George Boman in 1890 in Seattle

Posted on January 21, 2023 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

George Boman, originally from Tennessee, was a Civil War veteran who made the classic American western migration across the USA in search of opportunities.  After his Civil War service ended in 1865, Boman went to Kentucky, spent a few years in Nebraska, and then came to Seattle in 1875.  He formed business partnerships with developers of streetcar lines, real estate promoters and Seattle visionaries who planned improvements such as a railroad and a ship canal.

Boman and the small population of Seattle held on and refused to give up through the 1870s and 1880s, though they could not be sure that Seattle would ever amount to anything.

Seattle’s big breakthrough came, ironically, via a fire which burned thirty blocks of the downtown core.   Seattle’s Great Fire of June 6, 1889, caused a reorganization of the street system, the institution of building codes, and a rebuilding boom.  Newcomers poured into the city in search of jobs in the rebuilding.  They brought increased diversity to the economy and a vast array of skills such as that of architects, contractors, carpenters and brickmasons.

The year 1890 dawned brightly for George Boman and his wife of four years, Mary.  They had profited from real estate investments and the economic outlook seemed to point toward continued prosperity.   Little did they know that despite all the good things of the year 1890, at age 46 George Boman’s health would fail, and he would die on December 19, 1890.

This is the fourth article on this blog about the life of George Boman, tracing him from his origins in Tennessee, through the Civil War, his arrival in Seattle in 1875 and his prosperity in the 1880s in Seattle.

Continue reading →

Posted in Civil War, Fremont neighborhood in Seattle, Seattle History | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

George Boman in the Prosperous 1880s in Seattle

Posted on January 14, 2023 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

In 1882-1883 George Boman split up with his second wife, Adelia, and started a new life in a house on the north shore of Lake Union, on what is now Woodland Park Avenue North near Stone Way.  Those streets did not exist at that time and very few people lived in the area.

The Fremont neighborhood in Seattle is located at the northwest corner of Lake Union. Map courtesy of HistoryLink.

In 1888, the Fremont development was created, which caused increased prosperity for George Boman.  His property was on the eastern edge/just outside of the official Fremont plat.  Boman’s property increased in value because of its location which was made more convenient by the Fremont development.  There were more people interested in buying house lots in the area of the new Fremont community.

Boman also owned farmland in Duvall, eastern King County, and he had gotten acquainted with the Selleck family of Cherry Creek Farm.

In November 1883 the entire Selleck family left the farm and came to live with Boman at his house on what he then called Boman Avenue (today’s Woodland Park Avenue North).

The Selleck family included John and his wife who were about sixty years old, their two adult children Edward and Mary, and Mary’s little boy, Ralph.  A newspaper article noted the family’s move to Seattle.  We may wonder who wrote the line that Mary would “rejoin her husband” in Seattle, as it soon became clear that she had no intention of doing so.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper of December 1883 noted the move of the Selleck family to Seattle.

It may be that the Sellecks were planning to buy Seattle property from George Boman or perhaps he had made a boarding arrangement with them since he was living alone, that he might take meals with the Selleck family and that they would help maintain his property.  His house had been built as a duplex so it seems that he’d intended to have someone else live there, perhaps so that during the day when he was at work, someone was there on site to tend to the property.

This article is the third in a series about George Boman, a Civil War veteran.  The first article is about his origins in Tennessee and his Civil War service.  The second article begins with his arrival in Seattle in 1875.  In this article we will see the activities of George Boman in Seattle in the 1880s.  Throughout the 1880s, Boman prospered with real estate and business investments.

Continue reading →

Posted in Civil War, Fremont neighborhood in Seattle, Seattle History | Tagged , | 1 Comment

A Civil War Veteran in Seattle: George Boman

Posted on January 7, 2023 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

As of 1874 George Boman had done a lot of living in his thirty years of life.  He’d already been married and divorced in Tennessee, had fought for the Union in the Civil War, had made a new marriage in Kentucky and had gone to Nebraska to obtain land via a homestead claim.

After his Civil War service with the Union Army ended in June 1865, Boman did not go back home to Tennessee to live.  He lived a few years in Kentucky, where he took a new wife, Adelia.  George & Adelia then went to Richardson, Nebraska, and lived there about seven years until they had “proved up the claim” and had been awarded ownership of the land.  A land grant document was recorded for George Boman on February 10, 1873, meaning that he owned the land and could then sell it if he wanted.

As he considered what he might do next, it is possible that while George Boman was still in Nebraska, he read newspaper articles about Seattle’s May Day Picnic of 1874.  Working together as a community on May Day, the fledgling City of Seattle had a can-do spirit with determination to build Seattle’s own railroad.  As a Civil War veteran who had learned the vital necessity of rail corridors as supply lines, Boman might have been attracted to the young, vigorous City of Seattle with its potential for economic advantages of rail and port.

