HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006 Issue 3 - Elliott Farm, Dairy Hopes and DreamsOctober 2006 Volume 37, Number 3
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Right on the outskirts of Renton on Maple Valley Highway stands the last intact early dairy farm in the lower CedarRiver Valley, the Elliott Farm. Although you wouldn’t know it to look at the farm today, in its heyday it was one of themost progressive farms in the area, designed to reflect state-of-the-art standards of cleanliness and ef ficiency. R. J.Elliott constructed his farmhouse and outbuildings between 1906 and 1911; three generations of Elliotts ran the farmbefore selling their dairy herd in 1968. In 1990 the Elliott House and farm were designated landmarks by the KingCounty Landmarks Commission. Since then it has been at the center of ongoing discussions about the importance ofhistoric preservation to the residents of Renton and its surroundings.Robert James (or R. J.)Elliott was born in 1869on a dairy farm inChesterville, Ontario,Canada. At age elevenhe left school to workon his family’s farm.Around 1880 he triedfarming in Iowa, and in1889 he moved toSeattle. The GreatSeattle Fire providedhim an opportunity toearn a stake in life;Elliott worked as acarpenter, cleaning upthe fire debris andhelping rebuild PioneerSquare.1
Elliott Farmhouse, 1989.
Elliott Farm:Dairy Hopes and DreamsBy Elizabeth P. Stewart
Masthead Photo: R. J. Elliott (Clarence Bagley, History of King County, 1929).
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Renton Historical QuarterlySusie Bressan, Graphic Design & LayoutLouise George, Copy EditorDaisy Ward, Text Input & Copy EditorKarl Hurst, City of Renton Print and Mail Services
Renton Historical Society
Board of Trustees Bob Hunt, PresidentSandra Meyer, Vice PresidentElizabeth P. Stewart, SecretaryPaula Tran, TreasurerJerrilynn Hadley, '07Patty Law, '07Vicky Persson, '07Larry Sleeth, '07Robert Bonner '08Kevin McQuiller, '08Ron Stroben '08Susie Bressan '09Laura Clawson, '09Doug Kyes, '09Martha Zwicker, '09Terri Briere, City Liaison
Museum StaffElizabeth P. Stewart, Museum DirectorDaisy Ward, Administrative AssistantDorota Rahn, Volunteer CoordinatorTom Monahan, Research SpecialistSarah Iles, Collection ManagerPearl Jacobson, RegistrarLouise George, SecretaryRenton Historical Museum235 Mill Avenue SouthRenton, WA 98057Phone: 425.255.2330FAX: 425.255.1570
Board Meetings: Please call the museumfor time and location.
Hours:Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pmAdmission:$3 for adults$1 for childrenAlways free to members and to thegeneral public on the first Wednesdayand third Saturday of the month.
By Bob Hunt, PresidentPresident's Message
The feature article on the Elliot Farm comes at an interesting time. Renton’sannexation plans include a stretch out the Maple Valley Highway clear out tothe end of the old Aqua Barn Ranch. This means that the Elliot Farm will soonbe a part of Renton. Interlocal agreements with the County can mean that theprotection provided by the Historic Landmark designation will be continued, withRenton taking the lead. How that will occur or what department in the City willtake ownership is not yet clear.What does come to notice is the fact that the City does not have an historicpreservation ordinance of its own. The firehouse that holds our museum is onthe National Register of Historic Places, but there is no other legal restriction onwhat can be done to the structure or the property. Discussion during pastadministrations has always run up against the concern that historic preservationcould impede business growth.The lack of a law isn’t only because of that, of course. If the citizens of Rentonhad wanted to initiate protections of heritage structures and had put some effortinto that, it would have happened. Renton’s history is filled with examples of thecitizens leading the way. We could have done something in the past. We canstill do something for the future.Certainly many of the oldest structures that I’ve seen were also the least likelyto be able to be sustained for a long time. Many early buildings in Renton wereconstructed for the short term, and only ended up lasting for more than a fewdecades because of flukes in development over time. An audit of buildings inthe city core some years ago found there were no buildings left there that trulyqualified as historic. That audit was of limited scope and stayed close to SouthSecond and South Third.Lande Feed’s interesting old facility was built of the old ‘box’ style, which lentitself to fires and structural failure from the slightest rot, both of which finallycontributed to its demise.Armondo Pavone and Mr. and Mrs. Tim Searing took the old Melrose Bar andturned it into a wonderful example of preservation while building a successfulbusiness. The building, if you didn’t know, was once a three-story hotel, but theupper floors were lost to fire many years ago. Some other buildings in thatneighborhood have experienced some level of preservation of their originalappearance while being updated to serve the businesses that occupied them.If we are going to try to retain some of our history in the form of buildings, weneed to look around and see what we have that we want to keep. We need toclearly determine why we would want to keep them. We need to understandthe costs involved and find a way to support those costs over time. We need tocreate a preservation plan that works for the business community. Finally, weneed to know what we’re going to do with this preserved structure. It does noone any good to preserve any empty building, not even the building.The Elliot Farm qualifies as historic, as outlined by the Landmarks Commissionrules, for its representation of farming history and its unique structure. Is thatenough for the community to do the work involved to try to preserve it? Whatwould we want it to be in the future, since returning it to a dairy farm isn’tpractical? I’ve heard some interesting ideas. An estimate of what it would taketo just restore the buildings to a useful condition is around $2 million. Thatdoesn’t count trying to acquire it from the developer who owns the property andwould as soon seen it dozed. If the farm isn’t worth our energy, what is?
