Look on just about any map of mid-

20th century Lacey and you’ll notice

that Pattison Lake is labeled as Pat-

terson Lake. Talk to anyone who

grew up here and chances are they

may insist that Patterson Lake is the

only right way to call it. So what

gives? This was the question re-

cently posed by a resident, so we

looked into it.

The area was settled by James and

Jane Wiley Pattison (above

with granddaughter Cora) who

crossed the Oregon Trail in 1849

and took out a donation land claim

on the southwestern side of the

lake. A surveyor from the early

1850s made a spelling error on the

documentation changing Pattison to

Patterson.

So...basic human error. But when

does the mistake become reality?

How long before it’s too late to

right the wrong? This is exactly the

matter that came before the U.S.

Board of Geographic Names in

1978 when Deloris Downing, a

Pattison family descendent, wrote a

letter asking the U.S. government

to consider officially naming the

body of water Pattison Lake as it

should have been all those many

years ago. “It may seem a trifle

thing now,” she wrote, “[but] you

can see it means a lot to us.”

The matter was referred to the

Washington State Board on

Geographic Names which held a

public meeting on the issue

December 8, 1978 at the Washing-

ton State Historical Society.

Letters were sent to the board

expressing both sides of the issue.

Descendants agreed with Melville

Pattison who wrote: “We as

Oregon Pattisons are delighted to

learn that the lake...will possibly be

changed back to the original name

given to it by my great grand-

parents so long ago.” Others who

had only known it as Patterson

agreed with Theodore Torve who

said, “Obviously, one can

sympathize with the errors of a

Patterson Lake or Pattison Lake? founder that [the lake] should

have borne the name of the per-

sons at the time [who] would

obviously deserve such recogni-

tion. However, that seems to

have been a problem that should

have been taken care of back in

the 1850s and not today when

the name is so widely accepted

and utilized in all official docu-

ments, maps and recordations.”

The Department of Natural

Resources made known that they

would go with the majority of

public opinion. Unable to locate

any documentation of that

December 8th meeting, one can

only conclude that many people

in favor of Pattison showed up to

share their views. In any case,

Mrs. Downing received a letter

on February 27, 1979 informing

her that her request had been

approved. Pattison Lake it re-

mains.

I N S I D E T H I S

I S S U E :

Honoring

Kristina Trebil

2

Meet Educator

Marisa Merkel

2

Midsummers Ice

Cream?

2

New Acquisition

Spotlight

3

Upcoming Events 3

New Website

Content

4

L A C E Y M U S E U M

Museum Musings S U M M E R 2 0 1 8 V O L U M E 5 , I S S U E 1

Save these

dates!

JULY is Lacey

History Month!

Story time at the

Museum

Saturday, July 21,

Noon

Historic

Walking Tour

Saturday, August

4, 10 am

Lacey Museum

Lacey Historical

Society Annual

Meeting

Thursday,

September 27

Lacey Community

Center

Detail, map of Lacey area lakes, c. 1960

P A G E 2

“Volunteers like

Kristina are rare

and valuable gems!

I couldn’t do what

I do without her.”

-Museum Curator,

Erin Quinn Valcho

Meet Educator Marisa Merkel

When is a Midsummers Ice Cream?

Honoring Commissioner Kristina Trebil This year, the Lacey Museum and

the Lacey Historical Commission

recognized the extensive and

dedicated work of Kristina Trebil

as she retired from the Historical

Commission. Lacey City Council

presented her with a plaque at

the May 10th City Council

meeting.

Her journey with the Lacey Museum began in May 2013 when

she was appointed to the Lacey

Historical Commission by then-

mayor Virgil Clarkson. She served

for five years and six months, was

the Chair of the ad hoc policy

committee for four years, and has

logged an astonishing 800+

hours of volunteer work at the

Lacey Museum! She has helped

keep the museum open during

times when the curator was

unable to be there, and has

assisted on countless projects.

