About the Olympia Tumwater Foundation

What We Do

Founded in 1950, the non-profit Olympia Tumwater Foundation honors both the history and future of Thurston County through its commitment to a wide range of community projects including student scholarships, historic preservation, and stewardship of Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls and the historic Schmidt House.

Our Education Program

We have awarded more than $2.3 million in scholarships and grants since our first scholarship ceremony in 1967. We’ve helped hundreds of local Thurston Country graduating high school seniors pursue their undergraduate degrees, and continue support more students every year.

About Brewery Park

The 15-acres of beautiful scenery and walking trails bring around 250,000 visitors to the park annually. It is one of the largest tourist draws in Thurston County! Contrary to general perception, Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls is not a state- or city-funded recreation area. We count on your donations to enhance and sustain the Park!

The Historic Schmidt House

In 1983, OTF acquired Tumwater’s elegant Schmidt House, built in 1904 for Olympia Brewing Company founder Leopold Schmidt and his wife Johanna. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Tumwater Register of Historic Places and is within the Tumwater Historic District. The Schmidt House is a staple of Tumwater’s history! We care for the property at no charge to the public, and welcome visitors to walk the grounds, including its rose garden, or to schedule a private tour of the home with our curator!

Foundation Staff Members

John Freedman

Executive Director
jfreedman@olytumfoundation.org
(360) 943-2550

Madeline (Maddy) Pennington

Assistant Director
maddy@olytumfoundation.org
(509) 393-9248

Karen Johnson

Schmidt House Curator
kjohnson@olytumfoundation.org
(360) 890-2299

Jose Guzman

Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls & Schmidt House Maintenance Manager

(360) 529-1192

 

Support our programs

Created by the Olympia Brewing Company to conduct their philanthropic efforts, our organization aims to enrich our local community through a variety of programs.