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Renton Historical QuarterlyRenton Museum ReportBy Elizabeth P. Stewart
Dear friends,
Summer is always a planning and regrouping time in the museum world. Oneday we are swamped with tourists and summer campers, and the next we haveabsolute quiet. It’s a perfect time toclear up all the tasks that have beenwaiting since the beginning of theyear.
Since July 31 our chief clearer-upperand problem-solver has been our newCollection Manager, Sarah Iles. She isa dedicated and conscientious additionto our staff, unfazed by such excitingcollection finds as antique fire sup-pressors filled with hazardous chemi-cals. Check out her report in thisquarterly.
Also in the “planning and regrouping”department, this summer the Board’sStrategic Planning Committee and I have been revising the Strategic Plan. Thecurrent plan was approved by the Board six years ago, and with a new Direc-tor—me—it was time to take stock. It’s satisfying to see how many of the goalsset in 2000 have already been accomplished: completing a Museum Manage-ment Agreement with the City; reaching out to Renton’s business community;hiring a professional staff; starting the process of museum accreditation with theAmerican Association of Museums; and establishing PastPerfect as the collec-tions cataloguing database. What a great basis for planning improvements in ourmission to document, preserve, interpret, and educate!
Also in the planning department, Dorota has developed an exciting Fall calendarof programs for families and adults. If you haven’t already been to one of theseevents, be sure to come to the next one—each speaker is not only a learningexperience, but it’s also fun to get together with others excited about Rentonhistory!
All in all, we’re heading into the fall with a spirit of renewed dedication to thework we do at the Museum, and we’re looking for all of you to join us here.Come see our New Acquisition—the 1946 Puget Sound Championship footballdonated by Council Member Terri Briere—or participate in one of our Tuesdayor Saturday events, volunteer your time on a Saturday, or just stop by and sayhello. If you like what you see, don’t forget to tell your friends!
For moreinformation aboutFarm PreservationInitiative 933 on the November bal-lot will affect state historic preser-vation regulations. The WashingtonTrust for Historic Preservation isopposing the initiative; see http://www.wa-trust.org/PDFs/I-933%20Article.pdf.
Supporters’ website ishttp://www.propertyfairness.com/.Barn Again! is a national pro-gram that assists owners ofhistoric barns with preservation.http://www.agriculture.com/ag/category.jhtml?categoryid=/templatedata/ag/category/data/agbarnagainchannel.xml
The Washington Trust for His-toric Preservation is a nonprofitdedicated to safeguarding thestate’s historic places through ad-vocacy, education, stewardship, andcommunity collaboration.Visithttp://www.wa-trust.org/index.htm.
