Archive for August 2016

All eyes were on the board as two unidentified men faced off in the National Checker Association's second annual title tournament at the Winthrop Hotel on August 31, 1939. Expert players from throughout the US poured into Tacoma to be in the competition. The tournament, which began on August 28th, had a record entry of…

This group of newly minted mermaids was photographed in the Y.W.C.A. pool, 405 Broadway, on August 27, 1942. For the first time that year, the pool remained open for the whole summer to expand the recreation facilities available to children spending their vacation at home. The youngsters pictured could not swim at all at the…

The 19th century melodrama "United by Love" was presented on August 23, 1938 on a Works Progress Administration (WPA) traveling stage in Tacoma's South Park. The "Theater on Wheels," a joint enterprise of the WPA and the Metropolitan Parks Board, featured more than 100 performers in a variety of productions accompanied by the 6-piece professional…

Three men sport large grins as they examine the Quaker brand of heaters at Rowell's appliance store on August 19, 1957. The Quaker heater, labeled "America's Most Beautiful Heater," promised to deliver warmer floors at a warm up time 5 1/2 times faster than old-fashioned cast iron. It had "twin" automatic floor level blowers. Rowell's…

This August 1924 photo showcases the recently added columbarium at Oakwood Cemetery & Funeral Home in Tacoma. In response to an increasing number of cremations, an additional columbarium was built in 1923 to supplement the original, smaller one. The niches, stacked one on top of another, were encased in glass so that urns and other…

On August 13, 1944, "The Great Steilacoom Jailbreak" was sponsored by the Steilacoom chapter of the Daughters of the Pioneers. The event encouraged town residents to "escape" their day-to-day activities to help demolish and say farewell to Steilacoom's historic jail. Built near Starling Street about 1858 by contractor George W. Manville, the building served as…

Tacoma's John Miller was a master gardener who helped others with their gardening efforts through the Master Gardener Program Clinics sponsored by the Pierce County Cooperative Extension Service. Mr. Miller, pictured here in August of 1974 watering his garden, had just harvested a bumper crop of potatoes from his 65 x 135-foot lot overlooking Puget…

The two cooks pictured here look prepared to serve hordes of hungry boys at the YMCA's Camp Seymour in August 1931. It appears that oyster stew is on the menu for the day, accompanied by small salted oyster crackers. The YMCA summer camp at Glen Cove (then called Balch's Cove) was established in 1907 thanks…

Noted organist Selika Pettiford, wearing a floor-length lace gown, posed at the piano and electric organ she played at the Olympus Hotel in August 1948. Behind her are two mirrors positioned so the audience could watch her hands as she performed. The Olympus Hotel was located at 815 Pacific Avenue. http://goo.gl/KdYgbh…