his first stop and though cold and raining, a crowd gathered and reportedly "cheered lustily" for the president.

Teddy Roosevelt visit, 1903

On May 22, 1903, approximately 10,000 Chehalins welcomed President Theodore Roosevelt at the depot when he stopped to give a prepared speech upon the McKinley Stump located next to the station. Roosevelt thanked the community, especially for its support during the Spanish-American War, and mentioned that if people in the crowd did not consider themselves expansionists, he wanted to "know what was the matter with you". He expressed gratitude for the region's economy, particularly in agriculture, mining, and timber, and congratulated parents on having a wonderful "crop of children". The 15-minute scheduled speech lasted for 23 minutes despite several reminders to Roosevelt that his speech was running long. The speech included advice to children that when they play, to "play hard" but "when you work, don't play at all". He also had words of admiration for those who employed in hard work and a distaste for those who did not. His parting words were directed towards children from the Washington state reform school, reminding them to "be good".

On August 22, 1903, the depot, after being notified by a messenger, immediately sent flatcars to the site of a train crash 2 miles (3.2 km) south near Newaukum. The crash occurred after a boiler exploded on a Northern Pacific engine that was pulling 7 coaches full of Elks members. A passenger car next to the tender came loose, leaving the tracks and falling down a 30 foot (9.1 metres) embankment, crushing itself against a tree stump. Several passengers were killed and early reports mentioned between 30 to 100 were injured.

During an exterior paint project in October 1909, passengers became irate, using "lurid" language when "lurid" red paint became smeared on clothing. Since no sign was posted stating the paint was still wet, depot visitors who leaned or brushed against the building became covered in the substance. A man, who reportedly cursed vehemently, was told by a worker at the station to simply not rest against the building.

A fire began in the depot when the telephone switchboard repeatedly sparked during a strong snowstorm in January 1912. The young women managing the system were reported to be in a "continual state of fright" due to the sparks.

Deaths at the station included Claude Wiley, who died after suffering amputations after falling off the snow-covered platform while boarding a train in January 1904.

Northern Pacific Depot

Northern Pacific Depot, c. 1912

In January 1912, Northern Pacific announced official plans to build a new station located immediately south of the old depot. The new facility was to include modern amenities and be of a size appropriate to the growing city. Skepticism by residents, wary of Northern Pacific's intentions, delayed construction, but the railroad company released early plans which showcased a layout that contained a men's smoking room and a "retiring room" for women, as well as various offices for telegraph, ticketing, and trainmen operations. The waiting area was to have a domed ceiling and double settees. Initial concepts regarding materials to be used in the build included brick, concrete, and stone, with a slate roof. The depot was planned to be "fireproof, or nearly so" with passenger waiting areas styled with enameled brick.

The build of the Northern Pacific Depot was publicly announced on April 4, 1912. An area for a small park was developed at the old depot site and the streets outside the building were to be constructed with brick. After a portion of the old station was relocated to the site in June 1912, construction was deemed to be moving at a rapid pace, with no changes in plan, and in "record time". The depot was completed in the late summer of 1912 with finished carpentry details in September; the pour of a concrete platform was also completed. The freight and telegraph offices were moved from the old station during the final phase of construction. The final cost of the Chehalis depot was reported as $30,000.

Northern Pacific Depot, north view, 1927

An official dedication ceremony was held on January 23, 1913. Hosted by William West, a banquet crowd of 200 people were joined by several prominent railroad officials. The structure was immediately of use to other rail companies. By 1914, the station and rail tracks accommodated a weekly average of 17 freight and 44 passenger trains. An early taxi service by buggy led from the depot to the Hotel Savoy, known previously as the Tynan Opera House built and owned by Eliza Barrett.

A competing depot under the Puget Sound & Willapa Harbor Railway Company (PSWHR) was announced in June 1914. The new station was to be situated nearly across the Northern Pacific Depot between Gertrude and West Streets on State Avenue. Proposed to contain separate stations for freight and passengers, the passenger depot was to be styled in Bungalow architecture, matching a PSWHR station that was concurrently planned in Centralia.

Union Pacific Freight Office and McKinley Stump, 1929

While the depot was operational, the station was utilized by several prominent railroad companies. Railway corporations included the structure's original builder, Northern Pacific, as well as Great Northern Railway, which leased space at the depot for a time. Other companies with operations at the depot were Oregon-Washington Railroad & Navigation Company and Union Pacific Railroad, which provided Chehalis and surrounding agriculture and timber economies access to its connections to San Francisco.