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Elliott Farm story continued from page 1
Our records indicate this is the “Elliott family ofRainier Avenue,” yet two of the children have thesame names as R. J. Elliott’s sons Will and George.Can you help us identify these children?(#1997.073.4574)
Like many pioneers, R. J. Elliott saw the fertile Cedar River valley as his chance for a successful livelihood. It was anideal time for a young man to choose dairying in western Washington. In the early 1900s many were discovering that theregion west of the Cascades was “an ideal climate for dairying.”2 Beef cattle required plenty of land for ranging, but asone economist observed, “the farmer who has only a small capital and whose chief resource is his own labor…caneconomically invest his labor in an enterprise like dairying.”3 The Seattle area was also a growing market for dairyproducts. In 1902 the U.S. Census report for agriculture predicted that “the small relative quantity of dairy productsmanufactured in the Western division, and also the nearness of the mining centers of that division to local markets,assure…an unsurpassed market for the produce of the western dairymen.”4
In 1894 Elliott invested his earnings in an 80-acre land grant on the lower Cedar River, then about two miles southeast ofRenton. He purchased the land with J. C. Newberry, Charles Burnett, and a third unknown man. Elliott leased and laterbought an adjoining 143 acres from Peter Jarvis. By the late 1800s he owned 213 acres in Maple Valley and another 160acres in Snohomish County. He raised funds to increase his holdings by cutting shake and shingle bolts from the cedartrees he cleared from his own land, and floating them down the river to a mill on Lake Washington.Elliott plunged wholeheartedly into farming, according to the most up-to-date scientific principles. He designed and built astate-of-the-art milk barn, a hay barn with interior silo, a small feed house, a horse barn (later converted to a second milkbarn), and a chicken house (later moved and converted to a milk house). R. J.’s grandson, A. George Elliott, Jr., laterremembered with pride that R. J. patterned the buildings after the barns and farmhouses of his eastern Ontario childhood.On the inside the main barn incorporated such new ideas as concrete floors and lower walls designed to be easily hosedoff, running water, flyproof ventilators, and convenient feeding andwatering systems. Elliott was even determined to electrify beforecommercial power was widely available. He installed a generatorpowered by a spring behind the house and stored the excess electricityin large glass batteries. In 1917 R. J. bought one of the first tractors inthe area; R. J. drove the tractor over gravel roads at four miles anhour back and forth between his two farms forty miles apart.5
By 1911 Elliott decided to replace the small frame house he had built in1894 with a much grander Craftsman-style house. Sons WilliamChapman and Andrew George, young teenagers by then, helped theirfather with the construction. Elliott’s craftsmanship helped ensure thatthe buildings lasted as long as they have. The farmhouse’s elegantdesign and innovative construction earned it a spread a 1921 SundaySeattle Times, which described the home as “a model of city living inthe country.”6 The house had electricity and spring water piped downfrom the ridge above. Every one of the nine rooms had nine- or ten-foot ceilings.His wife of 20 years, Fannie Anne Woodward, and their three chil-dren—William, George, and Gladys Louise—settled into their newhome. The children attended the nearby grade school, coincidentallycalled “Elliott School” after a Civil War soldier who’d lived therebriefly. The boys helped on the farm and with the ongoing clearing ofthe land, greasing the skids for the cedar logs to be dragged to thesawmill. A. George Elliott, Jr., recalled that “when you’re raised on adairy farm, there’s always something for boys to do.”7 The Elliottboys fed calves and cleaned up after them, later graduating to milkingcows.
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Elliott Farm continued on page 6
Paper hood that covered Elliott Dairy’s milk bottle caps R. J. died in 1922, and his sons split the two farmsbetween them. William took over the Snohomish Farmand George took responsibility for the main farm. Theirmother, Fannie, remained in the old farmhouse with hersister, Minnie Blackburn, and Minnie’s three daughters.Fannie was important to the farm in her own right. Bornin Ireland, she and her parents and seven siblings immi-grated to an 800-acre Kansas farm sometime in 1884. Ayear later both parents were dead, the house had burned,and an older brother, Andrew, was farming near Seattle.Fannie and sister Minnie came west to settle near Andy.Fannie attended the University of Washington for a year.Her grandson remembered her as “a strong-willed lady,”who helped feed the family by raising a garden andkeeping chickens, sometimes producing enough eggs tosell to customers on milk runs. Fannie died on the farm atthe age of 85.8
Small farmers had to be entrepreneurial to make a living.After George took over operations, he kept two teams ofhorses, one for working the farm and the second to rentto the County for hauling gravel during road construction.The Elliott Farm kept mainly Guernsey cows with a fewHolsteins. The Elliotts milked 40 to 70 cows twice a day;another 30 to 40 were young calves or beef cattle. Themilk was stored in cooled ten-gallon cans and then taken to the Seattle bottlers. During the Depression, George beganbottling and delivering his own milk to Renton and surrounding areas. He distributed raw, or unpasteurized, milk until 1938,when he began pasteurizing on the farm. Elliott’s Dairy advertised in 1933, “if you haven’t tried Our Milk and Creamyou’re missing sunshine’s Golden beam.”9
By the 1950s small local dairy opera-tions faced greater competition as thelarger Seattle dairies reached out tosouth King County. Milk bottlers alsobegan to move toward homogenizationand paper cartons, changes in technol-ogy that would have been expensive forElliott Farm. In 1951 George gave upthe milk route and began supplying rawmilk to the Smith Brothers Dairy inKent. Small farms also faced otherchallenges. Regulations about thedisposal of manure became morestringent, and as farming mechanized,providing feed for the cows becamemore expensive. The next generation ofElliotts, Robert and A. George Jr.,operated the farm briefly after GeorgeSr.’s retirement in 1962. George Sr.died in 1965 and the dairy herd was soldin 1968. After almost 100 years ofcontinuous Elliott family ownership, in1981 the Elliotts sold the farm to MapleValley Associates.
