Thomas Taylor, 1862

From the Desks of the Central Library Staff

Although no oath of office record exists today, Taylor was apparently Librarian in 1862. The March 29, 1862 issue of the Washington Standard includes this Library Notice: “All persons having books belonging to the Territorial Library will please return at once, or the by-laws will be put in force. Thos. Taylor, Ter. Librarian.” He quite probably was the same aged Thomas Taylor who was born Oct. 17, 1793 (some sources say 1791) in Frederick County, Va. and came out to Oregon in the early 1850s from Morgan County, Illinois. In 1861 he served as a member of the House in the 9th Session. For a while he lived in the Grand Mound area and then in Elma. He was a long-time and active preacher, remaining in amazingly good health during his senior years. Taylor died in Elma, Wash., May 14, 1886.

John Paul Judson, 1864

John Paul Judson

Born May 6, 1840 in Cologne, Prussia, J.P. Judson’s family came to Illinois in 1845. In Oct. 1853 they made their way to Pierce County. According to Bancroft, “He earned the money in mining on the Fraser River with which he paid for two years’ schooling in Vancouver.” The young Judson was appointed Territorial Librarian while still a law student and literally lived in the Library “to have more ready access to the law books then at his command,” so wrote John Miller Murphy. He also worked as Chief Clerk in the House in 1864. For a brief time he was a school teacher until he earned his law degree in 1867 and went into private practice.

After living in Port Townsend, he returned to Olympia in order to assume the office of Territorial Superintendent of Public Instruction, a post he held from 1873 to 1880. His legacy was overhauling Washington’s educational system. As Dryden explains:

The School Law of 1877 was an important milestone because it marked the end of the pioneer period in education. Responsibility for it can be attributed to John P. Judson, Washington Territory’s … superintendent of public instruction. This law created a Territorial Board of Education with specified duties, and it also provided for county boards of education. One section dealt with certification of teachers, qualifications, and examinations.

Writer Angie Burt Bowden echoes, “His term was one of the most important in territorial history, because of its length– he served six years– because of the growth in professional spirit and usefulness through the county and territorial institutes; and because of the initiation of the Board of Education.” In 1876 he was the Democratic candidate for Territorial Delegate to Congress and lost by a mere 73 votes. In 1877 he also held the office of Olympia Mayor. After his Superintendent term was completed, Judson moved to Tacoma and became a Regent for the University of Washington. His final years were spent in Spokane and then Colville, where he died in April, 1910.

[The Territorial Librarian profiles were compiled by Sean Lanksbury, Mary Schaff, Kim Smeenk, and Steve Willis]

From the Desks of the Central Library Staff

(Head served three nonconsecutive terms as Territorial Librarian.)

J.C. Head was born in Washington County, Ky. in 1810. His family apparently lived in Illinois before their arrival in Olympia, Aug. 18, 1853. A carpenter by trade, Head also was made a Justice of the Peace and in 1856 presided over the case of the accused murderer of Leschi’s brother, Quiemuth. Bion Kendall was the attorney for the defense, Elwood Evans the prosecutor. His first term as Librarian was the last time the office was combined with the duties of Auditor. Both of his roles were eventful in 1860-1861. Briahna Taylor wrote on his Auditor half:

J.C. Head’s tenure was highlighted by the Civil War and a tight financial condition. While earlier debts faced during Hicks’ tenure had been paid, financial troubles for the territory lingered. Congress faced the mounting costs of the Civil War and reduced the territory’s appropriations. This affected the entire territory, including legislators who were not given funds to travel between Olympia and their hometowns for the session. Some had to procure loans to finance their travel and stay in the territorial capitol.

If that wasn’t enough, legislators sued J.C. Head the Librarian for refusing to move the collection to Vancouver, proving the importance of a library as a foundation for government. Maryan Reynolds explains the 1861 coup attempt:

A sizable number of legislators sought to move the territorial capital from Olympia to Vancouver. Their first step was to pass a law requiring Territorial Librarian J.C. Head to move his office and the library to Vancouver between June 2 and August 1. Another law mandated a popular vote on the issue during July, which the legislators were certain would favor their cause. But Acting Governor McGill refused to permit the move, and the district court refused to require J.C. Head to show cause as to why he should not move the library.

Head’s refusal to budge quite probably saved Olympia’s status as the capitol.

