Victory Gardens

What made me think of Victory Gardens?  Maybe it was the story about the grape vineyards last week, and the harvest now in progress in eastern Washington.  Or is it because so many of us are harvesting lots of tomatoes, beans, squash and other vegetables from our own gardens after a rather hot summer?  Or is it because of the farmers markets and all the glorious produce available there?  And then there are all the postings on social media for garden stores, how-to ideas, show and tell of someone’s success with this or that vegetable or fruit.

Probably the biggest factor was the picture I saw posted on Twitter by Virgile Septembre showing the victory garden in front of the Louvre in September 1943 during occupation.  It made me think more deeply about the times when vegetable gardens were a necessity instead of a hobby. 

Museé du Louvre - Virgile Septembre September 1943 Victory Garden at Louvre during Occupation of Paris by Nazis

The gardens we now call Victory Gardens actually started during World War I at which time they were called Liberty or War Gardens.  They were popular from 1914 until 1918 because of the panic that food items might become scarce or unavailable.  And they continued through the depression of 1920-1921 but the name became Relief Gardens.  This depression was caused by several factors:  the unemployment caused by the returning soldiers, the end of the military production needed, labor strikes, stock market drop and prices rose.

But then came the Roaring Twenties and no one was interested in growing vegetables other than the farmers who made their living growing produce for the marketplace as well as supporting their own families.

Europe was involved in difficulties but those difficulties hadn’t yet spread to the States until 1929 when suddenly America was once again engulfed in a depression, this one known as The Great Depression of 1929-1939.  Relief Gardens became popular once again.

Suddenly it is May 1942, America is being drawn into the war raging across Europe and the US Office of Price Administration (OPA) freezes prices on everyday items.  The American public is faced with rationing.  First to be rationed was sugar and coffee, that was followed by tires, cars, bicycles, gas, fuel oil and kerosene, solid fuels, stoves, rubber footwear, shoes, processed foods, meats, canned fish, cheese, canned milks, fats, and typewriters.  

World War II Rationing on the US Homefront

To help Americans cope with the food rationing, the US Department of Agriculture started promoting Victory Gardens.  They issued handbooks and pamphlets on how to start a garden whether you lived in a city and grew vegetables in a flower box or pot or in the country but were not already a farmer. The handbooks included things like how to plan the garden, fertilizing, watering and maintaining the gardens.  They even issued a “Victory Garden Leaders Handbook” for those living in big cities and establishing a communal garden.  The pamphlets included a chart on how much was needed to be grown based upon the number of people using the garden.  These publications were helpful for the farm industry as well.

For example:  For one person you needed of tomatoes: 1 bushel (60 lb.) to be used fresh; 20 quarts to be canned for non-growing season; total production fresh, stored and canned - 120 lb..; Number of linear feet of row 75 ft.; amount of seed or plants required 25 plants.  Multiply this by the number of people to be feed.  You can see this chart at Hip Chicks Digs “Growing a Victory Garden”.

The Department of Agriculture also issued recipes booklets promoting the produce raised in the gardens which supplemented the food items allowed in the ration books.  Some of the vegetables were unfamiliar and the recipes provided options for preparation.  The recipes also allowed people to vary the ways they prepared the food to prevent boredom caused by eating the same thing over and over again.

The National WWII Museum has a fact sheet on “What is a Victory Garden? which is an excellent way of learning more about how important Victory Gardens were during the war.  For example, “by 1944 Victory Gardens were responsible for producing 40% of all vegetables grown in the US.  More then one million tons of vegetables were grown in Victory Gardens during the war.”  Or to put it another way “At their peak there were more than 20,000,000 Victory Gardens planted across the US.”

Angelo Pellegrini, who came to America from Casabianca, Italy in 1913 advocated growing one’s own food as he grew up in Seattle, Washington.  He wrote several books on the pleasures of wine, food and good company as well on his garden.  He did this even though he had a PhD. in English from University of Washington and as a professor teaching classics and later became Professor Emeritus. If you want to be entertained and learn about food and gardening, some of his books are:  Vintage Pelligrini, The Unprejudiced Palate, The Food Lover’s Garden, and Immigrant’s Return among others.  They are available through your local library.  