Many dairy farmers delivered milk directly to homes, as Elliott’s Dairy did. Here isNelson’s Dairy delivery cart in 1911, with driver Charlie Marshall standing.(#1966.025.0064)
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A few years after the farm was sold, George Jr. recalled many of the changes that the Elliott Farm had seen in his 60-plusyears. He believed that his generation of farmers had seen the greatest change in farming. “It was all basically the sameup until I was a young one growing up,” he remembered. Yet he was not nostalgic about life on the farm. Although “itwas a good way of life,” it was a hard way of life and times had changed. “I wouldn’t want my grandkids to have to startout that way,” he said in 1987.
DEMOLITION BY NEGLECTAs so often happens with family farms, changes in farming, the complexities of family finances, and rising real estateprices got the better of Elliott Farm. As Renton’s population grew, land along Maple Valley Highway became morevaluable. The Elliott Farm and its surroundings were rezoned for “intensive residential development.” Maple Valley LandAssociates had purchased the 140 acres left of the farm for multifamily housing and commercial development. Between1972 and 1983 the farmhouse was rented to Richard Barrett, who saved much of the farmhouse’s handcrafted wood-work. But by 1983 the home and its outbuildings, now owned by developers, sat vacant and unprotected from weather andvandalism, a process known among historic preservationists as “demolition by neglect.”10
In October 1990 the King County Landmarks Commission unanimously designated about 15 ½ acres of the Elliott Farmand its buildings a King County Landmark, beginning a tug-of-war between preservationists and developers. Maple ValleyAssociates appeared to be working cooperatively with the county to include preservation of the farm buildings in itsMaster Plan. Because of the farm’s significance, King County appropriated $25,000 to stabilize the buildings, and a youngcouple, Wendy and Ken McCollim, led that effort. The McCollims had hoped to buy the farm in the early 1980s, but theprice was out of their reach. Instead they became unpaid caretakers of the property for a couple years in the early 1990s,recruiting others to help shore up the buildings. They put up floodlights and boarded up windows to keep out vandals.11But the extent of the damage and neglect discouraged even the Elliott descendents about the possibility of preserving thefarm in a cost-effective way. They believed that preserving the farm was “insensible” and they advocated “total demoli-tion of the structures.” “Let’s use the money on something constructive!” they wrote in letters to the editors of the localpapers.12
Caught between developers’ desires for the land and the cost of preservation, the Elliott Farm continued to deteriorate. In1995 the Cedarwood Group acquired the property through bankruptcy foreclosure, and they were determined to developthe acreage. The McCollims were evicted, and a boundary line adjustment was undertaken that reduced the protectedland to 6 acres and put some of the outbuildings outside the landmark protection. In the winter of 1997 the roof of the haybarn collapsed under the weight of snow, and Cedarwood received permission from the Landmarks Commission todemolish the barn. It was the first of many requests to demolish some or all of the last vestiges of R. J. Elliott’s once-thriving dairy farm.
CHALLENGE FOR THE FUTUREThe Elliott Farm is a classic example of the challenges facing those interested in preserving our farm heritage. There arenumerous options available to help preservationists, but every solution requires creativity, vision, and determination. In thecase of Elliott Farm, its separation from the Cedar River by busy Maple Valley Highway combined with encroachingcondos seemed to spoil the sense of it as part of a historic landscape. The slow deterioration of the farmhouse andoutbuildings exponentially increased the cost of preservation and restoration, and tended to scare off potential privatebuyers. So did the developers’ high asking price.At the same time, the Elliott Farm is one of the last reminders of the Renton area’s agricultural past. County landmarkstatus itself reflects an acknowledgment by a commission of preservation, architecture, and history experts that a site hasintrinsic value because of its historic significance. First, the design of the barn and the farmhouse were so unique that thebarn received a certificate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the model dairy barn west of Chicago. Second, theElliott Farm represents the importance of the growth of dairying to the lower Cedar River Valley. R. J. Elliott’s dairy wasat one time surrounded by neighbors who also operated small dairy farms: the Nielsens, the Andersons, the Madsens, theOrtons, and the Veenhuizens. George Jr. remembered that it seemed as if “dairy farming was…the main livelihood foreverybody in that area that lived off the land.” As one of the earliest and the longest continuously operating farms in KingCounty—in existence for 62 years—Elliott Farm symbolizes the importance of dairying in the Renton area.History-minded citizens know about Renton’s industrial past, but our farming heritage is quickly disappearing frommemory as more and more land is developed for homes and businesses. This forgetting reflects a trend across the state;the American Farmland Trust estimates that Washington state has lost 81,000 acres of prime farmland in the past 20years.13 In addition, the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation listed the barns of Washington state on its “MostEndangered” list for 2006.14 Whether Elliott Farm ultimately survives—under the care of King County or perhaps the Cityof Renton—or not, its story reminds us how fragile our connection to the past can become without our active stewardship.