[The Territorial Librarian profiles were compiled by Sean Lanksbury, Mary Schaff, Kim Smeenk, and Steve Willis]

Urban Hicks

From the Desks of the Central Library Staff

Urban Hicks, the man with the paradoxical name, was born May 14, 1828 in Missouri where he learned the printing trade in the towns of Paris and Hannibal. Coming to Oregon Territory in 1851 as part of the Ruddell Party, he lived in several places before settling in Olympia. Hicks held a variety of local offices, including County Clerk and Assessor. Served with distinction during the Indian War of 1855-1856, rising to the rank of Captain. He was charged with erecting blockhouses for the protection of the settlers during the hostilities. Hicks was a school teacher in what is now Lacey 1856-1857. Appointed as Librarian/Auditor 1858, and later as simply Auditor 1865-1867. During his first term, according to Briahna Taylor, the Library was not Capt. Hicks’ primary concern:

“Financially, Hicks’ tenure as auditor was burdened by a territorial debt from the Indian War. Under the federal Organic Act, counties served as the collector of local and federal taxes. Of those taxes remitted to the federal government, Congress appropriated funds to the territory to finance territorial government operations. But counties faced challenges collecting all taxes owed, thus reducing revenues submitted to the federal government and ultimately allocations to the territory. Hicks faced mounting territorial debt.”

In between his terms as Auditor he published the Vancouver Telegraph, 1861-1862. He returned to Olympia and produced the Washington Democrat, 1864-1865. His editorials bought about accusations from Republicans that he was a Copperhead. Even so, he was sworn in as Territorial Quartermaster General in 1865. After the Civil War he continued to be on the move and working in the newspaper business up and down the Pacific Coast. In later years he lived on Orcas Island and eventually became a resident of the Soldiers Home and Colony in Orting, where he died in March 1905. The family name lives on geographically through Hicks Lake in Thurston County. 

More information can be found in the work Pioneer Reminiscences of Urban E. Hicks.

From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library

Yes, I would agree that the telegraph operator profiled in the following article didn’t get out much. A very unusual story found in The Tacoma Herald, July 21, 1877:

Spirit Telegraphy

“PUYALLUP, July 16, 1877.–It was my privilege to visit the office of a telegraph operator a few days ago, and witness some rather novel performances. It was the old story of ‘Spirit manifestation’ repeated. The claim was that the operator ‘could hold telegraphic communications with disembodied Spirits, without the use of wire and battery.'”

“Once comfortably seated in the office, the operator, with whom I was well acquainted, and whose honasty [sic] every one admitted, began to perform his mysterious feats. His manner of proceeding was as follows: He took a common comb and rubbed it with his hand. He then took a silver half-dollar and called for a spirit by sounds, in the same manner as he would do in the use of the battery and instruments by striking the back of the comb, the call being made in this way: he placed the back of the comb to his tongue while he held in the other a pencil to write down the answer. Directly the muscles of the tongue twitched in regular order, which was taken for sounds and the twitching being interpreted to indicate an answer he wrote, ‘Old Moore.'”

“He asked again by telegraphic sounds ‘Where are you?’ The answer came, ‘In hell.’ ‘What are you doing there?’ “I am here to learn to do well.’ Feeling that we were a little nearer the infernal regions than was comfortable we concluded to dismiss Old Moore and call again. In fact we felt a little discouraged that after our many efforts to get to heaven we had brought up in speaking distance of the very place above all others that we wished to shun. Ugh!”

“The next answer was from the spirit of a well known and universally beloved Christian lady who had died in the neighborhood only a few months ago. She said she was in heaven. She was asked whether she would like to speak to me. The reply was ‘No.’ ‘Do you desire to come back to this world?’ ‘Ha! ha! ha! I do not care about it.'”

“At this juncture our proceedings were interrupted by a call from the instrument and we had not the opportunity to continue.”

“These peculiar experiences were had by the operator for several days past. Among the Spirit Telegrams received by the same mode as above, was one that ‘the Russians would be defeated by the intervention of England.’ Another, that ‘the Indians would break out in the Puyallup Valley inside of three days; and that they would shoot this operator for the first man.’ These and many more communications were had. It is impossible to give but these few specimens.”