Renovations

In order to make the heating system of the depot more efficient, steam pipes were insulated in 30 in (76 cm) drain tile under the freight section in 1925. A general remodeling, mostly involving "rekalsomined" painting of the interior as well as some exterior details such as benches, took place in 1930.

Notable events and incidents

A small fire in August 1914 occurred in the late evening hours and was spotted by a passerby. Though the structure weas filled with smoke, minimal damage was reported. A cigar, discarded in a sawdust pile, was found to be the source. For a second time, Teddy Roosevelt stopped briefly in Chehalis at the depot on July 19, 1915, greeted by a small group of people during an unpublicized trip.

After a chase, a San Francisco-bound train carrying narcotics was stopped at the depot in July 1924. Federal officials confiscated 1,000 5-tael tins worth over $85,000 that were smuggled in from an overseas steamship. A ten-year employee, Hobart Fiscus, was arrested in January 1928 after an investigation by federal postal inspectors found Fiscus was "pilfering" mail at the depot for several months. The night clerk, considered by his friends as a man of "excellent reputation", pled guilty in March, serving six months in jail.

After complaints from residents during 1937 about excessive train whistles usually in the morning hours, the Chehalis commissioner board petitioned the city's attorney to request that Northern Pacific "curtail" the noise, specifically towards intercontinental trains passing through the community. A fire that destroyed several buildings in the railroad district occurred in the morning hours of July 26, 1939. A shift in the wind spared the depot which reportedly suffered only minor damage.

The depot was used to transport Japanese-Americans, including 64% who were United States citizens, on June 2, 1942 during the beginning efforts of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II; the group was one of the first in the nation to be transported. The 86 individuals of Japanese heritage, which included children, were from Lewis and Pacific County, including the communities of Adna and Onalaska. The group, given yellow Army identification tags that were numbered, boarded a train to Tule Lake War Relocation Center in California.

After the station's closure, the depot was briefly of use as such again on June 1, 1975 due to a freight train derailment south of Vader that blocked the Amtrak right-of-way into the Puget Sound region. Passengers were bussed around the accident site to the Chehalis station, boarding a replacement Amtrak passenger train on a continuing trip into Seattle.

Closure and planned demolition

Operational throughout its run as a freight and passenger depot, early signs of its demise began in the late 1960s. The Western Union telegraph office, part of the station since its beginnings, closed in January 1969. In March 1970, a large merger of several railroad companies led to the creation of Burlington Northern (BNR). The new company, due to "economic reasons", began closing depots and stations in smaller communities. Initial attempts were made to create a combined terminal between the Twin Cities, which would have included the build of an industrial park for the Chehalis–Centralia Airport in the railroad district.

After an announcement in early 1972, passengers were permanently diverted from Chehalis to Centralia. The Chehalis station had begun to mergee their operations and employees with Centralia beginning in January 1973. The Chehalis Depot was officially closed on February 15, 1973 with plans for demolition under orders from Burlington Northern. In the event that the station was demolished, an early plan was to convert the parcel into a parking lot.

Vacant in the interim, various groups in Chehalis attempted to save the depot. Interest in acquiring the depot was undertaken by the Chehalis Parking Improvement Club which, at the time, leased spaces in two parking lots adjacent to the station. By March 1974, the station was added to the Washington State Heritage Register and beginning offers were made to purchase the site by Lewis County. A letter from Burlington Northern's corporate headquarters was hand delivered in May 1974 to the county commissioner board by a company vice-president stating the railroad's intent to demolish the structure within a month. The statement deemed the structure to be too close to the rail lines and because it was made of brick, considered impossible to relocate. No appeal was to be accepted.

Continuing efforts by several organizations and people, which included Senators Henry M. Jackson and Warren Magnuson as well as Representative Julia Butler Hansen, plans to demolish the depot were postponed in August 1974. However, citing the same concerns of safety and difficulty in moving the building, Burlington Northern announced in May 1975 that the razing of the historic depot was to commence once again.

Demolition cancelled

A petition to save the station was undertaken by a city-wide canvass led by the Committee of Concerned Citizens for the Preservation of the Depot. The appeal was signed by over 1,000 people. The efforts were considered an important step that helped the station be added to both the Washington State Heritage Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. However, Burlington Northern restated their concerns over safety as the depot was deteriorating. The company also voiced their concerns over the potential dangers if additional visitors came to facility, with dozens of trains passing by daily.

Due in part to various political actions plans to demolish the depot were postponed into the summer of 1975 with the site beginning to be finalized for its use to the city and the Lewis County Historical Society. Plans were continually waylaid under various concerns, including financial solvency, Burlington Northern's liability, and the county's requirement that the building was to be of use only as a museum.