Elliott Farm continued from page 5
Footnotes referenced on page 7
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Renton Historical Quarterly
1 Clarence Bagley, History of King County(Chicago, Seattle: S. J. Clarke, 1929),II:677.2 Howard T. Lewis, The Basic Industries of thePacific Northwest (Seattle: Lowman &Hanford Co., 1925), 34.3 Lewis, Basic Industries, 35.4 U.S. Census, Department of the Interior,Census Reports: Agriculture: Part I,Farms, Live Stock, and Animal Products(Washington: United States Census Office,1902), clxxiv.5 Erin Younger and Tom Quackenbush, KingCounty Landmark Nomination Form, 2July 1990, p.7 (Renton History Museumvertical files).6 Morda Slausen, One Hundred Years on theCedar (Seattle: The Shorey Bookstore,1971), 7.7 A. George Elliott, Jr. oral history, 14 April1987, Collection of the Renton HistoryMuseum. All quotes from A. George Elliott,Jr. are from this interview.8 Bagley, History of King County, II:677.9 Quoted in Irene Svete, “A Labor of Love,”Valley Daily News, 5 April 1993, p.A1.10 Bruce Rommel, “Kent man fights to savehistoric farmhouse,” Valley Daily News, 6June 1996, p.A3.11 Svete, “Labor of Love,” p.A1.12 Joan Mansfield, “Elliott Family doesn’twant ‘Elliot Farm’ preserved,” letter to theeditor, Valley Daily News, 5 September1990, n.p.13 American Farmland Trust, “Farming on theEdge: Listing of Loss by State,” http://www.farmland.org/resources/fote/states/allStates.asp/, 4 September 2006.14 Press release, “Washington’s Historic BarnsListed Among the Most EndangeredHistoric Properties of 2006 by theWashington Trust for Historic Preserva-tion,” 23 May 2006, http://www.wa-trust.org/mostendangered/Press%20Releases/2006/06%20Most%20Release-Barns.pdf/, 8September 2006.
Volunteer ReportBy Dorota Rahn, Volunteer and Education CoordinatorAnother celebration of Renton River Days is behindus. Everything happened so quickly because wewere very busy during that time. Literally nothingwould be possible without our volunteers. Theywere helping with everything, from preparinghands-on activities for children and setting up thebooth on Kid’s Day, to teaching children how tomake Native American headbands and vests, toserving the Poker Tour at the museum, to explainingthe role of the museum in the community at themuseum booth.There are only a few museum staff members so we have to rely on volunteersto establish our presence at Renton River Days. I want to list the names of allvolunteers who helped us this year because the amount of work they did andtheir devotion—in spite of very hot weather—was remarkable. Rachel Vdolek,Erina Hui, and Vivian Williams spent many hours preparing activities for chil-dren.The same volunteers, joined by Shirley Phinney and Ila Hemm, helped about 200children with different Native American activities at our booth on Kid’s Day. Thechildren were very proud of their Native American headbands and vests, anddisplayed them on the fair field. Jeff Feaster, Sandy Burkey, Clark Peterson, andagain Ila Hemm, together with some Board members—President Bob Hunt, VicePresident Sandra Myers, Kevin McQuiller, Laura Clawson, and past Trustee ClarkPetersen—represented the Renton Historical Society at the booth.Ernest Lees took care of Poker Tour players on Saturday. Our museum wasone of the 35 businesses participating in this new initiative. We had 49 additionalvisitors on that weekend thanks to this new event. All together, 300 peoplevisited our museum during Renton River Days week. They were greeted byvolunteers Rachel Vdolek, Carol Hawkins, Marjorie Gould, Bette Zwicker,Gloria Nichols, Sandy Burkey, and Bettijane Tomkinson over the weekend.Bea Mathewson, Margaret and Jeff Feaster, Helenanne Botham, and NancyFairman prepared and served coffee and donuts to the vendors at the festivalevery morning.We thank everybody who was even in the smallest degree involved in helpingmake Renton River Days a success. Our museum definitely was visible thanksto their presence. The red color of our booth and new red tablecloths wouldn’thave helped without volunteers available to talk to visitors. We would like toincrease our participation at Renton River Days next year so we want to ask allof our volunteers to support us by donating your time and skills during thiscommunity event in 2007.
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Gift Shop NewsGift Shop NewsGift Shop NewsGift Shop NewsGift Shop NewsWe’ve made two discoveries inour Gift Shop stock that youshould know about. We have afew more limited edition HenryFord School slates available at$10.00 each. Steve Andersonlovingly constructed these fromblackboards and building materialssalvaged when the Henry FordSchool was torn down in 2001.Each one has an image of theschool screened at the top, and itmakes a great kitchen or officechalkboard.