A Couple of Angelo Pelligrin's books

And then you should read Crosscut where there is a great article by Ronald Holden in the August 26, 2014 issue entitled “Food’s grow-your-own movement:  Some Work Required”.   Angelo Pelligrini said, in talking about gardens “there will be joy in the harvest, and the greatest pleasure in eating the fruit of your labor.”

Here’s hoping that you too are encouraged to start planning a fall and winter garden, or if you need more time, plan the spring garden.  Happy Growing. 

Notes: 

• Twitter, Inc. Musee Louvre
• www.nationalww2museum.org, Victory Gardens in WWII
• Hip Chick Digs
• World War II Rationing on the US Homefront
• Crosscut

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Emmett Hunt's diary entry Wednesday, August 29, 1883

Weather never more pleasant & I hope will remain so for 2 months.  Aside from my labors in the culinary department I cut a few more trees along my waterfront.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Gottlieb Stock Family

Last week we had a visitor at the museum interested in renting the Research Room for a possible event.  As we were talking, The woman asked me if I knew any about the Stock family and if a blog had been written on them.  I had to admit the answer to both questions was no.  She then turned to her companion and said, well tell her about the family.  Slightly embarrassed to be put on the spot like that, his reply was merely that the ancestor was Gottlieb Stock, and that he had spent most of his time in Rocky Bay.

We said our goodbyes and all went on their own way.  But, it left me with the distinct feeling that perhaps I needed to know a little bit more.  The past few days have had me searching all over the HHM Research Room, the internet, the Gig Harbor Peninsula Library, and what have you trying to find answers so the next time I see these visitors I can answer in the affirmative.

I still don’t know much, but I will share what little I have discovered.  

Gottlieb and Charlotte Stock immigrated Washington from Germany in 1904, and they settled at North Bay region across from Grapeview on Case Inlet.  Gottlieb did what he had done in Germany - he grew grapes and produced fine wine. He opened his winery in 1935 in Rocky Bay, and because his harvest was smaller, he also bought grapes from other growers in the area. They had seven children:  William, Julius (Julie), Fred, Carl, Anna Stock Baker, Edith Stock Turner and Henry.  Gottlieb (May 19, 1875-March 29, 1965) and Charlotte (October 11, 1881-1956) were kept quite busy raising a family and earning a living during two wars and the great depression.

Henry was born September 11, 1911 in Victor and remained a lifelong resident of the Vaughn area.  He attended the local schools in Victor and Vaughn and met his wife, Eleanor Basset, in Pullman where they married.  Eleanor was born in Washtuena and had lived the majority of her life in eastern Washington.  She was studying home economics, but the war started and Eleanor volunteered for the Army.  She went into the WACs and served in San Antonio in the Army’s physical therapy department.  

One of Eleanor’s many activities after she and Henry married was programing jukeboxes in many of the logging communities around Pullman, Moscow, and Lewiston. This was how she became known as “The Music Lady.”  

Prior to World War II Henry worked for Washington Electric and Gas Company in Tacoma.  During the war he served in the Navy’s Civil Engineer Corps as a Seebee in the South Pacific.  His unit (battalion) arrived shortly after the US Marines in Guadalcanal and Bougainville Island area where they built miles of roads and airstrips.  After the war, he worked as a commercial fisherman, and self-employed logger and homebuilder.  

Many people in the Gig Harbor area knew Eleanor because she opened a chiropractic center in Olympic Village which she operated from 1964 until 1969 when her health declined and she had to find less strenuous activities. 

Henry and Eleanor were very active at the Vaughn Civic Center and Eleanor became the community liaison for the Center’s Health Clinic.  They were avid bridge players and also taught bridge lessons at the Gig Harbor Senior Center. Eleanor was also active in the garden club and the Orthopedic Guild among other things.  She had, by 1981, four operations to remove malignant tumors.  Eleanor died in 1994; Henry passed away on September 14, 2003.  All Henry’s siblings had preceded him in death as well.