The Lacey Historical Society

requests her presence every

year at the annual meeting to assist Lacey School alumni

review and identify school

class photos.

Kristina continues to be an

incredible asset to the

Historical Commission and

Lacey Museum, providing

expertise in administration and

volunteer management.

Kristina remains a tireless

advocate for the museum and

Lacey’s history, and she does it

all with a positive “I’ll do any-

thing you need” attitude.

Unfortunately, due to a change in property

ownership next door, we will no longer be

able to use it for parking and access. As a

result, we will not be able to host the

popular A Midsummers Ice Cream event this

year.

We look forward to bringing you fun

family events like this in the years to come

at our new museum facility. For other

family friendly programming, check out

our Story Time at the Museum event!

Material Culture and Artifact

Studies from the University of

Glasgow, Scotland.

Before coming to the Lacey

Museum, Marisa volunteered

with the Olympia Historical

Society and worked as a Civic

Education Tour Guide at the

Washington State Capitol.

Marisa has also worked as a

Youth Programs Coordinator

and Tour Guide at the

Milepost 31 Museum, highlight-

ing the people, places, and

projects that have shaped

Seattle’s Pioneer Square

neighborhood.

While she has only been with us

a few months, Marisa looks

forward to bringing awareness to

the Lacey Museum and getting to

know the Lacey community at

large. While at the Museum,

Marisa will be working on

museum education, event coordi-

nation and planning, as well as

daily museum maintenance and visitor services.

Look for Marisa at local events

and at the Lacey Museum on

Fridays and Saturdays. We look

forward to seeing the results of

her hard work.

Welcome, Marisa!

Marisa is a born and raised

Washingtonian and proud of

it! She grew up in scenic

Bonney Lake and now lives in

Puyallup. Her interest in

history and education began

with annual marathons of

Indiana Jones, adopting as her

personal credo, “It belongs in

a museum!”

Marisa’s education began with

a Bachelor’s degree in History

and Political Science from the

University of Oregon in 2013.

She also recently completed

her Master’s degree in

M U S E U M M U S I N G S

Marisa at “Little Rock”

Courtesy of Ken Balsley

New Acquisition Spotlight P A G E 3 V O L U M E 5 , I S S U E 1

This photograph, taken in the early

1900s, depicts the Kenney family in

front of the ever-elusive Woodland

Hotel. Once dubbed “the finest

clubhouse in the Northwest,” the

Woodland Hotel began its journey in 1891 as a clubhouse for racing

enthusiasts at the Woodland Driving

Park. Boasting several spacious rooms,

a kitchen, three private parlors, and

twelve rooms, this must have been

quite the sight in rural 1890s Lacey.

Despite the high hopes owner Isaac

Ellis had for the clubhouse and

racetrack, all attempts at success failed.

Isaac's first attempt to sell it in 1896

proved unsuccessful, but what would become the Woodland Hotel was

finally acquired by Henry Schupp Octo-

ber 12, 1900.

Within weeks of becoming owner of

Woodland Driving Park and clubhouse

Schupp had sold half the interest to

local brewery owner, Leopold

Schmidt. Schmidt and Ellis then set out to make improvements to the

racetrack and clubhouse. It was dur-

ing this time that the clubhouse be-

came the Woodland Hotel and when

Thomas Kenney, of the Kenney fami-

ly (pictured left), makes his appear-

ance at the Woodland Hotel, becom-

ing manager from 1901 until 1904. It

even housed the Lacey Post Office

for a time, with his daughter, Eveline

Kenney, as postmaster.

A far cry from its beginning in 1891,

the Woodland Hotel began to de-

cline in the years following this peri-

od, and was eventually torn down in September 1939.

This photo is exceptionally rare. We

have never seen a photo like it!

-Special thanks to Lanny Weaver whose

excellent research contributed to this

This event will take place

outside and on the lawn so

be sure to bring your

blankets and sunscreen. Feel

free to bring a picnic lunch

and enjoy the summer

weather. Don’t forget to

visit the museum before or

after the event.