If you or someone you know islooking for a local high schoolyearbook, we may have just whatyou’re looking for available forpurchase. We have surplus RHSIlahees for most years between1942 and 1972 and even someRHS Duwamish yearbooksbetween 1910 and 1929. We alsohave a few Hazen and LindberghHigh School yearbooks for the1970s. These were donated to usfor fundraising purposes over theyears—we maintain at least twoof every yearbook in our librarycollection. Each yearbook is$10.00.
Don’t forget about our on-linegifts and books—check us out atwww.rentonhistory.org!
Planned Giving SeriesPart 1: Charitable Giving 101By Sandra Meyer, Endowment Chair
At the last annual Historical Society Annual Meeting in June, Society memberswere introduced to several ways they could give to the Endowment Fund forfuture Society needs. The Renton Historical Society is incorporated as a501(c)3 non-profit organization in the state of Washington. As a nonprofit theSociety and the Museum can accept many kinds of donations that also havefinancial and tax benefits for the donor. This is the first in a series of articlesdesigned to communicate this information in a simple way. The followinginformation was prepared by Planned Giving Services in Seattle, but wasreduced and slightly modified for easier reading. If you have any questionsregarding the specifics of the information provided below, contact your accoun-tant or the Renton Historical Society’s investment representative, ShaneKlingenstein, toll-free at 1.888.891.8832.
I. OUTRIGHT GIFT OF CASH, STOCK, OR SECURITIESGifts of cash or publicly traded securities are the most common gifts receivedby nonprofits. Larger gifts are frequently made with publicly-traded securitiesbecause the donor derives two tax benefits:• A deduction for the fair market value of the securities, provided the donor hasowned them for more than a year.• No tax on the capital gain.
Most securities are now transferred electronically from the donor ’s brokerageaccount to one maintained by the charity. The Historical Society has alreadyestablished a brokerage account to receive gifts of securities.
Gifts of Stock:Stocks may be mailed or hand-delivered to the Society, or transferred by abroker into the Society’s account. Each method has different implications for thevalue of the gift, because the transfer is not complete until received by thenonprofit. Consult with your accountant or broker to discuss the various op-tions.
II. CHARITABLE BEQUESTSBequests are the most common charitable gifts; more money is given throughbequests than all other charitable giving combined. Many who could afford togive generously during life hesitate to do so because they fear their circum-stances might change in the future, or they simply don’t want to lose control oftheir money. Virtually everyone has a greater capacity to give at death thanduring life. Bequests are also the most cost-effective of all gifts. Bequests canbe expended immediately or invested in the endowment, and they requirerelatively little stewardship activity.Beneficiaries are allowed an unlimited estate tax charitable deduction. Fordonors whose estates are large enough to be subject to the estate tax, a chari-table bequest can significantly reduce estate taxes otherwise due. In 2006, themaximum federal estate tax rate is 46 percent (applicable to taxable estates inexcess of $2,000,000). There is also a state estate tax, and when the two arecombined, the total estate tax rate for high net worth individuals could beapproximately 55 percent. If such a person were to leave a charitable bequestof $100,000, estate taxes would be reduced by $55,000. Thus, the net cost toheirs of a $100,000 bequest would be only $45,000.In the next quarterly we will cover how retirement funds and life insurance canplay a role in planned giving.
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Renton Historical QuarterlyFrom the Collections DepartmentBy Sarah Iles, Collection ManagerI would like to begin my first report to you by saying that I am very glad to beback as a part of the Renton History Museum! Some of you may rememberthat I have worked for the museum in the past, first as an intern in 2004, andlater as a volunteer (2004-2005) working on my thesis project. My thesis workfocused on a portion of the Charles L. Custer bequest from 2000.For those of you that don’t know me, I was born and raised in South Dakota. Ireceived a Bachelor of Arts in Anthro-pology from the University of SouthDakota. After finishing that in 2002, Icame out west to Seattle to pursue mygraduate degree at the University ofWashington. It was during this time thatI began working at the Renton HistoryMuseum. After the completion of mythesis project, I graduated with aMaster of Arts in Museology in June2005.After nearly two months of working,two volunteers and I have begun tomake significant strides in cleaning upthe backlog that developed while theCollection Manger position was vacant.Our plan is to keep working on this sothat the collection is in a state for interns to begin working in January. Thesizable Custer-Lewis Collection is still in need of much work and at least one ofthe interns will be focusing solely on that.Hazardous CollectionsAfter beginning my new job, I began to reacquaint myself with the collection byperusing the boxes of objects the museum has shelved in its storage area. Indoing so, I have made some spine-tingling discoveries! When people commonlythink of museum collections, they rarely think of them as a dangerous thing.However, many items that were donated in the past are now known to containhazardous materials.I have come across three different hazardous materials. The first was anasbestos fire-fighting suit. Asbestos was commonly used in the past as a fire-retardant, but is now known to cause several types of cancer. The secondhazardous object I discovered was a medical device that contained mercury.The object had broken sometime in the past, spilling all its mercury into thebottom of the box. Mercury is extremely hazardous to humans and evenbreathing its vapors is dangerous. The third object was an old fire suppressionsystem that was filled with carbon tetrachloride, a chemical often used in thepast in fire extinguishing systems. Carbon tetrachloride has since been discov-ered to be damaging to the central nervous system, liver, and kidneys.Because of the direct danger to staff, volunteers, and visitors, all of thesehazardous materials were taken out of the museum and properly disposed of.The Renton History Museum is not alone in possessing hazardous collections.Most museums across the country currently have or had in the past hazardouscollections on their shelves. Fortunately, there is a large body of literature in themuseum community that pertains specifically to hazardous collections and howmuseums should handle them in order to keep their building safe for everyoneinvolved.Work is continuing in the collections area, and we probably have taken care ofany hazardous materials. If we do find more, however, we are now well-equipped to handle these collections in a correct and safe manner.