The Peninsula Gateway Peninsula Profile July 29, 1981 

Julius known as Julie was born August 19, 1916 in Allyn.  There is an excellent article about him and his wife Doris Loraine Lyons Morris in the Shelton-Mason County Journal by Mark Lee dated August 31, 1978.  And it is this article where most of my information on Julie and Doris originates.

After graduating in 1935, Julie attended Washington State University in Pullman, following his brother Henry’s example.  However after 2 years, he suffered severe appendicitis and was forced to return home.  Upon recovering, Julie tried to continue his education at the University of Washington but didn’t fit in - he felt it too large and impersonal.  So, he went to work at the Naval Shipyard in Bremerton.

In 1944, the 15 year old general store in Grapeview (originally named Detroit) was put up for sale, and Julie, age 28, decided to buy it.  The former owner had built up the business with a steady clientele and Julie wanted to keep all the existing customer base while trying to grow business.  Like all successful country or rural stores, he stocked just about anything a customer might want, perhaps not all brands, but definitely a very wide variety of items.  And that included chicken feed.  Part of the sale of the feed was the agreement that Julie would buy the eggs.  He wound up with so many eggs that he eventually had to start an informal egg distribution system.  Like almost all small stores across the country, his store also operated on credit; nearly 3/4 of his business was credit.  But just like Finholm’s, Novak Store or Stanich Bros. Store, Julie rarely had trouble collecting, people might be late, but they all paid in the end.

In 1948, Julie was exceptionally busy:  he expanded the store and moved the post office from Stretch Island to the back of the building in Grapeview.   He started a fund drive to build a fire station and the first fundraising event raised $185 - enough to pour a concrete floor for the building on land donated by Julie and Walt Eckert.  Within a year, the station was completed and shortly thereafter, they bought the 1st firetruck.  The station was used until 1965 when it was demolished and a new hall built.  

In 1952 Julie acquired a partner when he and Doris married.  This was the same year Reach Island changed its name to Treasure Island and developed mostly as summer homes for people from Tacoma and Seattle.  Eventually Julie and Doris moved there as well.  In 1954 Julie became postmaster after his sister-in-law, Madeline Stock, retired.  Julie served in that capacity until 1975.  Then it was 1955 and Julie had been contemplating the numbers of summer people in the community, and it seemed, they all had pleasure boats.  So naturally, Julie decided to build a marina.  In 1964 he and Doris sold the store.  Julie retired as postmaster in 1975 and became a real estate agent.

Shelton-Mason County Journal, "Grapeview Revisited, From vineyards to homes with a view"

Unfortunately, my search on this family hasn’t yet discovered the other family members.  But hopefully this is a start.

What made me chose this family?  The answer is simple.  The museum had some visitors who were asking if I knew anything about the Stock family.  As I said at the beginning, I didn’t and I believe it is our responsibility to do what we (HHM) can to answer our visitors questions about the Greater Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula.  I hope others will help fill in the blanks regarding this family.  

Notes:

*Shelton-Mason Count Journal, August 31, 1978 “From Vineyards to Homes with a View”, Mark Lee

*The Peninsula Gateway, July 29, 1981 “Peninsula Profile”, Gladys Para

*Find-a-Grave Site

* Images of America The Key Peninsula by Colleen A. Slater

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Emmett Hunt's diary entry Wednesday, August 22, 1883

Fair & foggy.  Took a scow load of shingles to Steilacoom after which we returned & went to Knapp's camp eve. Got back at 2:30 having done very well.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Gig Harbor Lumber Company

I have been quite interested in Gig Harbor Lumber Company since the early 1980s when I purchased a home in the Millville District of Gig Harbor.  So I have been researching on and off the 3 interrelated companies: Lumber, Logging, and Mill but it is very hard to find comprehensive information on them.    In fact, my home was owned from 1890 until 1897 by George M. Savage who was a pile driver and foreman for the GH Mill Company before he went off to become a very successful businessman first as a contractor in Olympia and then, in Tacoma as Savage & Scofield.

George Savage & Annie Sibley Savage

John Novak and Joseph Dorotich along with their spouses have named the area and platted the Town of Millville on June 23, 1888 after the Gig Harbor Mill which was located on the waterfront nearby.