Burlington Northern officially announced on July 11, 1975 that the historic station would not be demolished. An interim agreement was reached that Lewis County could purchase the depot, assuming the county fulfilled promises to undertake safety and improvement concerns the railroad company had stated over the previous years. Failure to do so would have allowed Burlington Northern to retake possession of the site. The deal was still tenuous until September 29th, when the railroad company agreed to lease the building to the county. Burlington Northern specified requirements that it be used only as a museum and that the county must erect a fence between the railroad tracks and the platform. The original lease, signed on November 3, 1975 and spanning for 20 years, could not be cancelled and required a $1 payment annually; afterwards, the lease could be renewed annually in perpetuity and cancelled only if the county no longer wanted the building under their oversight.

Joint Great Northern/Northern Pacific/ Union Pacific service
Preceding station	Great Northern Railway			Following station
Napavine toward Portland		Portland–Seattle Line		Centralia toward Seattle
Preceding station	Northern Pacific Railway			Following station
Napavine toward Portland		Portland–Seattle Line		Centralia toward Seattle
Preceding station	Union Pacific Railroad			Following station
Napavine toward Portland		Portland–Seattle Line		Centralia toward Seattle

Lewis County Historical Society and Museum

Early history

The first proposal for a county museum was approved and adopted by the Lewis County commissioner board in September 1942. A collection of artifacts and historical documents were to be located at the Lewis County Savings and Loan building in Chehalis, overseen by an association of the same name. While the county would not own the museum at first, it declared that once the repository was proven to be successful and of value, the county was to take ownership.

Another recommendations for a county historical society began in May 1955 and the Lewis County Historical Society (LCHS) was officially formed in October 1964; directors and officers of the group were elected in December. The first charter meeting, open to the public, was held on January 21, 1965 with a membership enrollment of 145. The first two projects undertaken by the LCHS were an effort to place markers at sites of early schools in Lewis County no longer in existence, and a plan to rededicate the Fort Borst blockhouse. By April, membership more than tripled to 396 people and 22 committees were formed to gather and study information on Lewis County history.

The Lewis County Historical Society and Museum incorporated in 1965 and began searching for a museum location by September 1966 despite waning enthusiasm, decreased membership, and difficulty in organizing both the society and the gathered historical information. At the time of the depot's proposed demolition, the LCHS was located in a residence known as the Cory House on Washington Avenue in the city's Hillside Historic District, a National Register of Historic Places site.

The museum began after Dr. and Mrs. Arthur Cory donated their mid-1920s 10,000-square-foot (930 m²) home to the society in October 1966; the offer to the society was dependent on the structure's use as a county museum. The Cory's had been residents of Chehalis since 1903. Arthur was a prominent banker and state representative, also undertaking numerous civil service roles within the community. After remodeling of the home, the Lewis County Historical Museum opened on November 2, 1968. Visitors on opening day were estimated at 500 people and the museum was announced to be open every Thursday afternoon or by appointment.

By the end of the first year of operations, the Cory House museum recorded 4,000 visitors and approximately 500 citizens donated at least one item to the society. The basement featured displays on agriculture and timber, as well as an "old-timey" kitchen. The main floor featured exhibits of various historical collectables along with fashion and home interior styles seen over the years. The area also included two post office counters from discontinued post offices in Grand Mound and the former community of Eagleton near Bunker. The top floor contained bedroom displays of an earlier era, and a beginning form of the society's research library.

The society, looking to expand due to the cramped nature and poor location of the Cory House, as well as its lack of accessibility for disabled and senior citizen visitors, immediately began to research the historical importance of the depot. Despite railroad officials lacking confidence that a museum could work, as well as deeming the depot to unsafe to be a museum due to its immediate proximity to the tracks, the LCHS pushed forward, reaching out and involving Burlington Northern, the Chehalis community, and local businesses.

Restoration

View from railroad tracks, 2011

The Chehalis Depot had been vacant since 1973 and atrophy of the structure was substantial. The city council approved a renovation plan by LCHS member and University of Washington student, Cynthia Elise Botch, in July 1975, leading to almost $115,000 in grants and funding from various parties. Participating agencies and organizations included the Comprehensive Employee Training Act (CETA), the Economic Development Administration (EDA), and the LCHS which used $13,000 of its own funds that were marked for upgrades to the station's electrical and plumbing systems. A Lewis County Public Works director of the county's building department, Dennis Sabin, volunteered to remodel parts of the depot at no taxpayer expense.