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Obituaries
Membership2006 Membership RatesStudent/Teacher/Senior $12Senior Citizen Couple $20Single$20Family$30Patron Benefactor $100Life Membership $500*One time fee. Lifetime Member-ships will be transferred to the liv-ing spouse.
New MembersNew MembersNew MembersNew MembersNew MembersSheree DreewesLarry O. GahlhaffShaari SteedmanMarty & Marilyn HemmannRobert & Rena CannWendell & Cleo ForgaardSusie BressanDoris (Martin) BeedleKevin McPhersonMike BattinNei Bin YuGreg & Sandra TaylorCharlaine Molina
New BenefactorNew BenefactorNew BenefactorNew BenefactorNew Benefactor
MembersMembersMembersMembersMembersTerry & Dennis Higashiyama
JuneJuneJuneJuneJuneHelen B. FiskMildred HammondPalmer ‘Bud’HeierenTeresa Tarella HenryPeggy M. NaultAnn SteiertLillian H. TorsethVivian A. TownsendVelma Vukonich
JulyJulyJulyJulyJulyLewis A. ArganoBarbara J. BazeGeorge E. BellBlaine ColmanWilliam DemchuckMaria Breda GattiEli E. HepokoskiBardolph J. McConnell Jr.Carl MerklinDonald H. MurdochHarold SagmoAmelia M. SlyeJennie L. TonkinVivian Cedarholm TownsendKathleen L. Trimm
Z
%
AugustAugustAugustAugustAugustFred V. AinardiMadeline ArrigoniRichard A. AthertonEmma Paglia BarrettEd BrightLily Anna Colwell-NelsonJ. A. DownsCornelius ‘Pete’ FagenLinda Meyers GibsonLaurette Atkinson McKelveyLarry R. PolleyDouglas A. SchreinerLarry Shockley
Z
%
September 1 – 12September 1 – 12September 1 – 12September 1 – 12September 1 – 12ththththth
LaVerne Oughton BarnettBarbara Anne McSpadden HensleyMaxine IshamJack JonesMichael P. RockeyZ
Z denotes former Society Life Member % denotes former Society member
Cora C. UpshawEveLynn Barrick Zgolinski
RentoniansRememberedLEWIS A. ARGANOLEWIS A. ARGANOLEWIS A. ARGANOLEWIS A. ARGANOLEWIS A. ARGANO
(1904-2006)(1904-2006)(1904-2006)(1904-2006)(1904-2006)Lewis Argano, long-time teacher,principal, and school administrator,passed away on July 26. Born inItaly, nine-year-old Luigi cameover in 1913 on the Isle de Francewith his parents and siblings.Lewis’s father Joseph brought thefamily to Newcastle where hejoined other family members in themines. When the union wasbroken in 1920, the Arganossettled in Renton, where Lewis’sfather became a successful shoestore-owner and landlord. Lewisworked for the Renton SchoolDistrict for 40 years; he wasmarried to Theresa MerlinoArgano for 63 years before herdeath in 1997. He was best-known for his nearly perfectattendance record at RentonRotary and for single-handedlycontinuing Theresa’s tradition ofserving big Italian dinners tofriends. He will be much missedby those who remember his gentlesense of humor.
