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Our History

A brief history

Tumwater, known as the end of the Oregon Trail or Cowlitz Trail, is the oldest permanent American settlement on Puget Sound. It is located at the mouth of the Deschutes River where it cascades into Puget Sound at its most southerly point.

The Coastal Salish Indian groups, whose descendants are members of the tribes now known as Nisqually, Squaxin Island, and Chehalis, gathered shellfish and frequented the inlets and prairies of Puget Sound for centuries before Euro-American exploration and settlement. The rivers of the County were long-established sites for salmon harvesting, the prairies were popular hunting and plant harvesting sites, and the beaches were replete with shellfish, harvested by native peoples.

In 1845, Michael T. Simmons, led the first group of permanent American settlers to Tumwater Falls. He settled in the area that would become Tumwater while others in the party, including George Bush, a man of mixed race, and his family, settled in the rich prairies to the south. The decision of this group to settle north of the Columbia River was made in part because of the black exclusion laws of Oregon’s Provisional Government that were not actively enforced north of the Columbia. The 31 members of the Simmons party laboriously cut a wagon trail that became the northern branch of the Oregon Trail. Others followed, with the establishment of Olympia in 1850 and settlement of the natural prairies and river bottom lands throughout the county in the 1850s.

When the City was founded in 1845, it was named New Market. By 1863, the City was known as “Tumwater,” the Chinook jargon word for a waterfall.

Tumwater was the starting point for further American settlements of Olympia, Seattle, Whidbey Island, and other points on Puget Sound. It was from Puget Sound that the movement to divide Oregon grew, resulting in the creation of the Washington Territory in 1853.

The City’s early growth and development were greatly influenced by the close proximity to the power generating falls of the Deschutes River, the nearby saltwater access for transportation and communication, and the abundance of timber in the area. The town developed on the lands around the mouth of the river and homes and sawmills sprang up along its banks above the original settlement.

On November 25, 1869, Tumwater was officially incorporated as a town.

When visitors explore Tumwater today, they are stepping into a community shaped by remarkable pioneers. Among the most influential was George Bush, a free Black pioneer whose courage, generosity, and resilience left an enduring mark on Washington State history.

Read more about George Bush: Founding Pioneer of South Puget Sound 

Brewmaster’s House (formerly Henderson House)

A delightful two-and-a-half story home located near the lower Tumwater Falls, the Brewmaster’s House dates from the early 20th century. By then, Tumwater had blossomed from a tiny pioneer village into a bustling town with electric streetcars, a railroad spur and a successful brewery at the foot of Tumwater Falls.

The house was built in 1905 for William Naumann, a brewmaster from Hamburg, Germany who worked across the river at the Olympia Brewing Company. It was built by the Olympia Manufacturing and Building Company, a local firm, which was located on West Bay drive. At the same time the brewery was also building a fine new six-story brewhouse — a landmark structure of red brick and sandstone that opened the following year.

The Naumann family’s house was considered quite modern for its day. It boasted such novel conveniences as hot and cold running water, steam heat from a coal-fired boiler and electric lights in each room. Electricity was provided by the Olympia Power and Light Company, which had just erected a new powerhouse on the river below the Naumann home, down at the Lower Falls.

In 1909, the house was purchased by John and Catherine Rohrbeck, who stayed for more than a decade and raised three children here. John Rohrbeck worked for the brewery all his professional life, beginning as an accountant and ending 40 years later as an officer of the firm.

Like most of the neighbors around them, the Rohrbecks grew kitchen vegetables and a modest assortment of fruit trees on their large city lot. They also kept plenty of chickens and a dairy cow for milk.

A style that straddled two eras

Though the house was built at the turning of a new century, its design was largely inspired by the passing Victorian age. The asymmetrical profile, bay windows, fancy upstairs shingles and romantic corner turret were all familiar features of the Queen Anne style, which had been especially popular in the 1880s and ‘90s. The influence of a new era was beginning to show, however. This house was much less elaborate, with a broader and plainer roofline than earlier Queen Anne examples. Before long the fashion in homes would turn to simpler, more restrained styles.