This blog post is the second article about the life of George Boman.  In this article we will see what things Boman did once he moved to Seattle in 1875.

Continue reading →

Posted in Civil War, Fremont neighborhood in Seattle, Seattle History | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Journey of a Civil War Veteran: George Boman of Tennessee

Posted on January 1, 2023 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

In the years after the Civil War of 1861 to 1865, veterans became part of the Western Movement in the USA.  Most soldiers returned to their home states at first, and then many former soldiers pursued opportunities in undeveloped lands Out West.  They tended to stop in “prairie states” first, to make land claims, then eventually they continued moving farther west.  They tended to move along the lines of railroads which were being extended farther and farther west.  This blog article is about a Civil War veteran, George Boman, who followed this pattern.

In the 1870s the news about the westward extension of railroads likely influenced Civil War veterans to travel in search of new economic opportunities.  Many Civil War veterans were from rural backgrounds and had their first exposure to cities and railroads during their war service.  These experiences and their wartime travels may have whetted their desire for adventure, or veterans simply thought that the grass might be greener Out West.

Cumberland Gap in eastern Tennessee

One Civil War veteran whose life was completely changed by the war was George Boman of Tennessee.  His early life was spent in the mountainous Cumberland region, and he likely had never been on a train or knew much about the workings of trains until he enlisted in the Union Army.

Boman served during the last nine months of the war, October 1864 to June 1865.  In his war service with the Union Army, Boman traveled to Nashville, Tennessee and nearby points such as Franklin and Chattanooga which were along vital railroad supply lines.   His regiment, the 6th Tennessee Mounted Infantry, spent much of its time guarding railroads.  His regiment’s key battles were at Franklin and Nashville,  railroad arteries of supply lines for the Union forces.

This blog article will tell of George Boman’s origins in Tennessee and his life in the ten years following the war, until he arrived in Seattle in 1875.  This article is the first in a series about the life of George Boman.  His name is not well-known, but he was a person vitally involved in early Seattle.

Map of the state of Tennessee

Continue reading →

Posted in Civil War, Fremont neighborhood in Seattle | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The 2022 Season of Cheer: Candy Cane Lane in Ravenna

Posted on December 2, 2022 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

The lights and decorations of Candy Cane Lane begin on Saturday, December 3, 2022, at 4 PM.  Candy Cane Lane is a circle of houses all decked out for the holidays, located on Park Road NE off of NE Ravenna Blvd.

Candy Cane Lane location map, Park Road NE off of NE Ravenna Blvd.

Beginning on Saturday, December 3, 2022, through New Years Day 2023, you can drive through or walk through Candy Cane Lane nightly.  Hours on Sunday through Thursday nights are from 4 PM to 9:30 PM.  Friday and Saturday night hours are 4 PM to 11 PM.

Pedestrians are welcome at all times and there will be designated nights when Candy Cane Lane will be closed to traffic for hosting pedestrians-only.  See the Facebook page of Candy Cane Lane for info.  This year’s pedestrian-only nights are Sunday, December 11, and Wednesday, December 14.  Music groups will play at 6:30 PM on both of those nights.

You are encouraged to bring food donations (canned food or dry food like spaghetti boxes) for the Food Bank barrel at the end of the lane.

The history of houses on this street, Park Road NE, is that it was developed in the 1920s with architectural plans for the group of houses.  The site was owned by the Beck family who developed the Ravenna neighborhood.

Posted in Events and holidays, Seattle History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The 2022 Season of Cheer: Hunter Tree Farm in Wedgwood

Posted on December 1, 2022 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Take a stroll in Wedgwood to enjoy the smell of evergreens, the twinkle of lights and the sounds of music at the Hunter Tree Farm, 7744 35th Ave NE, next to the post office.  The Christmas tree lot is set up like a magical forest which comes to life at the holiday season.

The Hunter family began selling Christmas trees at a retail site in the Northgate area in the 1950s.  When that site was lost to impending freeway construction, the Hunters found a new, receptive market in the Wedgwood neighborhood in northeast Seattle.  Hunters sold Christmas trees at the corner of NE 85th Street for a few years until they were able to acquire the present lot nearest to NE 80th Street.

Each year Wedgwood enjoys the holiday spirit at this locally-owned business.  The tree lot is open from 9 to 9 daily, through December 23, 2022.

 

Posted in Events and holidays, Hunter's Tree Farm | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A Garden of Immigrants in Medohart

Posted on November 26, 2022 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

In the 1920s the (future) Wedgwood area began to be populated by immigrants. In northeast Seattle out along 35th Ave NE, those who searched for homes found an undeveloped area with inexpensive housing and a semi-rural lifestyle. At the (future) Wedgwood intersections of NE 75th & 85th Streets, there were no close-by industries or business districts, and no transportation system.

