Keeping Our Heritage Alive

We connect the future, through the present, with the past. Since 1948, the North Olympic History Center (formerly Clallam County Historical Society), has been dedicated to keeping the history of the North Olympic Peninsula alive. The Center operates three facilities: a research library, an active artifact collection pertaining to Clallam County, and the historic Lincoln School which is currently being restored.

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The Phillips Family's Beach Lake Cabin

Beach Lake Cabin 1940s
 
The 1890s to 1910s was a period of growth for Port Angeles with logging and shipping providing jobs. Improvements in roads, schools, and infrastructure were soon to follow. Yet, financial services to support these improvements were inconsistent and problematic at this time.
 
In 1914, at the age of 26, Benjamin N. Phillips arrived in Port Angeles with his young bride, Isabel and opened the Port Angeles Trust and Savings Bank on North Laurel Street. It was immediately successful and soon merged with other banks to become the First National Bank of Port Angeles. 
 
By the mid-1930s the Phillips’ were prospering and purchased a 70-acre farm in the Lower Elwha River valley, with beach frontage views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The land included a brackish water lake. The Phillips cabin was built close to the shoreline, which put it in harm’s way. Because of the changing landscape, moving the cabin was necessary. The cabin was slated for demolition....
 
To learn the story of the of the preservation of the Phillips Family's Beach Lake Cabin click here.
 
Phillips Cabin Interior
 
 
 

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Hands On History: 2018 Student Presentations

Students Teach the Community About Clallam County History

2018 HOH Student Participants

2018 Hands On History program participants standing at the reception counter at the History Center Research Library, from left to right: Peter Zelenka, 6th grade; Emaleigh Smith, 8th grade; Maizie Tucker, 9th grade; Raven Taylor, 9th grade; Talia Anderson, 9th grade; Abby Sanders, 9th grade. Not pictured: Cecilia Elana Estrada, 9th grade.

Seven 6th- to 11th-grade students made presentations of their papers on Clallam County history at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, April 15, at Lincoln Center (formerly the Skills Center), 905 W. 9th St., Port Angeles. The presentation event is part of the center's monthly History Tales program.

The event, sponsored by North Olympic History Center, was the culmination of the first year of the “Hands on History” program, in which Clallam County students were asked to submit papers about the county’s history along with a visual display about their subjects.

“The purpose of the program is to educate our citizens about the vivid history of Clallam County,” said Patrick Noonan, the center’s education chair.  “Virtually none of us has had a course in county history and our kids are stepping up to correct that.”

The papers presented were: “The Ferries of Lake Crescent” by Peter Zelenka; “The Manis Mastodon Site” by Raven Taylor; “Scandinavian Settlement at Lake Ozette” by Emaleigh Smith; “Minerva Troy” by Cecilia Estrada Elena; “Unleashing the Beast: The Elwha River Restoration Project” by Talia Anderson, Abby Sanders and Maize Tucker.

After opening remarks, the audience met with students to discuss their papers and displays. Judges in the audience, graded the students’ work.  Results and scholarships are as follows:

Cecilia Estrada Elana Minerva Troy

Cecilia Estrada Elana, Senior Division, $1500 Scholarship for project on Minerva Troy

Peter Zalenka Lk Crescent Ferries

  Peter Zelenka, Junior Division, $500 Scholarship for his project on Lake Crescent Ferries

Maizie Tucker Abby Sanders Talia Anderson Elwha Dams

Maizie Tucker, Abby Sanders, Talia Anderson, Junior Division, share a $500 Scholarship for their Elwha Dam Project

Raven Tayolr Manis Mastadon

Emaleigh Smith Lk Ozette 2

Raven Taylor (above) and Emaleigh Smith were each awarded a commendation and a $75 gift cerrtificate to Port Book & News

“This is the first year for Hands on History,” said Noonan. “We plan to repeat the event annually with new topics and more students.  We encourage county residents to come out, learn from the kids and support this exciting new program,” he added.

The papers that these students presented were not graded in school, and as presented below are unedited. We are extremely proud of these young people for their hard work, and for their interest in keeping our local history alive!  Follow the links below to read the papers presented by these students.

pdfLake Crescent Ferries, Peter Zalenka.pdf

pdfLake Ozette, by Emaleigh Smith

pdfMinerva Troy, byCecilia Estrada Elena.pdf

pdfThe_Manis Mastodon Site, Raven Taylor.pdf

pdfUnleashing the Beast, Talia Anderson, Abby Sanders, anclad Maizie Tucker.pdf

As part of their research project and presentation "Unleashing the Beast - The Elwha River Restoration Project", Talia Anderson, Abby Sanders and Maizie Tucker also produced a video which can be seen here: The Elwha: A Fight for Cultural and Scientific Rights

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Your Donations Help Preserve Our History

You can help to provide the opportunity for someone to conduct research into our local history, have a 'hands-on' experience with documents and artifacts, or give a student incentive to research and teach our history.

I would like to make a special donation to the North Olympic History Center to help in preserving our Clallam County history. Please use my tax deductible gift of $ for:

Artifact Storage
Research Library
Building Fund
Scholarships
Wherever Needed