Burrows Log Cabin Is Oldest In Bellevue

Hey Johnston: Someone probably has asked this before, but what is the story with the log cabin near downtown Bellevue? It is on the west side of 112th Avenue Northeast in the block just north of Northeast 12th Street. It appears to be authentic and lived in. What can you tell us?

Answer: This is the Burrows cabin, the oldest structure in Bellevue.

Mary Ellen Piro of the Bellevue Historical Society (425-450-1046) said this cabin was originally built by Albert Burrows, who came to Bellevue in 1882. Burrows was a Civil War veteran and got a piece of land at Chism Beach Park on Lake Washington as part of a homesteader's settlement.

Burrows was a carpenter and built the home himself. The original home measured 13 by 23 feet. Burrows also helped build the first school in Bellevue. He died in 1896.

In 1930, the Burrows cabin was moved to what later became Bellevue Square, Piro said. As Bellevue Square grew, the cabin was moved to its current location in 1946.

A fire burned the interior of the cabin in the 1970s, but it is still occupied as a private residence.

Burrows Landing, just south of Chism Beach Park, is named after the Eastside settler.

Hey Johnston: I'd like to know when the State Patrol is going to start enforcing the no-tractor-trailers-in-the-far-left-lane rule. I drive on Interstates 405 and 90 all the time, and, obviously, the law is not enforced.

Answer: This law passed in July, and the State Patrol gave truck drivers until November to get used to the idea. Then the troopers started issuing tickets to truckers for going into the far left lane.

What may be confusing to some drivers is when the car-pool lane is on the left side, next to the passing lane. Truckers - and vehicles towing trailers - still cannot use it. The ticket costs $71.

Hey Johnston: I'm a Kirkland resident, and I was wondering if you could follow the mail trail. I mailed a few packages from the Kirkland post office on a Monday. The two Kirkland residents I mailed things to got their mail Tuesday. The Redmond resident's mail arrived Wednesday or Thursday.

Does the mail from the Kirkland post office go to Seattle and then back out to Redmond, or does the mail go directly from Kirkland to Redmond? If I want to get something out quickly, is it better to mail it from work in downtown Seattle?

Does that save more time than mailing it from Kirkland?

Answer: All the mail ends up in downtown Seattle, even when you are mailing a letter to your neighbor in Kirkland. Ernie Swanson of the Postal Service said all the high-speed mail-sorting equipment is in downtown Seattle.

There was a time when some of the mail that was dropped off in Kirkland and addressed to a Kirkland address actually stayed in Kirkland. But not anymore.

"I know it sounds silly to send something to Seattle when it is a Kirkland to Kirkland delivery," Swanson said, "but it is more efficient."

How to Just Ask Johnston: This column appears Mondays and Wednesdays in the Eastside edition. Leave your questions on Steve Johnston's voice mail at 206-464-8475. Or write: Just Ask Johnston, c/o The Seattle Times, 10777 Main St., Suite 100, Bellevue, WA 98004. The e-mail address is east@seatimes.com