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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03102022 Historic Preservation LAYDOWN - Facebook Report220310 HP Meeting LAYDOWN Facebook Report Facebook Page Report March 10, 2022 HPC Meeting Mary Ann Benoit Overview In February we reached 163 people with our posts which was down 37% from last month. We have 493 followers. Most of these are from Seward, but several are from other areas of Alaska and even other states. We had 6 likes or other engagements on the post on the Seward Commercial Company . Results Facebook Page Reach e 163 200 150 100 50 0 Feb 12 Feb 15 Feb 20 Feb 24 Feb 28 Mar 4 Mar S 220310 HP Meeting LAYDOWN Facebook Report Audi■nc. €uppmi autllnnca pbmf f y :v.,c.arrra Po ab4! page tollowars @ 493 Age E Gender 0 0 A Y�gmc� 64, Teri Cities Sea ald AK A�ro�FtCray� FK � L�4 90ar Craak. AK 4.1 sw Sokdoha AK Waglla AK t iandl AK ■ 4; hia_s+o- Rasa. AK ■ a,e-. pal-er. AX ■ n.c _ LAe Ha,asu C'Ir Az ■ J 5'� SEMyon.]. AK Top €ountnes Ln ded States COUS Rieb 1 02% No additional posts were added to the list. 220310 HP Meeting LAYDOWN Facebook Report Posts December January BUILTTO LAST -McMullen Building 222 Fourth Ave Since this building was completed in 1930, it has survived time, fire, and earthquake. The building was constructed by locally renowned craftsman Gerhard "Stucco" Johnson using locally made concrete blocks. The building served many unique functions and was an p essential art of the town's social fabric like its owners, Luella and Paul (P.C.) McMullen. f The top floor housed a Masonic lodge. The lower level was agrocery/ - clothing/sundries shop, McMullen's Fine Staples and Groceries, specializing in fisherman's supplies and mail order provisions. Luella and P.C. McMullen were creative entrepreneurs, running many different businesses, including a grocery store, a dress shop, and even y a funeral parlor (the Seward Undertaking Company). Luella Kelsey McMullen (she was a single school teacher, Luella Kelsey, when she moved to town in 1921.) She was highly involved in local affairs, active in 4H, and a director of Seward's Women's Club. She was well respected by civic leaders. After P.C. died in 1938, Luella married local contractor Ray James and continued operating the store. Luella James was also instrumental in the organization of the Resurrection Bay Historical Society and the Seward Museum. On November 23, 1941, a devastating fire tore through downtown Seward. The fire started after the Second Chance Barber Shop's proprietor on Fourth Avenue spilled fuel on his floor when trying to light his oil stove. When he lit the match, it ignited the spilled fuel and started a tragic fire that destroyed many businesses in two downtown blocks. The fire stopped at the McMullen building, possibly because the concrete walls served as a fire break. The McMullen building has stood the test of time, enduring that fire and the 1964 earthquake. It continues to provide a well-built home for numerous businesses today. 220310 HP Meeting LAYDOWN Facebook Report February GET WELL FED AND WELL READ - Seward Commercial Company - 225 Fourth Ave The Seward Commercial Company began in 1905 on the southeast end of Fourth Avenue with owner E.W. Young. He partnered with William GET WELL AND WELL READ ' M. Sauers to him in 1906. In 1908, Sauers built the and sold out new Seward Commercial Company in its location. The Seward current " Commercial Company operated as a general merchandising store and - ` _tang lending library, with a meeting hall and dance hall upstairs, known as Commercial Hall. Sauers' store was a godsend for everyone, including mushers and their dog teams. He stocked just about everything you K " needed or wanted, and if he didn't have it, he ordered it. Sauers tried to outdo his competition at Brown & Hawkins and others in the "egg wars" with advertisements for who controlled the most chickens and -. how fresh and inexpensive the eggs were. Sauers' store also functioned as a community hub. In 1914, he hosted a well -attended special dance in honor of the much -needed Alaska Railroad Bill. Fights were also a source of local entertainment. According to local historian Doug Capra, one fight resulted in a broken window at Sauers' store; Sauers commented to a reporter at the time that he would not press the matter because he got "a lot of fun out of the battle." The store not only made sure you were well-fed but also well-read. The Seward Commercial Company participated as a "circulating library" along with the local paper, churches, and other businesses. This community library effort began when Seward was founded, was formalized as the Seward Community Library Association in 1930, and eventually became our community library. Over time the building served many purposes. Today it houses The Sea Bean Cafe and Sauerdough Lodging. The name Sauerdough is a tribute to the original builder, William Sauer. Come in and enjoy great coffee, food and tun -of -the -last - century apartments with clawfoot tubs and modern amenities. Do you know someone who has made great contributions towards �O�d historic preservation in the community of Seward? Now is the time to recognize them so we can all say thanks for their help in making our community better for us all. You can find the simple nomination form ITS TIME TO NOMINATE online at SEWARD HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARD (cityofseward.us). SOMEONE • ' THE Get your nomination in by April 20th. SEWARD HISTORIC PRESERVATION AWARD �anaG � I �uo-c�uc�ion. � nxsstsn. 