“In trying to account for this curious phenomenon we noted: 1. That the operator was naturally of a nervous temperament to begin with. 2. He remained in his office nearly all day, and slept there at night. 3. His bed and office were charged with electricity, and his system almost bathed in it from day to day. 4. Under these circumstances, he heard of nothing and thought of nothing but the ‘click, click, click’ of the instrument all day long. 5. Anxious to catch the sound and read the messages as they came to or passed through the office, his nerves become interested in telegraphy also. 6. The habit of hearing and reading these sounds became so strong that his nerves were capable of producing them involuntarily. 7. The mind– unconscious to the operator– controlling this nervous twitching, words and even sentences were formed. And so you see that the wondrous mystery and fearfulness which seemed to hang over this office are all dissipated. Overstrained nerves, under the influence of electricity, produced this wonderful phenomenon.”

“In proof of the theory advanced above, we would urge two reasons. The one is that these strange communications would not cease when the question asked was answered. They would continue right along, changing the subject every sentence or two, and talking the while about unheard of things. This shows that it is the twitching of the nerves. The other is that the communications would cease in the middle of a word or sentence, and then begin something else.”

“Whether this thing has been made plain and comprehensible here, I cannot tell. I only wish to show that no spirits had anything to do in the matter. Like many of the ‘spiritual performances,’ it is fully accounted for in my mind by the over excited nerves of the operator. The best thing for him to do is to quit his spirit telegraphy, and stay in his office as little as possible, bathe frequently and take all the outdoor exercise possible; or else he may sustain permanent injury to his health.”

Weird with a beard, man. The telegraph operator’s very original method of communicating with spirits is made more curious by the fact he apparently was not attempting to do this for profit, thus excluding him as a candidate for the frauds of that era as exposed by P.T. Barnum in his book, The Humbugs of the World : an Account of Humbugs, Delusions, Impositions, Quackeries, Deceits and Deceivers Generally, in All Ages (1865). Barnum had a particular dislike for those who claimed to possess some form of spirit communication.

The reporter’s attempt to explain the telegraph operator’s behavior reads like an early try at developing a psychological profile, adding yet another fascinating twist to this story.

The Tacoma Herald, published in “New Tacoma, Wash. Ter.” had a short life, 1877-1880. WSL has a nearly complete run available on microfilm and like the rest of our newspaper titles, can be acquired through interlibrary loan.

Bion (Benjamin) Freeman Kendall, 1853 – 1857

[The Territorial Librarian profiles were compiled by Sean Lanksbury, Mary Schaff, Kim Smeenk, and Steve Willis]

Bion (Benjamin) Freeman Kendall, 1853 – 1857

Born Oct. 1827 in Bethel, Maine. Fresh out of Bowdoin College in 1852, Kendall found employment as a government clerk in the Survey Land Office in Washington, D.C. He served as an aide (along with future Territorial Librarian Elwood Evans) on the 1853 Isaac Stevens survey team when the first Territorial Governor made his way to Olympia. Governor Stevens had arranged for the selection of the Territorial Library prior to his departure, and the books arrived by ship in October 1853. The Governor made it to Olympia in November, and Kendall a month later. As Louise Morrison wrote, “Governor Stevens’ first message to the Legislature implied that he considered Kendall the librarian,” but he wasn’t officially elected to the post by the Legislature until April 17, 1854. In that election he defeated attorney Frank Clark on vote of 17-9.

On his qualifications and legacy as Librarian, Maryan Reynolds writes, “Kendall’s political activity and connections were his primary qualifications for the post. Kendall immediately built a small facility at Fourth and Main Streets (now Capitol Way) to house the library. The legislators, holding a proprietary attitude toward the library, bridled at Kendall’s action; they fully expected the Territorial Library to be located under the same roof as themselves …” In his reports to the Legislature, Kendall also provided a listing of the Library’s holdings, the first version of the catalog. He was also appointed as Chief Clerk of the House, February 27, 1854, and was admitted to the bar later that year.  In April 1855 his short and meteoric rise found him in the office of acting U.S. District Attorney, and he was elected Prosecuting Attorney for the 2nd District in 1856. Although he eventually became “bitterly opposed” to Governor Stevens, he successfully prosecuted Leschi in his 2nd trial held in Olympia, going against defense attorney Frank Clark.

Realizing he was not making any friends in Olympia, he visited Washington D.C. in early 1861 to lobby for a new post, and was actually present when Fort Sumter was attacked. He served as a spy at the bequest of General Scott, gathering intelligence for the Union government during a swing through the Southern States. As a reward, Kendall was appointed Washington Territory Superintendent of Indian Affairs for awhile. One writer has observed that “Kendall, though an eloquent orator, able, energetic and industrious, was noted for his unyielding opinions, bitter and juvenile prejudices, high-handed contempt for the views of others and his indiscreet utterances.” He was called Bezaleel Freeman Kendall by his political opponents. His editorship of the Olympia newspaper Overland Press gave him ample opportunity to expand the number of his enemies, and one them shot and killed him in his business office in January 1863. Frank Clark, who had been defeated by Kendall for the post of librarian and was also bested by him at the Leschi trial, was the defense attorney for the man charged with Bion’s murder. The accused man fled, never to be seen again. Some historians have suggested it was Clark’s firearm that was used as the murder weapon and the killer was merely an instrument of broad conspiracy.