As the initial restoration did not include renovating the interior, a pledge drive began in July 1977 to raise $50,000 for such needs as a new heating system and display cases. Students at Green Hill School manufactured and erected a wrought iron fence. With less than two weeks left to raise the money, the drive had raised only $10,000; the low amount was considered to be due to the confusion over the various methods of funding being sought. With a late push, but ultimately falling short, the goal was finally achieved after interest on the deposited funds were added.

Into 1977, the efforts were overseen by Botch and included additional work such as the system installations for security and temperature control; by June, work to reconfigure the interior footprint to better suit a museum layout was still under process. Landscaping, replacing walkways, "rejuvenating" the brick façade and the construction of displays were additional parts of the overall remodel. The roof was replaced by the same month, the labor undertaken by the CETA who also contributed to several other efforts within the facility. In combination with the slow or delayed releases of funds that prevented the completion of several exterior needs, including repairs to the platform and soffits, the opening of the museum was ultimately pushed past several promised dates, such as a planned United States Bicentennial celebration in 1976. A retaining wall on Front Street, which was higher in elevation than the depot, was built of sheet metal and planted with ivy beginning in October 1977.

Funding to fully complete the restoration were figured as low as $100,000 but reached as high as $175,000. Although most costs were considered to be covered by donations of Chehalins and Lewis county residents, additional monies were made available for the restoration via a combination of several county, state, and federal programs. Funds did not cover all the anticipated renovations, requiring a scale of work to be smaller in scope. The monetary constraints did not allow the LCHS to purchase the historic Doty Bridge in 1976, which was under threat of demolition.

During the depot's restoration, residents throughout the county began donating items of historical interest to the LCHS. Keepsakes included clothing and textiles, farm equipment and tools, journals and magazines, maps, photographs, and a scale replica of Fort Borst. Several memorial donations were made to the Chehalis Depot Restoration Fund. An open house was held in May 1977 to show local citizens an early display version of the collected donations. Plaques honoring donors were introduced in August. Affixed to an interior wall, people who donated above $100 received a bronze, "Museum Associates" honor while those who gave above $500 were bestowed with a silver, "Friends" plaque. Any patron who contributed above $1,000 were awarded an inscripted gold plaque under the title, "Museum Patrons".

Opening and dedication

The former Northern Pacific Depot was officially renamed as the Lewis County Historical Society and Museum, with the organization granted rights to the facility under the $1 per year lease signed in 1975.

An early dedication was held on October 7, 1978 and the Cory House location closed ten days later. Lewis County did not declare the renovations as complete until December 27, 1978. The addition of exhibits and displays were begun in early 1979 under the oversight of the museum's first director, Jill Kangas. The museum celebrated its grand reopening on September 18, 1979, with a five-day festival. During the first week, the museum recorded approximately 2,500 visitors.

Late 20th century

Fundraisers were necessary in 1992 and 1995 to help offset operating costs and a lack of "permanent funding". The 1992 drive led to a rewrite of the museum's bylaws helping to improve several accounting and financial issues. However, a continuing reliance on limited membership dues and small grants from the county and the Twin Cities, remained a difficulty, often putting the museum's ability to remain open in jeopardy. Approximately 80% of the operating costs were covered by donations, dues, and interest from the society's endowment fund; remaining income was derived by a local motel and hotel tax.

By 1999, Burlington Northern was offering to sell the building for approximately $200,000, but the society did not have funds to purchase the depot at the time. The museum was struggling financially and the interior, with boarded windows, was described by the LCHS president as "dismal" and "dreary".

21st century

Lewis County Historical Museum, 2022

Due to a lack of funding, volunteer participation, and three directors in three years, the museum struggled in the early 2000s despite a subscription base of 450 members.

The museum began a remodeling effort in 2003 known as the "Renovating the Past for the Future" project. A first phase, with an estimated cost of $35,000 which was mostly funded by donations, focused on expanding rooms dedicated to the local styles of the Victorian era. A second facet was to build a vintage town square display; a final phase was to fully complete both efforts. Additional upgrades to lighting and the refreshing of millwork was also part of the project. Meant to upgrade the presentation of the site while creating the museum as a "vintage destination", the attempted remodel was considered necessary by the acting director at the time as the depot had "an ugly frame around it".

