Descriptions of Early Town

Compiled by Brian Brenno

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The Gorsuch store was on the corner opposite to Master's blacksmith shop; Livesley's and Gorsuch homes in cherry, apple and pear orchards; along with a small telephone office, run by the McGuire's; composed the town of Vashon. Sarah Eernisse sold a 210 foot lot to the church, in 1908 for $800 dollars.Fred Eernisse memoir, Vashon Maury Island Heritage Association.

At Vashon there was the Gorsuch General Store and home, the Blekkink home and the Livesley home on the west side of the street and a blacksmith shop. On the east side of the street, S.J. Steffeson had a shoe shop and the post office. Then there was the telephone office and Lon Pruitt's small house and gas plant from which he furnished gas for some of the buildings. There was also a YMCA building, later the theater.The first real improvement at Vashon was the building of the Masonic Hall where Mr T. Hansen started the Vashon State Bank 1907.W.D. Garvin, from Vashon Island News Record 11/1/194.

A picture of Vashon in 1910 shows the bank located in a large brick building a block south of its present location. It was started in 1909 by Terkel Hansen. Capitol was $10,000. The newspaper office is shown across the street on the south side of the big building, Martin Block and Hotel lettered on it. The building belonged to R.W.F. Martin, who had a real estate office there. Other buildings on this side of the street included Peterson's Meat Market on the corner, and the post office in Steffeson's Saddle Shop and grocery Store. R.W.F. as he was always called, ran the hotel for a time. Then it stood vacant for a couple years. In 1913 Arthur Poultney took it over. "I borrowed $500 form Terkel Hansen" said Arthur, "To re-open the hotel. It had six bedrooms. I took care of them alone and cooked and served family style meals."

Searching For The Laughter, Marjorie Stanley.

 

That was Vashon before and after 1910. Progress is evident in a faded 1914 postal in my scrapbook showing a new bank building erected in 1912. It was located on the site of the present bank. Fruit trees where the Vashon Pharmacy is, indicate the site of the original Frank Gorsuch home. The picture also shows the store where McCormick's is now - the first store at Vashon. It was a grocery store built and run by Frank Gorsuch in 1890. Robert Gerry owned it later. He sold it to Fred Weiss who took in Ole Thorson as a partner shortly after. In 1929 they sold it to George McCormick who bought out the hardware section of Kimmel's store across the street. George was later joined by his brother Earl to establish what is now Vashon Hardware. Fred Weiss who following his sale to George McCormick in 1929, built the brick building across from Kimmel's and also opened a store.So, step by step, and year by year Vashon grew. 

Searching For The Laughter, Marjorie Stanley