Category Archives: Shearwater

House-Moving from Shearwater in Wedgwood

In January 1972 a very unusual house-moving event took place in the Wedgwood neighborhood in northeast Seattle.  Twelve small houses (600 square feet each) were moved from 40th Ave NE near Decatur School, to 7320 35th Ave NE in the … Continue reading

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Remembering Shearwater: Cynthia’s Story

The Wedgwood neighborhood is only a mile-and-a-half from the (former) Naval Air Station at 7400 Sand Point Way NE in Seattle.  There was much available land in Wedgwood in the 1940s for housing, so during World War Two a lot … Continue reading

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Dairy Queen in Wedgwood

The first Dairy Queen store opened in Illinois in 1940 with immediate success.  The menu started out with ice cream and sundaes but soon expanded to malts, milkshakes, and banana splits.  The company began to register its trademark products and … Continue reading

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Names in the Neighborhood: from Decatur to Thornton Creek

Author’s note: This article is about the name of a school in the Wedgwood neighborhood.  If you are looking for an outline of the history of the Thornton Creek watershed and The Confluence at Meadowbrook, go here. The US Navy … Continue reading

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Shearwater part five: the end of Shearwater and the death of the Wedgwood Community Club in the 1970s

In the early 1970s the USA suffered through an economic recession, made worse in 1973 when an energy crisis began because of a Middle East oil and gas embargo.  In the USA gas prices skyrocketed and it affected air travel, … Continue reading

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Shearwater part four: the developer versus the Wedgwood Community Club, 1966 to 1970

On December 16, 1965, all the Shearwater land parcels on streets near Decatur School were sold at a government-property auction, with the stipulation that the buyer must remove the old barracks buildings within ninety days of the sale. The Wedgwood … Continue reading

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Shearwater part three: Shearwater victories and setbacks in the 1960s

The administrative wheels turned slowly but finally in 1959 the Navy got ready to release some of its property in Wedgwood for the site of a much-needed elementary school.   In September 1961 Decatur School opened at 7711 43rd Ave … Continue reading

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Shearwater part two: the Wedgwood Community Club fights Shearwater in the 1950s

In the 1950s the very active Wedgwood District Community Club made its voice heard in issues such as the completion of streets, water and other utilities, business district development in Wedgwood, and trying to get the Seattle Parks Department to … Continue reading

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Shearwater Part One: Navy Housing in Wedgwood in the 1940s

Decatur Elementary School at 7711 43rd Ave NE in Wedgwood is on the site of what was Navy housing from 1945 to 1966.  The first part of the school building was completed in 1961.  With a later addition to the … Continue reading

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