An executive director of the museum was found to have been partly responsible for the loss of $460,000 from the museum's endowment fund beginning in January 2008 to the end of 2010. The accused, Debbie Knapp, shifted funds into a separate account, using the money for personal use. Knapp was accused of spending a total of $100,000 of the organization's funds, which included excessive salary payments to herself. The executive board was replaced after a membership vote in November 2011 and Knapp was arrested in December. The museum, at the time of her arrest, was left with $2,000 and over $13,000 in debts which were in part paid off in part due to a charitable loan from a local bank; the loan, which was also used to purchase computers to assist with scanning historical documents and photographs, was paid back by early 2012.

The museum was closed, with the doors locked, for several weeks in November 2011 during the Chehalis police department-led investigation against Knapp, which included an audit of accounting records from the beginning of 2008. The site was reopened on December 1st with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Employees were also temporarily laid off during the time due to the financial constraints caused by the crime.

Knapp pled guilty in May 2013 and served 8 months of a maximum 14 month sentence. She was ordered to pay back over $95,000. The disorganized bookkeeping of the museum masked attempts to prove that Knapp may have stolen additional funds.

The endowment fund was "resurrected" in early 2014 with two large donations totaling $149,000. The estate of June Clare, a longtime Chehalis resident, was responsible for $125,000 of the new funds; an exhibit room was named in her honor. The endowment was reconfigured by the end of 2017, creating a separate investment account. Withdrawals on the endowment was to be restricted and incoming donations were allowed to be specifically authorized only to be used to generate interest returns for museum operations. The president of the LCHS board stated at the time that removing money from the endowment would "take nearly an act of God".

A documentary, focusing on both Twin City depots at their respective 100th anniversaries, was filmed by KBTC-TV in 2012. Since 2019, the building has been hosting a live camera feed of the train tracks behind the building. Approximately 100 viewers in February 2025 reported an assault of a woman that was being shown live on the camera feed; the suspect fled soon thereafter.

Operations and ownership

At the time of the NRHP nomination, the building was considered privately owned by Burlington Northern though in the process of "public acquisition". The depot and museum building, as of 2012, is owned by Lewis County and maintenance falls under their jurisdiction; the county does not charge the LCHS rent for use of the facility.

The Lewis County Historical Society is considered a non-profit organization, with the Lewis County Historical Museum listed as a separate non-profit corporation. The combined entity's mandate is a dedication to the preservation and history of Lewis County. The society, privately held, and its operations are funded usually by annual memberships, income generated at the museum, or from grants between the Twin Cities of Centralia and Chehalis. An endowment fund, funded by a variety of memorial contributions and subscriptions, provides long-term financial reliability.

Notable volunteers

A group known as The Friday Bunch was formed and seated by the Detering sisters. The trio of Elma, Hazel, and Ruby came from a pioneer family in Lewis County and were long-serving volunteers at the museum, with Elma and Hazel serving since the museum was located at the Cory House in the 1960s.

The museum's research library was named Margaret Shields Library in 2014 after a long-serving volunteer. Shields, known as the museum's official historian, began the library after joining the staff in 1977. She made the first donation to restore the endowment fund after the 2008-2010 embezzlement. Gathering historical documentation in cooperation with Margaret Langus, she became known as one of "the Margarets", and also as "Maggie the Mechanic" due to her employment as a Rosie the Riveter at the local Boeing plant during World War II. Shields died on July 22, 2016 at the age of 96.

Langus, who worked as a nurse at the same Boeing plant, was an archival and research volunteer for 20 years. She died on February 10, 2015 at the age of 93.

Geography

Panorama, 2024

The depot is situated at the northwest end of the National Register of Historic Places-listed Chehalis Downtown Historic District at the intersection of West Street and Front Street. The building's footprint spans to the Front Street intersection with Pacific Avenue. Immediately to the west is the city's Pennsylvania Avenue-West Side Historic District, a listed district on the NRHP.

The Burlington Northern station, along with the NRHP-listed Centralia Union Depot, served as a halfway point between the Columbia River and Puget Sound.

Architecture and site features

Northern Pacific Depot, main entrance, 1912

Unless otherwise noted, the details provided are based on the 1974 National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) nomination form and may not reflect updates or changes to the Northern Pacific Depot/Lewis County Historical Museum in the interim.

The depot is a one-story, rectangular building measuring approximately 45 ft × 160 ft (14 m × 49 m). The station is situated parallel to the railroad tracks and is nearly one block long. The building is described in several different styles, but most predominately as Mission Revival architecture.

