This article links to a two-part series on the history of the Crown Hill Cemetery. The articles are posted in “Beyond The Ghosts … A Cemetery Blog” by GE Anderson. The mystery of Lily the Tabby Cat interred there is almost as intriguing as the Cipher in Room 214 burial.
Cemeteries can tell many tales of the past. Know any tales of folk interred at Crown Hill Cemetery? If you are interested in sharing, please contact me: dennis@crownhillneighbors.org. Similarly, if you are interested in Crown Hill history in general or have any tips, please contact me.
On the crisp, clear afternoon of December 7, 1924, ships passing through Puget Sound on their way to Elliott Bay were treated to a surprise: On a ridge high above the Sound, just north of Seattle, a new 600-square-foot American flag had been hoisted. The impressive symbol, meant to be the “first sight of Seattle†for ships bound for Elliott Bay, marked the official opening of the new Olympic Golf and County Club.
Golfers at Olympic Golf Course circa 1925 (click to enlarge) -- PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection, MOHAI
Golf Club Manager Douglas McLeod McMillin and Club President William M. Bolcom had the honor of hoisting the flag for the first time to the top of its 118-foot pole next to the new club house located at about 20th Ave. NW and NW 89th Street. The flag’s inauguration took place in front of about a hundred spectators, many of whom were visiting the new golf course for the first time.
Work on the new course began in May of 1924 on the picturesque site. Architect Francis James actively oversaw the work, and while Bolcom was publicly dedicated to opening the course to golfers in late fall, James was less convinced that the deadline could be met. But in late October of 1924, the new course was unofficially opened to the public – ahead of schedule.
The 18-hole course, at the time just north of the Seattle city limits, was an L-shaped property that stretched east to west from 15th Ave. NW to 24th Ave. NW. Its longest north-to-south line was on its west side, where it stretched from NW 95th Street to NW 85th Street.
Olympic Golf Course circa 1936 (click to enlarge)
Bing’s Favorite Swing
The course was designed to challenge seasoned golfers, and it attracted many legends and pioneers of the sport: Tommy Armour, aka “The Silver Scot,†winner of the 1927 U.S. Open and the 1931 British Open; Macdonald “Mac†Smith, whose full-swing technique Bing Crosby admired; Johnny Farrell, winner of the 1928 U.S. Open; and Horton Smith, who in 1934 was the first winner of the new Augusta National Invitation Tournament, later named The Masters Tournament.
Perhaps the club’s most notable visitor was the charismatic and impeccably dressed Walter “The Haig†Hagen, five-time PGA Championship winner who, in 1922, was the first native-born American to win the British open. But more important to some local fans, in 1929 Hagen broke the Olympic Golf Club mark by scoring a 68 while paired with Horton Smith in an exhibition match against the club professional and an ace amateur.
If you were to stand facing north at the intersection of 8th Ave. NW and NW 105th today, you would see rows of ramblers built in the early 1950s during the post-war building boom. You would hear traffic from Holman Road and Greenwood Ave. N. But years ago, my parents, Art and Betty Jacobsen, lived in a quiet farmhouse on a dairy farm at this very location.
In the early 1940s, Art and his older brother, Chris, owned and operated the Pedersen Dairy, formerly called Puritan Dairy Farm. Its southeast boundary was roughly NW 105th and 8th Ave. NW. It stretched for about 20 acres – up the hill to the west, and north to the current border of Carkeek Park.
Aerial photo of the area from 1936. Red dot indicates the location of the farmhouse. The farm outbuildings, including the barn, can be also be seen to the north in this photo.
Art had moved to the Seattle area from Minnesota in 1934 at the age of 19. He joined Chris, who had already been in the area for two years.
Art with his milk delivery truck (children unknown), early 1940s
In the late 1930s, the two brothers worked for their uncle, Harold Vikelyst, who owned the Puritan Dairy Farm. They met every morning at their uncle’s house, which was located at 10028 12th Ave. NW. The house, which was built in 1928, still stands today.
Ever wonder what your neck of the woods looked like a long time ago? A while ago, I stumbled across a set of aerial photographs from 1936 at the King County Records site. Looking at many areas of Crown Hill using the online IMAP Geographic Information System, I visualized the area before it was converted to the present day densely packed grid of mostly single family houses. The whole area bore a distinctly rural character, with scattered rectangular arrays of orchard trees, agricultural plots and out buildings. Holman Road existed, though it appears unpaved and deeply rutted. The red dot on the photo below is at the intersection of present day 12th Ave NW and NW 95th.
12th and 95th aerial view (1936) Click on the photo to view full size
Before 1913, the County Stockade took up several blocks of Crown Hill between NW 85th and 15th NW to 8th NW. A large building and bath house were enclosed by an eight foot fence where men worked to clear land, cut wood and build roads for the county. According to old pioneers, lazy husbands worked for their food and $1.50 a day which was given to their wives…. Continue reading Crown Hill History Article→