220310 HP Meeting LAYDOWN Facebook Report Beach Front Property- The Standard Oil Managers House - March 611 Adams Street In the 1920s, women got the vote, Harding won the Presidency, and Standard Oil Company of California came to town! At the time, Seward wanted to be the center of commerce in Southcentral Alaska and r actively competed to attract businesses. Seeing the value of Seward's strategic location for shipping oil, Standard Oil invested in the a `. community and built a boiler house, five oil tanks, buildings, and a dock brought along the existing shoreline and railroad. It publicity, jobs, cheap fuel, and financial flexibility to businesses in Seward. In 1928 Standard Oil bought this property for $200 and built this house for their manager, William C. Erwin, who was hired to oversee the Standard Oil operation. Local author John Paulsteiner said, "Of all the people I know, the Bill Erwin family is the most outstanding family Seward ever had. I had many an opportunity to speak to him whenever he had some longshore work loading and unloading the tankers. He was a good man to work for and got along with everybody." Standard Oil was a significant advantage for Seward and expanded its ' 9 presence in Seward overtime. However, in 1964 the Good Friday Earthquake destroyed the entire Standard Oil facility when it caused the land on which it sat to subside into the ocean. Floating while on fire, the exploding tanks made it appear as if "Seward was burning." Amazingly, this house survived, becoming beachfront property. The Standard Oil Manager's House is now the Adams Street Bed and Breakfast. It arguably has a much prettier view of the ocean without the tanks, buildings, and other industrial development. March 25 Seward's Day is a state holiday in Alaska celebrated on the last Monday in March. That commemorates the signing of the Alaska Purchase treaty on March 30th 1867. It is named after Secretary of State William H. Seward who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia for $7 million. Since Alaska is about one -fifth of the size of the rest of the it seems a pretty good deal, but he was criticized for wasting money and it was known as "Seward's Folly" The treaty was ratified on April 9th 1867 and the formal transfer of control took place on 18 October of that year. This formal transfer is which is now celebrated as another holiday, Alaska Day. 220310 HP Meeting LAYDOWN Facebook Report Mobile Home Living- The Dryden House- April 308 Sixth Ave Alaska images from the 19th and early 20th centuries sometimes show horses moving whole houses to new locations. People frequently moved their entire homes when the "grass was greener" somewhere else or after a local catastrophe such as a fire. m r , Homes were uprooted from the foundations, loaded onto wooden �� ras _ - �IT*��. PIS h L platforms with wheels, and dragged with horses to new locations. Later, trucks replaced the horses. :-J ss In Seward, buildings were frequently moved and re -purposed. In 1905 the Coleman House was moved from a block south on the lower end of Fourth Avenue, where it had initially been the Alaska Central ,j 17 4 Commercial Company. This house was built around 1920 in the small homesteading community of Woodrow (located at Mile 7 of the Seward Highway) and was moved here around 1930. Calvin M. Brosius sold the property to William H. Dryden in 1929. Dryden was a potato farmer at Woodrow, and the house may have once been a barn. Do you think that moving a house that distance with horses sounds far-fetched? In 1928, the Malloy House, located just across the street at 313 Sixth Avenue, was moved from above Second Avenue, and shortly after World War II, the house at 317 Sixth Avenue was moved from Fort Raymond, along with many Seward homes. Houses have moved around Seward like a game of moveable chairs. What can we say, we are a resourceful bunch! May In 2005, the National Trust for Historic Preservation declared the MAY IS entire month of May each year as Preservation Month, which celebrates historic places and Heritage Tourism, and promotes the social and economic benefits of Historic Preservation. m IMP Ivia a,ynya„,, ea ESEpvarloN M ISM, AND PNOM OTE SNTN ELS SA MIC BENEFIOTS OF NISTON C P P PES EFVGTIO N, 7 If Walls Could Talk- The Malloy House- 313 Sixth Ave Named for its original owner, Bessie M. Malloy, this house had a previous life on a hill above Second Avenue. After avalanches buried some of the neighboring houses, Malloy purchased this lot for $250 and moved the house here. This house has seen a lot, including an influx of more than 3,200 soldiers in Seward during World War II, Alaska statehood in 1959, and the most exciting of all: the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. During the earthquake, the Anderson family (who lived in the house at the time) 220310 HP Meeting LAYDOWN Facebook Report had to run for their lives, leaving the front door wide open as the Standard Oil tanks a block away exploded and the earth shook. In 1970, the National Research Council described the devastation of that day by saying, "probably nowhere in south central Alaska on March 27, 1964, were there more hairbreadth escapes than among the 2,300 inhabitants of the seaport town of Seward...". Owner Susie Anderson White was 9 years old when she wrote, "All of a sudden everything broke loose, and we were shaking real bad. I started to scream, and my sister Sharon told me I didn't stop screaming. We saw a huge explosion. It was the Standard Oil tanks going up in flames. When we went past the boat harbor, we could see boats being lifted up by the tidal wave." Her father, Val Anderson, wrote, "We spent the night listening to the Standard Oil tanks exploding, the tidal waves coming in and watching the great red glare of the fire lighting the skies and mountainsides. We didn't think there was a chance in the world our house could survive." But the house did survive and kept adapting to changing times. Today Seward depends more on tourism, and this house offers nightly lodging to these travelers. It hears their stories, and now they hear its story. Additions from Commissioners?