Exterior

Center cross gable, 2024

Although a continuous structure, the depot is constructed in a manner that visually separates the building into five sections. The medium-pitched roof contains parapet gables in the second through fourth sections. The sloped, capped gables contain a semi-circular protrusion as well as corbels and decorative brickwork. The middle section is a cross gable roof and is the building's center peak, standing slightly above the adjoining sections. The main roof contains a slight bellcast at the eaves. This overhang and cornice detail continues uninterrupted around the entirety of the depot, insetting or expanding as the plane of the exterior walls change from section to section, creating a consistent soffit width. At the 100th anniversary of the building in 2012, sections of the tiled roof were noted to still remain in its original form.

End gable over main entrance, 2024

The bookended sections contain a shallower, three-quarter hip roof and rest slightly below the parapet gables. The north end section is a covered porch, once the main entrance to the original waiting room. Six posts, of which two are attached to the building, are split three to a side and support the porch roof. At the time of the NRHP nomination, stenciled warnings were added to each side of all posts, declaring, "DO NOT SPIT".

The south end, the location of the freight office, is enclosed and inset to the fourth section which was the original baggage handling area. The walls of the third section extend several feet out from the attached waiting and baggage sections, and contains a rectangular bay window. Long, vertical windows, originally for use of railroad personnel to observe approaching trains, provide views of the tracks from the second and fourth sections.

The central area once contained the railroad office and a telegraph room. The layout of the building was efficient, requiring minimum use of connecting hallways and seamless transitions for passengers from the waiting room to the baggage area.

The walls contain a continuous course of stone above a beginning stone base layer. The stone course is interrupted only by doorways and the windows rest upon its top course. Double-door entrances are located at the freight and baggage area and contained multi-pane transom windows. Three doors provide access to the waiting room, one located under the covered porch and two side entrances opposite each other on the east and west walls. Windows, usually double-hung with multi-pane transoms, are set in a consistent manner with exceptions at the baggage area.

Interior

Ceramic tile interior walls, 2024

The waiting room off the covered porch section is noted for a cove ceiling with an "unusually large radius". The walls contain Neoclassical architecture pilasters that become ribs that equally converge across the ceiling. At the time of the NRHP nomination, the chest-high wainscotting was white-glazed and the floor was terrazzo. The passenger room, converted along with other parts of the floor as a display area for the museum, is approximately 4,600 square feet (430 m²) in size.

Extinct features

The station once contained a public telephone booth, installed before February 1922. Two grass lawn areas were located immediate to the north and south entrances of the station after the 1912 construction.

McKinley Stump

McKinlkey Stump at main entrance, 2024

Located at the Lewis County Historical Museum is the McKinley Stump, a replica of a 6 foot (1.8 metres) tall remnant of a Douglas fir cut down in 1901 near Pe Ell. Dated between 360 and 700 years old, it was meant to be used as a speech pedestal for President William McKinley, but the event was cancelled. Theodore Roosevelt used it during his 1903 visit and William H. Taft employed the stump as a podium in 1907. The artifact was originally placed in downtown under a pagoda, but was moved to the railroad depot. After damages caused by arson, the stump was moved to Recreation Park Complex in the late 1940s. Due to an infestation of carpenter ants and subsequent rot, the historical pulpit was removed from the park in 2007 and a replica stump, cut from Tenino, was installed at the museum in 2008 with a restored pagoda and a display of an undamaged slab of the original artifact.

In the immediate years after the construction of the depot, the McKinley Stump was featured on a grassy lawn area, immediately south of the freight entrance to the depot.

Museum displays and features

The museum hosts several distinct rooms and areas pertaining to the history of railroads, timber, Native Americans, and early pioneer life in Chehalis. The building also includes a research library and a model train display. The museum's gift shop provides books on local and county history. Initial components of the depot permanently reside in the museum, which includes a passenger bench and water fountain, as well as the original ticket window. Exhibits in the main gallery are changed approximately every six months and some items donated to the museum are required to be on permanent display. Guided tours of the museum, as well as instructional classes on early crafts and homemaking, are offered.

The museum exhibit space was listed, in 2000, as 4,600 square feet (430 m²) and by 2003, the museum held a collection touching on over 50,000 historical subjects in the county as well as a repertory of 15,000 photographs. The cache is focused extensively on pioneer and family histories in the area, complied from 35,000 records obtained from cemetery, census, marriage, and obituary documents. Oral records of early pioneers are recorded on tape and are stored at the museum. In August 2024, the museum opened a free, online database containing possibly more than 35,000 photographs from its collection.

The most recognized display is an expansive, working model train exhibit that was unveiled at a free event in 2005. Completed in 2012 under the Lewis County Model Railroad Club, the 15 ft × 36 ft (4.6 m × 11.0 m) miniature depicts a condensed version of Lewis County and the 600-square-foot (56 m²) space includes a variety of artifacts and photographs detailing railroad history in the county.

