On Thursday, October 11 at History Talks at the Schmidt House, Mike Fredson from Mason County will present a history of Shelton and the Simpson Timber Company and its impact upon the community. Fredson will provide a good look at the post-war boom and bust of the timber industry and the Sustained Yield Forestry…
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A new season of History Talks at the Schmidt House begins on Thursday, September 13, 2018, at noon. Olympia Tumwater Foundation’s Public History Manager Don Trosper will present an illustrated talk highlighting the darker side of Tumwater’s history. At Trosper’s talk, learn how newspapers of the day reported on murder, political intrigue, scandal, immorality, tragedy,…
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On Sunday, September 9, three talented living history re-enactors will give performances at the historic homes located in Tumwater’s Historic District. Staggered start times will allow the public to hear all three presentations. Beginning at the Schmidt House at 1 p.m., storyteller Kristin Alana will portray Rebecca Groundage Howard, an African-American woman who operated…
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On July 29, 2018, three of Tumwater’s finest historic homes located in Tumwater’s Historic District will open to the public as part of Heritage Day, a fun-filled family event. Constructed in 1905, Henderson House is the former home of an Olympia brewery brewmaster. Previous owners made many changes to Henderson House over the years,…
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On May 30, The Olympia Tumwater Foundation (OTF) hosted a ceremony at the historic Schmidt House in Tumwater to present $140,000 in scholarships to 17 graduating seniors from Thurston County high schools. The awards ranged from $5,000 to $15,000. OTF has awarded over $2.0 million in educational grants since 1967, making it the largest…
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Although the founder of the Olympia Brewing Company, Leopold Schmidt, passed away in 1914, attendees of the May 17 History Talk at the Schmidt House will have an opportunity to meet this famous man. Accomplished actor Christopher Valcho will present a living history interpretation in character as Leopold in the home Leopold built for…
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On May 3, Karen Fraser will reflect on various aspects of local historical and cultural developments during her 51 years of active community life in Thurston County. This includes 42 years as an elected official: Lacey Mayor and City Council Member, Thurston County Commissioner, State Representative and State Senator. Her talk, titled “From Then,…
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The Foundation’s latest noon talk, a history of the Olympia Brewing Company, was presented on March 15 by Foundation assistant curator Megan Ockerman to another capacity crowd at the Schmidt House. Megan earned her Master’s degree from WSU in 2017 with her thesis on the Olympia Brewing Company history. That was the basis for her…
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The Northwest Carriage Museum, located in Pacific County, is the most-visited tourist attraction in the area, drawing visitors from around the world. On April 5 at noon, the Museum’s Director and Curator will speak about their collection at History Talks at the Schmidt House, a free community event made possible by the Olympia Tumwater Foundation…
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Celebrate the art of beer! From November 4 through December 9, the Olympia Tumwater Foundation presents an art show featuring over 50 original advertising artworks produced for the Olympia Brewing Company during the 1930s through 1950s. The paintings, averaging about 18” x 34”, were intended to be translated into billboards and had to be bold,…
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