Contemporary accounts of Kendall’s murder can be found in the WSL newspapers on microfilm collection or online on our digital historic newspapers site (The Puget Sound Herald of Steilacoom covered the story)

[Not all the surviving books of the original Territorial Collection reside in the Washington State Library. A good portion of them went with the Washington State Law Library when they split from WSL. The current State Law Librarian, Kay Newman, tells the story]:

The Territorial Library originated March 2, 1853, when Congress passed the Organic Act of the Territory of Washington. Section 17 provided $5,000 to be spent by the Governor of the new Territory to purchase a library. On March 17, 1853, Congress confirmed Isaac Ingalls Stevens as Governor of the Washington Territory.

Subsequently, he wrote to executives of the states and territories, asking for suggestions of books for the new Territorial Library. Books were purchased and donated; and by February 1854, the Territorial Library was housed near the corner of 4th and Main (now Capitol Avenue).

The State received land in 1891 to provide a place for a Capitol building. The legislature did not appropriate funds until 1911; but after $350,000 was provided, work began on the Temple of Justice. In 1913 the Supreme Court and the law library moved into the Temple of Justice, although the building was not actually finished until 1920.

In 1921, approximately 1200 law books were transferred from the Territorial Collection to the State Law Library’s collection.  These books were placed in the general collection, and some of the items were transferred to an off-site storage facility.

In 2004, Renee Corcoran, discovered books in the law library’s general collection which she believed were part of the original Territorial Collection. She spoke with the State Library and made trips to Archives to copy microfilm with the original shipping lists from items sent around the Cape to the Washington Territory.

From these lists, library staff began to comb through items at offsite storage and the general collection looking for books on the shipping lists. Copies were checked for book plates, and Renee began steaming off bookplates which said “State Library” if those items were on the shipping lists. Frequently, we found that the State Library bookplates had covered the Territorial Collection bookplates.

The library staff continued to go through the collection, cataloging everything which was part of the Territorial Collection. Currently, The State Law Library holds over six hundred verified volumes from the original Territorial Collection.

From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library:

In the summer of 2002 I was given an assignment that turned out to be a career highlight for me as a cataloger to use my vast powers for Good. The task was to make the Washington State Library Territorial Collection the subject of a recon project, i.e., adding the 400+ titles (800+ volumes) to the online catalog. Providing bibliographic access to the oldest library collection in Washington State doesn’t happen every day.

The list of titles can be found in one group by using the WSL catalog online author search: Washington State Library. Territorial Collection.

In the course of handling these books, I looked them over and added a ton of local notes to the bibliographic records. As we celebrate the 160th anniversary of this collection, I’d like to share a few of the more interesting bits of trivia I unearthed in the course of cataloging.

Tales of a grandfather : being stories taken from Scottish history humbly inscribed to Hugh Littlejohn, Esq.
Boston : S.H. Parker & B.B. Mussey & Co. ; New York : J.S. Redfield : C.S. Francis & Co. ; Philadelphia : Thomas, Cowperthwait & Co. ; Cincinnati : H.W. Derby & Co., 1852.
Library ed. : from the last revised ed. containing the author’s final corrections, notes, & c.

This work by Sir Walter Scott is one of the few pieces of fiction in the collection. Here’s the local note I added: “WSL copy saved from a WWII paper drive by WSL cataloger, Jeannette Rutledge: ‘During the first Victory book drive Miss Rutledge was examining books donated for the campaign and she recognized among this literary ‘scrap’ one of the Waverley novels bearing the book plate of the territorial library. She restored it to the collection …’–From, ‘State Library’s books date from 1542 to 1944’ by Lucile M’Donald, Seattle times, Aug. 13, 1944″

Oregon missions and travels over the Rocky mountains, in 1845-46 / by P.J. de Smet.
New-York : E. Dunigan, 1847.

Signed by Pierre-Jean de Smet himself: “WSL Territorial Library copy inscribed on 1st prelim. p.: Presented to Colonel Michel, Superintendent of Indian affairs, with profound respect and esteem, P.J. De Smet, S.J. … May 11th 1849.”