The main room, once the passenger waiting area, is used for exhibits and displays, some rotated based on local festivities or historical perspectives. The primary gallery includes areas focusing on antiques, such as clothes, dolls, and quilts, and has had displays on "hometown baseball", an early-1900s second hand store, and a one-room school. A notable display, known as the "Home Sweet Home" exhibit, features a laundry porch with items intended for interactive use. A permanent art gallery was created in 2015 in the front room; the exhibit is in partnership with ARTrails, a county-wide arts initiative.

A second gallery, known as Gallery II and the Indian Room, features a dugout canoe, indigenous crafts including baskets woven by Mary Kiona, a diorama on longhouses, and a tribute to Roy I. Rochon Wilson. An archive of the recorded history of Lewis County is located in Gallery III, the research library. The room contains Donation Land Claim records, written history and journals of early county pioneers, as well as local newspapers from as early as 1884. Several display areas include a blacksmithing shop and mercantile exhibit, while other sections focus on the region's farming, mining, and timber backgrounds. An interactive area spanning two rooms feature typewriters, tools, and a water pump, and was opened in April 1997. The venue's attic space stores numerous, donated items not readily inserted into permanent or focused exhibits but have, at times, been part of temporary showings of the eclectic or history on pioneer life.

Three exhibits pertaining to the Centralia Tragedy have been held at the museum. The first, containing documents and photographs, was unveiled in November 1994. An exhibit in 2003 was built to honor the county's early law and justice history, with attention on the Armistice Day Riot. A temporary exhibit in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Centralia Massacre was on display through the latter-half of 2019. The “probably the most controversial display ever” showcased a looped, 43-second film that was recorded on the day after the Armistice Riot; the event also displayed photos pertaining to the legal proceedings in the aftermath, and numerous other artifacts, including newspaper clippings and American Legion and IWW paraphernalia.

In addition to Gallery II, the museum has hosted several exhibits on local and regional indigenous history, including an eight-month long feature in the main gallery titled, "Two Rivers, Two People". The event, beginning in late-2000, focused on the history of both the Chehalis and Cowlitz people which included artifacts and photographs.

Retrospectives have spanned several topics and genres pertinent to the county. The history of the KELA (AM) radio station and its founder, J. Elroy McCaw, was displayed during an exhibit in mid-1996. A tribute exhibit, known as "Women's History: HER-itage Celebration", was held during Women's History Month in 2003. Focusing on "women's contributions to society, culture and history", the event displayed historical perspectives of prominent Lewis County women, such as Matilda (Mary) Jackson and the matriarch of Chehalis, Eliza Tynan Saunders Barrett. Women of national and international note were also featured. The suffrage movement and women's roles during World War II were noted components of the retrospective. Artifacts found during a military-led excavation at Centralia's Army National Guard Armory on Seminary Hill were part of a display in late-2019. Items included connections to the site of nearby historic Grace Seminary and Centralia General Hospital.

Several World War II retrospectives have taken place at the museum. A temporary exhibit begun in July 1998 and titled, "Hardships and Heartstrings: Stories from the Homefront During World War II", focused on the county and local war effort as well as the difficulties experienced by those who remained stateside. An event known as "Remembrance Day", honoring the 75th anniversary of Lewis County's beginning involvement in the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, was held at the museum on June 3, 2017. A permanent display of the historical moment was added to the depot's collection. A plaque with the inscription, “Time has revealed the injustice of your experience, which we regret. We admire your loyalty, patriotism and dedication to this nation”, was also dedicated to Lewis County citizens who left to the camps via the Chehalis depot. Japanese-Americans, given Army identification tags that were numbered and yellow, were shipped to Tule Lake War Relocation Center on June 2, 1942, one of the first groups in the nation to do so. A follow-up exhibit and program, in cooperation with the Japanese American Museum of Oregon was held five years later.

The 100th anniversary of the Chehalis depot in 2012 involved several events and exhibits. A weekend car show in May, titled as "100 Years of Transportation", showcased vintage automobiles and transportation in the early 1900s. The festivities were held in conjunction with local car enthusiasts and the Vintage Motorcycle Museum, located in the downtown district's Hotel Washington at the time. A "100 Years of Technology" event, focusing on logging equipment, was held later that same month.