“Along The Waterfront” complied and written by Students of 1974-75 at Goodman Middle School write on page 21, “…The first mill in Gig Harbor was established in 1887 on the west side of the harbor (platted as Millville).  It was called the Gig Harbor Mill Company, and Frank Hall (one of many settlers from Alberta Lea, Minnesota) was president.  ….The Gig Harbor Mill Company employed a large crew, and soon a shingle mill was built near it. ….Because of the growing industry, men drifted into town, and to house them, a group of rough cabins were built in the vicinity of Dorotich Street and Harborview Avenue.  This area became known as “Millville”.

”An Excellent Little Bay, A history of the Gig Harbor Peninsula” by J. A. Eckrom, tells us on page 64 that “The Gig Harbor mill had a wharf 450 ft. long and 80 ft. wide to handle the volume of lumber flowing to the ports of the world.”  Mr. Eckrom goes on to tell us on page 65 that “In November 1891 the West Coast Lumberman told its readers, “The Gig Harbor mill was sold under foreclosure sale to the Washington National Bank of Tacoma for approximately $23,000 (in 2014 = $605,360).  The purchasers contemplate reorganizing the company as soon as the title is settled, and expect to increase the capital stock to $100,000 (in 2014 = 2,500,000).  (Puget Sound Lumberman, January 1893, p.9.

And, lastly, published in an unknown publication and date (c. 1926) Anna Goodman Wheeler wrote the following:  “During the winter of 1887 and 88 the Gig Harbor Mill Co. was organized with Frank Hall of Alberta Lea as president.  A sawmill was erected on the South Side with George Atkinson as manager, he having previously served in that capacity in the Old Tacoma Mill.  Through his influence a number of vessels came to the harbor for cargoes of lumber, among them being the Republic which took a cargo of one million feet of lumber.  A shingle mill was built near the sawmill and it is due to this that Millville became so named.  Although it is now known as either West Side or South Side.  Near the mill a ship yard was erected which built the Steamer Alberta Lea that, used to make daily trips to and from Tacoma; also a large three-masted schooner called the Vine for Capt. John Burns of Tacoma.”

"Vine" built for GH Sawmill, launched 10/7/1890, commissioned by J. E. Burns, First load of Lumber

Ed Shannon, a columnist for the  Alberta Lea Tribune wrote the following on August 19, 2011: 

 

“The Alberta Lea Colony goes west

When museum volunteer Anita Lotts did the research on the local ties with the communities of Gig Harbor and Tacoma, Wash., she used the word colony for a group of area folks who moved to the Puget Sound region.

She made a list of 20 individuals and families who went west by railroad in the late 1880s.  Before these folks are listed, I want to stress that they did not go as a group.  Instead, they went at different times.  In some situations one person might go out west to check on the situation, then return to Alberta Lea for the rest of the family or friends.

Now here’s the list:  Dr. A. M. Burnham family, Hans E. Knatvold family, Major Frank Hall family, Powell family (Ida Hall), George A. Parker, Ed Parker family, Bunk Bickford family, A. H. Bartlett, J. H. Parker, Ozro Fobes, E. S. Prentice family, Cline Wannemaker, E. E. Budlong, George Hyatt, Capt. George T. Gardner, Gunder O. Gunderson family, Judge Ira A. Town family, Dr. M. M. Dodge family, L. P. Lock family and the Van Vechten family.

Some of these people went west to become a part of the operations of the Gig Harbor Lumber Co.  Several years later when the lumber firm went out of business, a few remained in Gig Harbor and the majority soon ended up in nearby Tacoma or other parts of western Washington.”

So it was of great interest to me when I obtained the incorporation documents from the State of Washington for the Gig Harbor Lumber Company and the Gig Harbor Logging Company showing they were incorporated in 1889.  I have been unable to find any documentation from Pierce County Archives of the State of Washington archives showing a license to operate prior to these articles of incorporation.  Still, I thought it might be of interest to be able to read those documents.  The mill is referenced in the Articles of Incorporation of the Gig Harbor Lumber Company (Article VI).  I realize that not everyone will find the Articles of Incorporation as interesting as i, but i still think they are important, and hopefully give a fuller picture of the companies.

