Workers on the roof during construction of the Temple of Justice. ~The Olympian archives.

Olympia's first school was built in 1852. It was located on the corner of Sixth (Legion) and Franklin. The roof collapsed under a heavy snowfall, and in 1855, a new two-story frame school house was built on the same site by John M. Swan. ~A.D. Rogers Photograph; Susan Parish Collection.

Olympia City Hall, Fire and Police Department 1957. ~Washington State Historical Society.

Brick yard on the site of the old Thurston County Court House, Eleventh and Capitol Way, circa 1914. ~Joe Jeffers photograph; Susan Parish Collection.

Laying brick roadway, Main St., between Seventh and Sixth (Legion). ~Olympia Heritage Commission, Meyer Collection.

Workmen repairing damage to the Capitol Dome of the " Old Capitol" after the April 1949 earthquake. ~Courtesy of Olympia Heritage Commission.

At the time, the 278-foot dome of Washington's State Capitol was said to be the fourth highest in the world; only St. Peter's in Rome, St. Paul's in London and the U.S. Capitol were taller.

~Olympian Archives.

nauguration of Governor Elisha P. Perry, first governor of Washington State, at the first state capitol building, Nov. 11,1889.

~photographer: A.D. Rogers - Washington State Historical Society.

Our Culture; continued

When Cultures Evolve & Grow

When Cultures Evolve & Grow

a community that isn't growing is dying

As growth continued, the newcomers applied their contributions to create a new culture. City centers grew, institutions developed, and churches and social clubs were established.

Schools

Some of the first institutions to be built were schools. Although there were only a few small schools in Olympia in the 1850s, the 1860s saw a surge of organized education in the region. Margaret White Chambers described early school life in her writings. She wrote of a small log schoolhouse with a door at one end and a fireplace at the other. Because there was no well on the property, students had to bring their own water.

In 1848, Father Pascal Ricard led the effort to establish Priest Point Indian Boys School. Using hatchets, French Oblate monks cleared eight acres of land and built a schoolhouse, a chapel and other buildings, and pens for farm animals. In later years, the park was acquired by the City and dedicated to park purposes.

Another early school was established in a bedroom of the Packwood family residence. Ann (White) Bigelow taught there from 1853 to 1854, and is thought to be the first teacher in Olympia. Bigelow's pupils were children from three families. Her monthly salary was $20 with room and board. Together with her husband, Daniel, Ann championed civil rights for non-whites, women's suffrage, education and temperance. Olympia's first college, The Methodist College, was founded in 1858 with the help of Daniel Bigelow. The couple was active in the Methodist Church and instrumental in building several schools, colleges and churches in the Olympia area.

In 1895 Saint Martin's School opened with its first and only student, Angus McDonald. He traveled 30 miles from Shelton to Olympia by boat and then walked the remaining four miles to the school. Saint Martin's opened as a school for boys 10 years and older, offering preparatory, commercial and classical education. By 1940 the school became a four-year college, and today has an average enrollment of 1,000, with women making up 60 percent of the student body.

Government

Olympia has always been at the forefront of organizing services for its residents. The first city hall, which was located on Fourth Avenue near Washington Street, was where community leaders, the mayor and city councilmen met regularly to discuss police, fire, planning, street building and financial issues. Although the process may not have changed much, the needs have increased dramatically.

The capitol, with its classical Greek dome, was completed in 1927 and stands as a reminder that architectural form was and is important to fellow Olympians. As Richard Hamilton wrote in The Washingtonian on March 1, 1928, "Such minds are gladdened that the home of their government is a place of beauty." He went on to say the capitol had "stately beauty of vibrant marbles, colorful tapestries, the hand-turned products of master woodworkers, fixtures hammered from bronze and brass by craftsmen proud of their work, the art that gives vitality to dead stone -- the charm of simplicity."

New York architects Harry K. White and Walter Wilder designed the building and more than 300 area union craftsmen and workers constructed the work of art for a cost of $7 million.

The Olympian Copyright 2000

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