Saving Traces Of Federal Way's Past -- `There's Quite A Lot Of History'

The notion of Federal Way history may strike some newcomers in the 8-year-old city as an oxymoron, but a dedicated group of history buffs knows the city has a past worth remembering.

"The typical reaction you get is, `This place just became a city; how could it have a history?' " said Dietrick Jones, a resident of the Federal Way area for 50 years and past president of the Historical Society of Federal Way. "They don't know there's quite a lot of history."

The Historical Society, with about 100 members and a new office in a 50-year-old house on Fisher's Pond, is struggling to preserve what is left of Federal Way's past.

Shirley Charnell, a lifelong resident who founded the latest incarnation of the historical society 10 years ago, said the group has had to scramble to save structures and landmarks as the city has

grown from a community of about 29,000 in 1970 to more than 75,000 today.

In neighboring cities such as Kent and Auburn, there is a stronger sense of history because there are many longtime residents. Not so in Federal Way, where most people arrived since the 1970s, Jones said.

In the past, Federal Way has not made historic preservation a high priority, Charnell said. "We've had to fight to get the city to recognize this is important."

The Federal Way City Council has supported a voluntary approach to preservation rather than restricting owners of historic-landmark properties as King County does, said Councilwoman Mary Gates. She said the city has not funded a staff person for historic preservation, but the city has helped by donating grant money and property to the cause.

The historical society's shoestring budget of about $5,000 a year and a lack of active volunteers means some valuable historic structures are awaiting attention.

Among them is a 1956 clock tower from the Old World Square in the Federal Way Shopping Center. Society members salvaged the clock when the center was torn down in 1995, replaced by the thoroughly modern Pavilions Centre. The clock sits in storage, awaiting renovation and a site worthy of its display.

Another priority for the society is the restoration of the Denny and Barker cabins, both of which have been relocated to city property near the Hylebos Wetlands State Park, just off 348th Street Southwest.

Both cabins need extensive renovation, and the Barker cabin needs its roof replaced. Charnell fears that without cover the exposed wood beams are rotting.

If the cabins can be restored, the historical society would like them to be open to visitors with period furniture and exhibits.

The Denny Cabin was originally built on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. Its origins are uncertain, but it was home to the pioneer Mercer family in the 1850s and became David Denny's real-estate office in 1889. It survived the Seattle fire that year and later was used as a church, school and tavern.

The Barker cabin was one of the earliest homes in Federal Way, built by pioneers in 1881.

Both cabins were moved to the Federal Way Shopping Center by developer J.R. Cissna in the early 1960s. Cissna had a dream of developing a history park, but it never became reality.

In the next four years, the historical society hopes to raise awareness of local history in other ways - by spiffing up its new headquarters for an office and storage space, finding a home for a permanent museum and compiling a book of Federal Way history before memories fade further.

The task is made more difficult because many records and photos were destroyed in a 1975 fire at the 320th Street library.

In 1994, with a grant from the King County Landmarks Commission, the society published a guide to landmarks it considered historically significant.

Most of the 35 homes and businesses date back to an era when Federal Way was known as a destination for summer homes and the only year-round residents were farmers and loggers.

The oldest building on the list, the Old Star Lake School, was constructed in 1880 and today is privately owned. The most recent is Rose's Highway Inn, built in 1939 and still operating as a restaurant.

Many of the sites are not in the city limits, but are in the area traditionally identified as Federal Way.

The guide can be found at local libraries or City Hall. To join the society or volunteer, call Jones at 253-661-0228.

Christy True's phone message number is 253-946-3981.