Tag Archives: History

Russ Kurtz

Long-time Crown Hill Resident Russ Kurtz passed away on Friday, April 1st, 2011. Russ founded the Crown Hill Vet Clinic on Holman Rd NW at 14th Ave NW. He practiced there until 1986. Russ also served on the Carkeek Park Advisory Council.

The obituary in the Seattle Times can be found here.  Russ’ memorial service will be held Tuesday, April 26th at University Unitarian Church at 2 PM.

Fire Station #35 Dedication in September

Station 35 Sign
New Fire Station #35 Sign

On Saturday, September 25, the new fire station will be dedicated. Come on out for this community celebration at 1:30 pm. The neon-lighted artwork will provide a recognizable night-time landmark for Crown Hill. [UPDATE: Mayor McGinn will be there for the dedication ceremony, and there will be a mini-town hall meeting at the fire station beginning at 2 PM. This is your chance to meet the Mayor and let him know your concerns].

Did you know?
Did you know that Fire Station 35 was once home to a horse-drawn fire rig, and that rig was the last horse drawn rig in service in the city of Seattle? And that Fire Station 35 was also home to an amphibious rescue craft at one time? Check out some really interesting pictures and historical facts about the history of fire fighting in Seattle at the Last Resort Fire Department. (Hint: do a text search for “Engine 35” on that page to find the picture of the last run of the horse drawn rig, and “Apparatus 302” to find the amphibious craft).

Home Research 201: Delve Deeper into Your Home’s History

Interested in what tales your home holds of its past owners?  The Ballard Historical Society is holding a lecture on how to use the Puget Sound Regional Archives to find out more.

A free lecture
sponsored by the Ballard Historical Society
Thursday, October 21, 2010
7:00 p.m.- 8:15 p.m.
Speaker: Greg Lange, Puget Sound Regional Archives
Sunset Hill Community Center,
3003 NW 66th Street
(206) 992-7010 for more information

Join us Thursday, October 21, 2010 for “Home Research 201: Delve Deeper Into Your Home’s History,” when Greg Lange, professional researcher at Puget Sound Regional Archives, will use his research of a 1902 house in Fremont to show how archives information can shed light on your own home’s history.

Mr. Lange researched the Fremont 1902 Fitch-Nutt house at the request of the City of Seattle when the community rallied against demolition of the property. He’ll bring interesting maps, tax records, and directories that you would explore on a visit to the Puget Sound Regional Archives.

The lecture is preceded by a brief annual meeting. BHS members, please come to vote on certain board positions and to volunteer or comment on the direction of the organization. Join us — it’s free!

We showed you how to find old pictures of your house in this article, but there is much more which can be discovered.

Looking for Old Pictures of Your House?

Old Picture of My House
Oldest Picture of My House (click to enlarge)

Most of us are not the original owners of the house we live in. It is only natural to wonder what our abode might have looked like in past years before the addition, how long that tree in the front yard has been there, when the garage was added, what was the original siding like, etc. Often, prior owners have moved on, or passed away without leaving us valuable clues to the history of the house.

It turns out that there are some public resources available to satiate our curiosity. This article points to one of those resources:  King County Records. In a later article, I will detail information available from Puget Sound Regional Archives.

Continue reading Looking for Old Pictures of Your House?

Gifts from the Builder: The Eddie McAbee Park Entrance

By Heidi Madden and Chris Jacobsen

Have you ever driven past the Eddie McAbee entrance to Carkeek Park off of NW 100th Place and wondered who Eddie McAbee is?  Perhaps the name sounded familiar:  Didn’t a guy named McAbee build a bunch of stuff around here?

Eddie McAbee Entrance
Eddie McAbee Entrance to Carkeek Park

Eddie McAbee was in fact the son of F.R. “Dick” McAbee, the prolific builder who, in the mid-1950s, developed and built much of what we see now on lower Crown Hill between Holman Road and NW 100th Place, including what used to be Art’s Plaza, now QFC.  The Eddie McAbee park entrance land was originally part of the 105 acres on the east slope of Crown Hill purchased by Dick McAbee in 1945.  The duplexes you see at the park entrance are McAbee built.

Dick McAbee was a self-made man.  He was $10,000 in debt at the start of the Depression because of an employer who skipped town.  It took him ten years, but he paid back every cent.  He went on to build a real estate empire and a sterling reputation in the local business community.

Continue reading Gifts from the Builder: The Eddie McAbee Park Entrance