We will start Gig Harbor Lumber Company filed on March 24th, 1888 and follow with Gig Harbor Logging Company filed on March 9th,1889. 

 _________________________________________________________________________

The capital at time of incorporation was $100,000 (or if converted to the dollar in 2014 that would be $2,500,000).

The Articles read as follows:

We, Francis Hall, Ozro B. Fobes and Ira A. Town from Pierce County, Washington Territory, and  Edward S. Prentice and James H. Parker of Freeborn County, State of Minnesota, do hereby associate ourselves together, and become a corporation under the laws of the Territory of Washington and the United States of America, and do hereby make execute and acknowledge in triplicate these Articles of Incorporation.

Article I.  The corporate name of the said company shall be and is Gig Harbor Lumber Company.

Article II.  The object for which the said corporation is formed is to lease, purchase, own, hold & sell Real Estate, to construct and operate one or more sawmills.  To buy and sell logs and lumber.  To manufacture lumber, to carry on logging business, to build or purchase or lease all such boats, vessels, wharfs and landings as may be necessary or convenient to carry on said business and to operate said boats overseas for the carriage of passengers & freight.  To buy or build and and all houses, stores or shops there may be necessary or convenient to carry on said business.  To buy & sell goods, wares and merchandize and particularly to buy and sell goods to supply the employees of said company.  To manufacture furniture such as blinds, moldings and any such all wood materials used in building and to erect & operate all mills necessary therefore.

Article III.  The amount of the capital stock of said corporation shares shall be One Hundred Thousand dollars, which shall be divided into one thousand shares of one hundred dollars each share, and which said capital stock may be increased in the manner provided by law to the amount of One Hundred and fifty Thousand dollars.

Article IV.  The time of the existence of said corporation shall be fifty years.

Article V.  The management of the concerns and affairs of said corporation shall be by a board of five trustees, who shall be elected at such times and in such manner as is and may be prescribed by law and provided by ByLaws hereafter to be enacted by said corporation, and for the period of six months from the date hereof.  The following named persons shall be and are the trustees of the said corporation to wit:

Frances Hall, Ozro B. Fobes, and Ira A. Town of Tacoma, Washington Territory, and Edward S. Prentice and James H. Parker of Alberta Lea, Freeborn County, State of Minnesota, all of whom are stockholders in the said corporation and citizens of the United States.

Article VI.  The location of the said mill and the operation of said manufacturing shall be at Gig Harbor, and at such other place as may be hereafter determined, and the general office and principle place of said corporation shall be at Tacoma, Pierce County, Washington Territory.

Signatures of all men were witnessed by Miles L. Clifford and E. S. Shull 

Notary Public:

Territory of Washington}

Pierce County              }

Be it known that on this 23rd day of March A.D. 1888 before me, a Notary Public in and for said Territory & County personally appeared Frances Hall, Ozro B. Fobes, Ira A. Town, Edward S. Prentice and James H. Parker each to me known to be the identical persons described in, and who executed the above and foregoing article of incorporation in triplicate, and they each acknowledge that they signed and sealed the same as their free and voluntary act and deed for the uses and purpose therein mentioned.

Miles L. Clifford, Notary Public

Filed and recorded at the request of Ira A. Town March 24th at 1:20 o’clock P.M.

Edward Huggins

Auditor Pierce County

W. T.

________________________________________________________________________________

The capital at time of incorporation was $20,000 (or if converted to the dollar in 2014 that would be $500,000).

____________________________________________________________

Know all men by these presents; that we George E. Atkinson and James H. Parker of Tacoma, Francis Hall, M. J. Darling and George T. Gardner, of Gig Harbor, all of Pierce County, Washington Territory, and Asa W. White of Alberta Lea, Freeborn County, State of Minnesota de hereby agree to become and be a corporation under the corporate name of the “Gig Harbor Loging (sic) Company; for the object and purpose herein after stated that is to say:  To lease, contract, buy, hold, own, release and sell real estate.  To purchase and sell timber, standing or otherwise, to contract, lease, buy, own, and operate loving (sic) roads, tramways and railroads.  To do a general loving (sic) business.  To contract,own and operate booms, to build, buy, run & operate Mills.  To manufacture and sell all kinds of building material and to contract, run & operate barges and boats for transportation.  The capital stock of said company shall be Twenty Thousand Dollars, to be divided into eight hundred shares of Twenty Five Dollars each.