Dutch immigrant teens on 35th Ave NE at about NE 81st Street.

Commuting by car from northeast Seattle had been made easier by bridges over the ship canal, such as the University Bridge (1919). As early as the 1920s, many northeast Seattle residents drove to work, even though 35th Ave NE was unpaved.

Gus Johnson, a Swedish immigrant who lived at 3603 NE 75th Street, drove to work at his barber shop in downtown Seattle.

William Rose, a German immigrant who built a house at 6810 40th Ave NE, was a chef who drove to work at Don’s Oyster House, Second & Yesler Streets by the Smith Tower.

This blog article will tell about Dutch, German and Italian immigrant families in the Medohart plat at NE 75th Street & 39th Ave NE.

Continue reading →

Posted in Houses, Immigrant heritage, Plat names | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Medohart in Wedgwood

Posted on November 1, 2022 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Charles Hartge met his future wife, Lena, while they both were teaching school in Pennsylvania. Charles was an ambitious person whose goal was to become an attorney, so he worked until he could go to law school in Buffalo, NY.

This book tells about the AYP Exposition and its impact on the growth of northeast Seattle.

The Hartges may have been attracted to the Seattle area as many other people were, by news of the upcoming world’s fair event to be held on the campus of the University of Washington in 1909.

The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909 was a big success for the fair itself, and it also launched the University District as a newly developed neighborhood which had not had electricity and paved streets before the fair.

In 1908 the Hartges settled in a house in the 5200 block of University Way NE, a convenient location where Charles could catch a streetcar to work at his downtown Seattle law office. The location was convenient for Lena, as well, as she intended to complete her education and her occupational goals. She graduated from the University of Washington at age 40 and began to teach high school science. Then she went on to earn a Masters degree in Botany and she taught at the university level.

In addition to pursuing her calling as a science researcher and teacher, Lena Hartge anticipated that she would have to be prepared to support herself.  Her husband’s health was failing and he died in 1927 at age 51.  Lena lived to be 92.

During their early years in Seattle the Hartges made a land investment in northeast Seattle, the future Wedgwood neighborhood, though they didn’t intend to live there themselves. They saw that northeast Seattle was becoming more populated, with growth increasing due to the proximity of the University of Washington, and bridges across the ship canal which made it easier to get downtown.  In 1919 the Hartges filed a plat, meaning that they had hired a surveyor to lay out house lots and lines for streets in the section of land they had bought, which they named the Medohart Addition to Seattle.  The Hartges then offered house lots for sale.

Only this one advertisement ran in the newspaper in 1919 and after that the Hartges left Medohart sales in the hands of real estate promoters.

A real estate ad for the Medohart plat ran in the Seattle Daily Times in September 1919.

Continue reading →

Posted in Houses, Immigrant heritage, Plat names | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Robinson Tile and Marble Company

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition was held on the campus of the University of Washington in 1909.

The year 1909 was a busy, exciting time in Seattle in preparation for a world’s fair event called the AYPE. The Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition was to open in June 1909 on the campus of the University of Washington in northeast Seattle.

In the days before radio, TV and the Internet, world’s fairs were major venues for display and advertising of products, and fairs were a source of tourist dollars in the local economy.  In the two years prior to the AYPE, representatives went to events in other cities to promote Seattle’s fair and encourage tourists to visit Seattle.

Perhaps it was in this way, through AYPE representatives or perhaps from stories in newspapers, that a young man, Albert Paris Robinson of Illinois, first heard of Seattle and decided to go there in 1909.  A.P. Robinson became part of the growth years of Seattle with buildings going up in downtown, and with housing expanding to areas of northeast Seattle.

Continue reading →

Posted in Houses, Meadowbrook neighborhood, Seattle History | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Pumpkin Weekends in Wedgwood

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Wedgwood in Seattle History

Pumpkins grown at the Hunter Farm in Mason County, Washington.

One of the delights of the autumn season is the colorful display at Wedgwood’s own Pumpkin Patch, 7744 35th Ave NE.  This year’s Pumpkin Party begins Sunday, October 2, 2022.

On October weekends the pumpkin sales are hosted by a local Scout troop.  This site of Hunter Farms is an extension of the Hunter’s home farm in Mason County, Washington, on Hood Canal.

In the 1950s Bill & Carol Hunter began growing and selling Christmas trees on their Mason County farm.  They expanded to find consumer markets and they found a good new sales location in the growing neighborhood of Wedgwood in Seattle.

After a few years the Hunters acquired their present property at 7744 35th Ave NE, which has been a Christmas tree sales lot and community Gathering Place for more than sixty years now.  The Hunters lot in Wedgwood is used for other community events including Pumpkin Weekends in the month of October.

Continue reading →

Posted in Events and holidays, Hunter's Tree Farm | Tagged , | Leave a comment