Notable artifacts in the museum's collection include an M3 Stuart tank, which was acquired in 1982 and was displayed at the site until 2003. The mobile weapon was moved to the city's Veterans Memorial Museum; a disagreement over ownership of the tank is unresolved due to a lack of paperwork. A vintage horse-drawn carriage that was part of a display at the Joseph Borst House was donated by the city of Centralia to the museum in 2017. A maple and yellow cedar violin, crafted in 1912 by Calvin Lemuel Young, a logger and Chehalis resident at the time, was donated to the museum in 2024. The instrument was used in a Washington Old Time Fiddlers Association performance at the museum as part of a "homecoming" ceremony for the musical artifact.

Future plans

A railfan park has been considered since 2022 that would neighbor the Lewis County Historical Society and Museum. The idea began after the livestream video camera was placed on the museum in 2019. The park's plans include benches and tables, a boardwalk, and a caboose open for interactive exploration. The depot, since its conversion to a historical repository, has long lacked an area for the viewing of trains despite a mile-long sightline for incoming trains. The project was reinvigorated in 2025 after the death of Daryl Lund, a well-respected and prominent Chehalis resident who, as a member of the city council, helped authorize the railfan camera. The updated plans, adhering to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, would include a photograph interpretive display and a courtyard.

Events and festivals

The museum was host to several events held during the 150th anniversary of Lewis County. The ceremonies included the December 1994 kickoff of the year-long celebration and an unveiling of the sesquicentennial logo.

In an effort to raise funds and promote the museum, the LCHS cooperated with the Chehalis–Centralia Railroad in September 2006 to stage a performative train robbery. Employees of the museum participated in the event.

Throughout May 2012, events were held at the museum in celebrating the 100th anniversary of the station. The first event focused on transportation, with a vintage car show that featured horse drawn carriages. A postmark with a pictorial cancellation was offered by the Chehalis Post Office, commemorating the depot's construction. The cancellation stamp featured an illustration of the building. Envelopes, with either a McKinley Stump photo or of a railroad-style logo, were also offered. The postmark celebration was held during a one-day only “100 Years of Technology” exhibit that featured vintage railroad and agricultural equipment, as well as older technology such as cameras, radios, and telephones. An official anniversary ceremony was celebrated on May 26, 2012 with a focus on technology. A working telegraph, on loan from a museum in Winlock, was on display and available for use, and the festivities included live music and the unveiling of information kiosks highlighting historical locations throughout the city.

The museum has been part of the Chehalis Flying Saucer Festival, an event that honors the city's connection of the 1947 Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting. Held since 2019, it features candy and gift-filled cardboard flying saucers known as the "saucer drop" that celebrates the 1947 flying disc craze; the drop was once part of Chehalis's "Krazy Days", an annual festival now known as ChehalisFest.

Significance

NRHP plaque, 2024

Prior to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) listing, the station was added to the Washington State Heritage Register on March 8, 1974. The depot was added to the NRHP on November 6, 1974. The NRHP nomination declared the station to be in "good condition" and in a mostly unaltered state. The depot was considered a "distinctive historical asset" and noted as a focal point in the city's business district.

Architecturally, the depot's design and style was recognized as a "good example" of the standard for train stations in medium-sized cities such as Chehalis in the early 20th century. The NRHP form also noted the connection of Theodore Roosevelt's visit to the city and the McKinley Stump.

After the depot was built in 1912, the Chehalis Bee-Nugget newspaper wrote that the first station in 1890 was borne out of the community's pride and flag stop efforts in the 1870s, declaring the moment as "typical" of the Chehalis spirit and a show of the town's character. The overall work was considered crucial to the 1912 historic station, deeming the excitement over the new structure and it's usefulness to the community to be deserved.

See also

• List of historical societies in Washington (state)

References

Bibliography

• McDonald Zander, Julie (2011). Images of America - Chehalis. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738576039. Retrieved April 16, 2025.
• Crowell, Sandra A. (2007). The Land Called Lewis - A History Of Lewis County, Washington. Chehalis, Washington: Panesko Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9794515-0-8. Retrieved April 16, 2025.

External links

• Chehalis Bee-Nugget - The City of Chehalis, County Seat of Lewis County, State of Washington, 1909 guide - via HathiTrust
• The Daily Chronicle, August 16, 1977 - Fundraising ad
• Lewis County Historical Museum website
• Lewis County Historical Society and Museum - Cory House, photo, date unknown
• Lewis County Historical Society and Museum - Cory House, photo, 1960s
• Lewis County Historical Museum - interior, photo, 1978
• LewisTalk - From Rails to Relics: The Story of the Chehalis Depot Turned Lewis County Historical Museum
• PBS.org - Railroad Ties, documentary on Chehalis and Centralia depots