Historical sketch of the second war between the United States of America, and Great Britain, declared by act of Congress, the 18th of June, 1812, and concluded by peace, the 15th of February, 1815, by Charles J. Ingersoll …

Philadelphia, Lea and Blanchard, 1845-49.

Northwest book collector and historian Winlock William Miller Jr. (1906-1939) presented, er, returned, several books from the Territorial Collection shortly after his graduation from Yale Law School. Here’s the note on the record for the above title: “WSL copy of v. 1 has inscription, p. [2] of cover: Presented to the State Library of Washington by Winlock W. Miller Jr. Aug. 19, 1931. This set was one of the original sets bought with the first Federal appropriation for the State Library in 1853. Presumably it passed into the hands of Gov. Stevens and was acquired by Gen. W.W. Miller at the sale of his effects in 1863. Gen. Miller was administrator of Gov. Stevens estate.”

“The history of the restoration of monarchy in France. By Alphonse de Lamartine.
New York : Harper & Brothers, 1851-53.

Somewhere, back in time, an anonymous poet left their cryptic mark: “WSL copy of v. 2 has inscribed in back lining p.: In sleep there is a sense no man has felt.

Capt. H.W. Johnson of the Invincible

From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library:

Last week we asked if any Between the Lines readers could help us in identifying the first of two ships that brought the Territorial Library collection from New York to San Francisco in 1853. The story of the second ship, the Tarquinia, which delivered the books in the final leg of the journey is well known, but the first ship has been a mystery to us.

Until now.

Rich Edwards, a retired WSL Program Manager for Technical Services and now serving as the Historian for the South Thurston County Historical Society, dove into the mystery and surfaced with the identity of the ship, the Invincible! Considering the history of WSL, that’s a very fitting name for the clipper that carried the embryonic library around the Horn.

The ship left New York on May 21, 1853 and arrived in San Francisco 110 days later.

According to Rich:

“I have undertaken this research and believe I have found an answer for you. Happy Birthday!

Daily Alta California, 26 September 1853, Page 2, column 5, Consignee Notices:

Consignees of the following goods, per ship Invincible, from New York, are hereby notified that if not called for on or before Monday, the 26th inst, sufficient of the same will be sold to pay freight and charges.

 Thirty-two cases books, marked Gen. J. J. Stevens, Olympia, Washington Territory, shipped by C.B. Norton, consigned to Major R.P. Hammond.

 Alsop & Co.

The same entry appears in the 24-25 September 1853 newspaper.

In the 12 September 1853 newspaper, there is this announcement:

Ship Invincible, from New York will commence discharging this day, Saturday, Sept 10th at Cunningham’s wharf. Consignees are requested to call at our office, pay freight, and receive orders or their goods. All merchandise left on the wharf after 5 o’clock P M, will be stored at the expense and risk of the owners thereof. Alsop & Co.

The same entry appears in the 23 September 1853 newspaper.

The Maritime Heritage Virtual Archives has an entry:

Invincible

 1853 May 21 – September 9

 Sailed from New York to San Francisco in 110 days.

The Daily Alta California for September 10, 1853, page 2, column 5, section “Shipping Intelligence”:

Sept 9-Clipper ship Invincible, Johnson, 110 days fm New York, mdse to Alsop & Co; 4 pass.

 This confirms the ship left New York May 21st.

There is also a notice in the Daily Alta California on 17 August 1853, page 2, column 4, section “Spoken”:

June 1, lat 29 13, long 39 56, ship Invincible, from New York, (May 21).

 And here is a brief history: The Invincible was designed by William H. Webb (1816-1899) and built in his prolific New York shipyard in 1851. The 221 ft. clipper was owned by J. W. Phillips, and others, of New York and commanded by Captain H.W. Johnson for several years. Built for speed she was an ideal vessel for trade conducted with China at that time. She was lost by fire in New York Harbor in 1867. (Arthur Hamilton Clark The Clipper Ship Era: An Epitome of Famous American and British Clipper Ships, Their Owners, Builders, Commanders, and Crews, 1843-1869, New York and London 1910).”

Thank you, Rich! Looks like our 160 celebration is off to a great start!

Governor Isaac Stevens

From the desk of Steve Willis, Central Library Services Program Manager of the Washington State Library:

160 years! And our flame continues to illuminate the world around us.