Washington goes dry

Yielding to strong public sentiment, the State of Washington banned the sale of all alcoholic beverages in 1914—six years before the same policy was adopted nationwide. Prohibition was a terrible blow to the local brewing company. It switched to bottling water and fruit juice in place of beer, then finally shut down entirely in 1921. Perhaps coincidentally, that was the same year the Rohrbeck family sold their house near the brewery and moved to Olympia.

When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Tumwater was ready. Within weeks the Olympia Brewing Company broke ground on a new facility just upstream from the old one. Construction workers found rooms to rent in the graceful old home originally owned by brewmaster William Naumann.

Restoring a piece of history

In 1974 the house was purchased by the City of Tumwater with the aim of restoring its dignity and using it as a museum. Over the years some radical changes had been made to the exterior, and careful work was required to bring back all of its aesthetic details. The interior, by contrast, had been altered hardly at all. Today this historic Tumwater home looks much the same, both inside and out, as it did back in 1905. It’s listed on the Tumwater Register of Historic Places and the National Register as part of the Tumwater Historic District.

In 2013, the City hired Artifacts Architectural Consulting, Inc. to undertake a Historic Structure Report for the Brewmaster’s House (then called the Henderson House) and site. The final report assessing the physical structure, alternatives for future use, feasibility and action plan was completed in 2014.

In recognition of the Schmidt family and Olympia Brewing Company, the Tumwater Historic Commission recommended the house be renamed as the Brewmaster’s House to honor its purpose and significance in the community.

Location

602 Deschutes Way, Tumwater, WA 98501

Hours

The house is currently closed to the public.

Contact Us

Contact Tumwater Parks & Recreation for more information at 360-754-4160.

Crosby House

The Crosby House dates from c. 1860 and was built by Nathaniel Crosby III after he married Cordelia Jane Smith in August of 1860. Miss Smith was the daughter of Jacob and Priscilla Smith who lived in the Lacey area.

The illustrious house changed hands numerous times throughout the years before it was placed with a trustee, William Manier, a local attorney. Through the efforts of the Schmidt family and descendants of the Crosby family, the house was purchased and donated to the Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington, Chapter 4 in 1947.

In 1981, the Daughters of the Pioneers gave the house to the City of Tumwater with provision that the Daughters would have a life estate in the property as long as Chapter 4 continued. The Daughters of the Pioneers have restored and furnished the house and indeed have fought valiantly to keep the house through the construction of Deschutes Parkway and Interstate 5. The house also features a pioneer garden.

Historic Register

The Crosby House is listed on the Tumwater Register of Historic Places, the National Register as part of the Tumwater Historic District and individually listed on the Washington State Register of Historic Places. 

Location

702 Deschutes Way, Tumwater, WA (adjacent to the Brewmaster’s House, formerly the Henderson House)

Hours

Open 1st Sunday of the month, 1 – 3:30 p.m., April through October only.

Tours may be available any time of year upon request. For tours, please contact Ann Olson (information below).

The Crosby House is owned by the City and operated by the Daughters of the Pioneers.

Contact Us

Ann Olson, President, Olympia Chapter #4 Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington |(360) 943-5209.

The story of Three Meter

Built in 1904 by Albert McIntosh for the Schmidt family, this house was dubbed “Three Meter” by the five Schmidt sons who were called to continually climb the hill from the Brewery to the house. A high hill in China, nicknamed “Three Meter Hill,” was a strategic spot in the Russo-Japanese war of the early 1900s, and the Schmidt sons likened the climb to that endured by soldiers in that war.

The house is a two-and-one-half story structure combining Colonial Revival elements with bungalow influences in a west wing added around 1910.