The time of the existance (sic) of said corporation shall be twenty years from the first day of March A. D. 1889.

The concerns of said corporation shall be managed by five trustees, and the name of the trustees who shall manage the concerns of the company for the period of six months from the date of these Articles are George E. Atkinson and James H. Parker of Tacoma, Francis Hall, M. J. Darling and George T. Gardner of Gig Harbor, all of Pierce County, Washington Territory.  The principal place of business of said company shall be located at Gig Harbor, Pierce County, Washington Territory.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands and seals this 7th day of March A. D. 1889.

In presence of  } George E. Atkinson

W. W. Likens   } James H. Parker

E. S. Prentice } Francis Hall

M. J. Darling

Geo. T. Gardner

Asa W. White

United States of America }

Washington Territory       }  SS

County of Pierce             }

This certifies that on this 7th day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine, before me a Notary Public in and for Pierce County,Washington Territory personally appeared the within named George E. Atkinson, James H. Parker, Francis Hall, M. J. Darling and George T. Gardner and Asa W. White whose names are subscribed to the foregoing instrument as party thereto, personally known to me to be the individuals described in & who executed the within deed, and acknowledged the same to be their free and voluntary act and deed.

Witness my hand and Notarial seal the day and year above written.

{Notarial Seal} W. W. Likens

Notary Public Wash. Terry.

Filed and recorded at request of Gig Harbor Logging Co. March 9th 1889 at 1:05 P.M.

Edward Huggins

Auditor Pierce County

W. T. by W. H. Hollis, Deputy

______________________________________________________________

In closing I want to mention a specific blog I came across on the internet which research these companies which is probably the most comprehensive background on the Gig Harbor Lumber Company available.  Unfortunately it is copyrighted and I was unable to obtain permission to use any of it in writing this blog.  It has been written by Greg Spadoni, a member of one of our community’s older founding families.  I definitely recommend you read his piece.  You will find it most interesting.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Emmett Hunt's diary entry Wednesday, August 15, 1883

A very light sprinkle this morn & cloudy all day.  Arose at 11:30 this forenoon, got dinner, wooded & watered the Babe, supplied & go again to bed.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

The Arts and Gig Harbor

Gig Harbor has always, dating back to the early 1900s, has had a warm and welcoming relationship with the arts.   Live theatre, music, visual art, you name it, an it has had a presence in this community.

Today (July 27 to September 14, 2014) you will find the 15th Annual Juried Maritime exhibit at the Harbor History Museum.  Last month the Peninsula Art League held their annual summer art festival and Saturday they will hold a plain air paint out on the museum grounds which includes the grounds themselves, Gig Harbor Bay and the Austin Estuary Park.

The Downtown Waterfront Alliance and the Gig Harbor Gallery Association in conjunction with the City holds a special Thursday Night-Out event every second Thursday celebrating the visual arts along with demonstrations, music and other entertainment at various locations around the harbor.  There are over 12 galleries in Gig Harbor proper, and more throughout the greater Gig Harbor community.

1939 - The Sibellians

Tulip Time - Peninsula Singers

This long history made me think that a special paper entitled “History of the Arts and Crafts Club 1934-1935” would be of interest.  It shows how the more things change, the more things remain the same.  Some of the frustrations expressed in Mrs. Insel’s paper still happen I’m sure, though perhaps not the same frustrations between sexes.  But the economic frustrations, the charitable acts, still exist and are still met with within all organizations.  

1940 Recruiting Nurses for the war effort

This paper was written by Mrs. John H. Insel, Historian (of the Arts and Crafts Club).