Join Museum Educator, Marisa

Merkel, at the Lacey Museum

on Saturday, July 21st at noon

for Story Time at the

Museum!

Follow along as we regale you

with fascinating tales from

Washington’s past.

led by Erin Quinn Valcho, Lacey

Museum Curator, and Marisa

Merkel, Lacey Museum

Educator.

This free community event is

designed for ages 14 and up.

Walkers under 18 must be

accompanied by a parent or

guardian. We recommend

walking shoes, a hat, and sun-

screen to be prepared for our

beautiful summer weather.

Bottled water will be provided.

Please join us as we learn about

the fascinating people and

influential institutions in Lacey’s

history!

Join us Saturday, August 4th at

10 am for our annual Historic

Neighborhood Walking Tour.

Learn how St. Martin’s and

Sacred Heart Church influenced

the development of the

neighborhood and continue to

be important contributors

today. Concurrent tours will be

Kenney Family in front of the Woodland Hotel

Courtesy of Michael Wood

Upcoming Events...

JULY: Story Time at the Museum!

AUGUST: Historic Neighborhood Walking Tour

Lacey Museum

829 Lacey Street SE

Lacey, WA 98503

Open Thursday & Friday 11 am - 3 pm

Saturday 10 am - 4 pm

FREE Admission

Phone: 360-438-0209

E-mail: museum@ci.lacey.wa.us

www.laceymuseum.org

The Lacey Museum’s mission is to collect, interpret, and

display historical materials that illustrate the history of the

Lacey area in all periods of its development.

Preserving the past for the future

Eric Ebel, Chair

Kimberly Goetz, Vice Chair

Jeff Crane

Seth W. Huff

Lacey Historical Commissioners

Museum Staff Contacts

Erin Quinn Valcho

Museum Curator

360-413-3557

equinnva@ci.lacey.wa.us

Thomas Smith

Sarah Thirtyacre

Alan Tyler

Thomas Sui, Youth Commissioner

Marisa Merkel

Museum Assistant/Educator

Phone: 360-438-0209

mmerkel@ci.lacey.wa.us

Gene Liddell, an experienced educator and

community advocate, was the first Filipina-

American mayor of any city in the United

States.

Born in Kahaku, Hawaii, Gene Liddell came to

the Pacific Northwest to study at Washington

State University and later the University of

Oregon. When elected to the Lacey City

Council in 1987, Liddell was already a 23-year

veteran of the education field, having worked

as a teacher, counselor, administrator and

program director. In her twenty years as a

member of the community, she played a

major role in the foundation of the SafePlace

shelter for victims of domestic violence,

served on the boards of the Thurston and

Gene Liddell, First Filipina Mayor

New Content at laceymuseum.org! Check it out! The Lacey Museum has

recently updated and expanded its

website content. Of course you can

continue to find out all the particulars

about how to visit, book a tour, make a

research appointment or get a

presentation for your group.

Mason Alcohol Recovery Council and Thurston

County Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

As mayor, Liddell worked to promote diversity in

the community and programs to assist dis-

advantaged women and youth. Preservation and

rehabilitation of the local environment also figured

highly on her list of priorities, and it was during her

time as mayor that Lacey was first named a Tree

City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, a distinc-

tion that the city has maintained every year since.

Liddell’s service to the public did not end with the

conclusion of her term as mayor, and she went on

to serve in the governor’s cabinet as the head of

both the state Departments of Community Devel-

opment and School-to-Work Transition.

And now you can also find tons of

information about the many resources

available at the museum, including our

online databases, research files and

detailed descriptions of our holdings. The

archives for the Thurston County Historical

Journal are also available at

laceymuseum.org one year after

publication. Below is a small sample

of a new addition to the site, “The

Mayors of Lacey 1966-2016” written

by Todd Goings.