The Washington State Library is celebrating its 160th birthday in 2013. Why is this an important number? First, no other public cultural or educational institution in Washington can make this claim. And second, not only are we are still here but WSL staff continue to provide excellent access to the information needs of the people and libraries of The Evergreen State. And third, our story is the story of Washington Territory and State. We were here from the very start and have evolved with the times, consistently reflecting the history taking place around us.

So as we kick off a series of blogposts covering this event let us go back to the Organic Act of 1853, which created Washington Territory and included:

SEC. 17. And be it further enacted, That the sum of five thousand dollars be, and the same is hereby appropriated out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, to be expended, by and under the direction of the Governor of Washington, in the purchase of a library, to be kept at the seat of government for the use of the Governor, legislative assembly, Judges of the Supreme Court, secretary, marshal, and Attorney of said Territory, and such other persons, and under such regulations, as shall be prescribed by law.

Millard FIllmore

The name of President Millard Fillmore usually evokes a snicker, but he was actually an important figure in our history since it was his signature that created Washington Territory. And yet, from what I can find, not one single political or geographic area is named in his honor here in Washington.

When Isaac Stevens was appointed the first territorial governor, among the many tasks he was charged with included the selection of the library. As our webpage states: “… Stevens purchased books from H. Bailliere of London and C.B. Norton and Co. of New York City; collected archival documents from all the states of the union; acquired the still unpublished Wilkes Expedition charts, having them printed by George F. Lewis of Philadelphia; and made arrangements for the casing and portage of these materials through vendors in New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The first 2,000 books travelled by an unknown steamer.”

There’s more, but I’ll stop at the “unknown steamer” mention in order to present the first of many historical mysteries in the WSL story as we enlist the help of you readers and historians out there to participate in enriching our narrative.

The couple thousand or so volumes of the original Territorial Collection were loaded on the East Coast and made the journey around the tip of South America to San Francisco, where they changed ships. The brig Tarquinia, with the literary cargo, left the Bay Area and arrived in Olympia in October 23, 1853, a month before Stevens himself arrived via an overland route.

William Robertson

WSL librarian Hazel Mills back in the 1950s was the first to really start digging into the identity of the first ship, but the name of the craft has continually eluded researchers. We do have data on the second ship, the Tarquinia. It was built in Perth Amboy, NJ in 1844, a 90 ft. long two mast square-rigger and at the time of the library transfer was skippered by William Robertson (1809-1888), a native of Norfolk, Virginia, who later became the first lighthouse keeper on Whidbey Island. I find it fitting that the ship’s captain who delivered the first library collection to Washington later became someone who provided illumination for safe passage.

The Tarquinia was under consideration, as it turned out needlessly, by Olympia residents as a place of refuge during the conflicts with the Native Americans in 1856. Later that same year the ship went down in the Sea of Okhotsk while stuck in ice.

WSL still holds 400 titles (800 volumes) of the original Territorial Collection, as well as two globes that made the journey in 1853. Other additional Territorial volumes followed the State Law Library when they split from WSL a little over a century ago. So, hopefully I have presented a worthy research challenge to you marine historians out there. Anyone who can provide evidence of the name of the first ship would be giving WSL a great 160th birthday present!

This year marks the 160^th anniversary of the Washington State Library, the first U.S. library north of the Columbia River. But this is only the beginning of the story of people and their libraries in Washington.

State Library staff will be blogging, tweeting, and posting on Facebook to remember the past and celebrate the present, but they also want to hear from all the libraries in Washington about their beginnings. Please consider sharing some part of your history with us and we’ll make it part of the statewide celebration:

• Do you have pictures of the first library in your community?
• How about pictures or anecdotes about early local librarians?
• Can you share some stories from the past about your library and its place in your community?
• How did your library cope with disasters and hard time?
• What celebrations did the library host or promote?

Want to participate? Here’s how:

• Send any anecdotes, pictures, or librariana to Steve Willis, [email protected] or Marlys Rudeen, [email protected];Note:  By sending anecdotes, pictures, or librariana you are giving us permission to share and re-post the materials via open public access on the web and are indicating that the materials are not restricted from public use.
• If you don’t have the ability to scan documents or pictures, send a good photocopy with some explanatory text to:

Marlys Rudeen
Washington State Library
PO Box 42460
Olympia, WA 98504-2460

• Blog or post on your own site and ask WSL to repost.

We know that libraries are an integral part of the fabric of our communities. Help us promote and celebrate Washington’s people and their libraries during this special year.