Lewis ArganoLewis ArganoLewis ArganoLewis ArganoLewis ArganoLouise George; Florence Delaurenti;Rose Camerini; Louis & PamelaBarei; Louise Bertozzi; Beth &Mike Potoshnik; Carmel & DonCamerini; John & EleanorBertagni; Renton High SchoolClass of 1944; Lynn & SteveAnderson; Catherine Rutkowski;Rachel Thomas
LLLLL aVaVaVaVaVerne Barnetterne Barnetterne Barnetterne Barnetterne BarnettLouise George; Daisy Ward
Knute BeckstrKnute BeckstrKnute BeckstrKnute BeckstrKnute BeckstromomomomomWendell & Cleo Forgaard
Lloyd BeckstrLloyd BeckstrLloyd BeckstrLloyd BeckstrLloyd BeckstromomomomomWendell & Cleo Forgaard
Myrtle AMyrtle AMyrtle AMyrtle AMyrtle A. Beckstr. Beckstr. Beckstr. Beckstr. BeckstromomomomomWendell & Cleo Forgaard
VVVVVirginia Busatoirginia Busatoirginia Busatoirginia Busatoirginia BusatoJim & Fran Bourasa
Tim ChinnTim ChinnTim ChinnTim ChinnTim ChinnHazelle DuBois
WWWWWilly Demchuckilly Demchuckilly Demchuckilly Demchuckilly DemchuckDon & Gloria Cartwright
Cornelius “Pete”Cornelius “Pete”Cornelius “Pete”Cornelius “Pete”Cornelius “Pete”
FFFFFagenagenagenagenagenWendell & Cleo Forgaard; Richard &Corinne Luctoch
DrDrDrDrDr. Dean M. F. Dean M. F. Dean M. F. Dean M. F. Dean M. ForgaarorgaarorgaarorgaarorgaardddddWendell & Cleo Forgaard
Louise GoeLouise GoeLouise GoeLouise GoeLouise GoeLila M. CampenAarAarAarAarAaron Goodwinon Goodwinon Goodwinon Goodwinon GoodwinJohn & Joyce Peterson; CharlesGoodwin
Eva GoodwinEva GoodwinEva GoodwinEva GoodwinEva GoodwinJohn & Joyce Peterson; CharlesGoodwinLorraine GoodwinLorraine GoodwinLorraine GoodwinLorraine GoodwinLorraine GoodwinJohn & Joyce Peterson; CharlesGoodwin
MildrMildrMildrMildrMildred Ored Ored Ored Ored Orehekehekehekehekehek
HammondHammondHammondHammondHammondLouise George
TTTTTerererereresa Henresa Henresa Henresa Henresa Henr yyyyyLloyd & Fumiko Hoshide; VictorTonda; Mario Tonda
Eric JorgensenEric JorgensenEric JorgensenEric JorgensenEric JorgensenLillian D. Rosenstrom
LLLLL aurauraurauraurette Atkinsonette Atkinsonette Atkinsonette Atkinsonette Atkinson
McKMcKMcKMcKMcKelveyelveyelveyelveyelveyLouise George
Donald H. MurDonald H. MurDonald H. MurDonald H. MurDonald H. MurdockdockdockdockdockBeth & Mike Potoshnik
Nita NickelsNita NickelsNita NickelsNita NickelsNita NickelsThe Rose Turner Service Guild
Earl E. PerEarl E. PerEarl E. PerEarl E. PerEarl E. Perrrrrr yyyyyDon & Pearl Jacobson
Marjorie RichterMarjorie RichterMarjorie RichterMarjorie RichterMarjorie RichterLila M. Campen
Michael RMichael RMichael RMichael RMichael RockeyockeyockeyockeyockeyLouise George; FlorenceDelaurenti; Jeanne Tonda; MarioTonda; Victor Tonda;Marjorie Popovich; Beth & MikePotoshnik
VVVVVirginia Secrirginia Secrirginia Secrirginia Secrirginia SecrestestestestestJohn & Joyce Peterson; CharlesGoodwin
Laura ShookLaura ShookLaura ShookLaura ShookLaura ShookJim & Fran Bourasa
WWWWWilliam G. Thomasilliam G. Thomasilliam G. Thomasilliam G. Thomasilliam G. ThomasRachel Thomas
Bernice FBernice FBernice FBernice FBernice Forgaarorgaarorgaarorgaarorgaarddddd
TTTTTurnerurnerurnerurnerurnerWendell & Cleo Forgaard
VVVVVelma Velma Velma Velma Velma VukonichukonichukonichukonichukonichBeth & Mike Potoshnik
Con WCon WCon WCon WCon WiehoffiehoffiehoffiehoffiehoffJohn & Joyce Peterson; CharlesGoodwin
Memorials madethrough theRenton CommunityFoundation
Louise HannahLouise HannahLouise HannahLouise HannahLouise HannahJim & Joy Poff
Marjorie RichterMarjorie RichterMarjorie RichterMarjorie RichterMarjorie RichterDoug & Sonja KyesPiazza Renton
Renton History Museum235 Mill Avenue SouthRenton, WA 98057
Nonprofit OrgUS Postage PaidRenton, WAPermit No. 105
Centennial Snapshot
Renton High School football team with Coach Perry H. Mitchell, 1930s. (Note the leather football helmets!)(#1989.051.2771)
Come see our “New Acquisitions” exhibit!