In addition to the garden shed, probably built at the same time as the house, a garage was constructed around 1920. A memorial garden exists, where the remains of Leopold and Peter Schmidt and their wives are interred. The Centennial Rose Garden is also located on the property, which is now owned and maintained by the Olympia Tumwater Foundation. The house is used for Tumwater’s historic programs, and private and public events.

Visit the Schmidt House and Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls Park for more Tumwater history

The Schmidt House is owned and operated by the Olympia Tumwater Foundation.

For hours of operation, tours, rental information, history talk series and more, visit the Olympia Tumwater Foundation website or call (360) 943-2550.

Original Home of the Olympia Brewing Co. Take a Video Tour of the Old Brewhouse

Visitors to Tumwater frequently ask about the Old Brewhouse of the Olympia Brewing Company, which is seen by thousands everyday as they travel Interstate 5 through Tumwater. After the 2016 donation of the brick tower to the City of Tumwater, tours of the complex have been restricted in the interest of safety during renovation stages. Residents and visitors want to visit this important site and learn more about the Old Brewhouse, so the City of Tumwater, the Olympia Tumwater Foundation, and Thurston Community Media partnered to produce a video tour of the old brewery.

This 8-minute tour of the old Olympia Brewing Company complex is hosted by former Olympia Brewmaster, Paul Knight. The video provides viewers with an overview of early Old Brewhouse history, explores stories about the founding Schmidt family, describes the creation of the famous “It’s the Water” slogan, and explains turn-of-the-century brewery operations and the huge impact it had on the surrounding community, which is still felt today.

German brewmaster Leopold Schmidt chose a site at the foot of the Tumwater Falls on the Deschutes River for his new brewery. The location offered access to saltwater shipping, electrical power produced by the Falls, and most importantly, artesian springs of pure water that he deemed perfect for brewing beer. He built a four-story wooden brewhouse, and in 1896, began brewing and selling beer. In 1906, Schmidt replaced the original building and constructed the “Old Brewhouse.” The six-story structure with elegant arches and a copper roof with Tenino sandstone trim was designed by The Vilter Manufacturing Co. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and built with red Chehalis brick. Sandstone for the foundation was brought in by wagon from a rock quarry at Tenino. Lumber from the areas of Hewitt and Wards Lake, four miles to the east, was brought to the construction site by six-horse team. Sand and gravel was hauled in by scow from Mud Bay spit and Tykle’s Cove.

Once the manufacturing site for Olympia Brewing, brewing operations were halted in 1916 when Prohibition was enacted in Washington State – four years before national Prohibition began. The Old Brewhouse has long been associated with the Olympia Brewery and the Schmidt family, the community’s largest private employer for a significant part of the past century.

The importance of the structure was recognized in 1978, when the property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the mid-1990s, the City adopted special zoning and shoreline designation for the Old Brewhouse to encourage its preservation and redevelopment. Over the years, the Old Brewhouse fell into disrepair. In 1995, it was named to the the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation’s “Ten Most Endangered Properties List,” and in 2003, moved to the Trust’s “Endangered Properties List.”

Tumwater History Videos

In a cooperative effort, the Olympia Tumwater Foundation’s local history program, the City of Tumwater, and Thurston Community Media (formerly TCTV) have produced a series of short videos focusing on various aspects of Tumwater’s rich history.

Local historian and author, Don Trosper, hosts these short videos featuring music, historic photos, and compelling details about names you may hear and see around Tumwater today, like George Bush, Michael T. Simmons, the Crosby family, and more. Don says, “There is more than enough material to produce many more of these utilizing the rich resources of the foundation archives at the Schmidt House and the City of Tumwater files from Henderson House. It is great fun and will hopefully be helpful to students in history classes, local area residents and visitors from outside our local area.”

The first ten episodes highlight the deep roots of Tumwater and the first permanent American community in what is now the State of Washington. The series will continue by exploring the impact of the Olympia Brewery’s Schmidt family upon Tumwater, Olympia, and the region as well as various aspects of the history of this special town.

View “Talking Over Old Times” on the City’s YouTube channel.