The lot of the historian is a difficult one, particularly when the writer is compelled to deal with the hard facts as recorded in the “Minutes of the Last Meeting.”  History, in my opinion, should be framed in romance - not the common garden variety of romance known as love, but the romance of living.  So this writer is going to digress from the cold facts of the secretarial chronicle and endeavor to portray in words the ‘human side’ of the Arts and Crafts Club.

There have been many meetings during the club year of 1934-1935, September to May, when members of the Arts and Crafts club considered many things other than the program of theyr club endeavor.  Serious things, that is.  We thought of things like citizenship and patriotism, and love of one’s country and of one’s neighbors; of friendliness and service, of visions and dreams; and of practical ways of buttering one’s bread.

The courage of the women who crossed the continent in covered wagons is spoken of with reverence and awe, but this is the Black Year of a Bleak Depression, and the women of today have had to face trials, hardship and privation no less difficult than those women who followed the beckoning trial of blue horizons.  (The wail of a hungry child can be as terrifying as the scalping cry of an Indian).  Women still possess a ruddy courage and courage imparts to living a flavor wholly unknown to fear.

Feature the brave discussion of what to do with $2.33, the pitiful amount in our treasury at the beginning of the club year.  Similar to the fate of many other bank accounts, the Club’s funds were lost to our use with the closing of the local bank.  Later, we received a check of $15.80, 35% of our account, from the financial debacle and proceeded to spend it as the safest way of saving our money - by putting it back into circulation - but getting something for it.

The first endeavor of the club year was the making of pottery from clay obtained from pits located at Auburn, Washington.  The making of pottery did not originate with the members of the Arts and Crafts Club of Gig Harbor as it is one of the oldest arts handed down thru the centuries, but most of the designs from the ash trays to vases were decidedly original.  Some of the members attained a good degree of skill and many lovely things were fashioned from the clay.

With the advent of the Christmas season, our thoughts turned to Christmas cards.  The study of block printing was interested to Mrs. Sweet who generously coached the other members.

In the name of sweet charity for an orphan child at the Lacey Home, a doll was dressed and sent to Gladys Leammie in time for her birthday on February 24th.

For the balance of the club year, the members decided to make waste baskets of reed, an inexpensive and useful art.

To gain a broader contact with club work, we have become affiliated with the District Federation of Women’s Club, sending delegates to their several meetings.  The District Board Meeting of March 8th was entertained at the home of Mrs. L. M. Holt with other members of the club assisting the hostess.

New members have entered the club from time to time as vacancies occurred.  They have brought new ideas and new loyalty to the club’s ideals.  Others have resigned for various reasons, but in the majority of cases, their contact with the club was one of inspiration and friendliness.

Our husbands have been prone to scoff at our club and make mean remarks concerning our efforts, but the poor dears do not realize that they are very largely responsible for our passion for club gatherings.  We have banded together where we may air our views on everything under the sun without having to listen to a scathing belittling of our opinions.  However, on May 25th, we gave them a dinner and program, displaying the result of the year’s work.  Mrs. R. H. Berkheimer, Mrs. L. M. Holt, Mrs. George Campen, and Mrs. A. L. Hopkins winning prizes for their efforts.The hospitality of our homes has been extended for our club meetings.  We have “sat at table” in good fellowship and grace and the simple meal of soup, sandwich and coffee has become a feast.  The Arts and Crafts’ Club ’soup’ is a flexible dish - sometimes it has been delicious fried chicken, oyster stew, or goulash.  It has one characteristic, however, which never varies - it is always good.

Apart from the educational advantages received from our club association, we have had the lovely privilege of being “just friends.”  There have been joy and sorrow among us.  The happiness was greater because it could be shared; the burdens lighter because sympathy and understanding.”

1946-47 Sorella Club at Mrs. Betty (Sheldon) Stutz' home:  Mary Ellen Sehmel, Carol Quisinberry, Unknown, Jane Lambing, Dottie Morris

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.

Emmett Hunt's diary entry Wednesday, August 8, 1883

Tried to start a rain this morn but cleared up & came out sunny & warm as usual.  Cut and piled brush most of the day.  Went below & had music practice.

© 2012 Harbor History Museum. All rights reserved.