(April 2011 photo by Long Bach Nguyen, over Alki Lighthouse)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Every year, you get just a few chances for a close-up look at one of West Seattle’s true gems – the Alki Point Lighthouse.

This year, those chances start June 1st, when weekend afternoon tours resume. But that first day comes with something extra – a celebration of the lighthouse’s centennial.

US Coast Guard Auxiliary member and area resident Will Winter talked about it at last Thursday’s Alki Community Council meeting. (He’s at right in the photo below, taken by Liesbet T. and published here as the tour season wrapped up in 2011:)

The USCG Auxiliary volunteers staff the lighthouse for tours, and that’s why Winter joined.

He presented an overview of its history, as well as mentioning the low-key celebration that’s ahead, planned in conjunction with the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which has a “complementary celebration” on deck that day:

(October 2012 photo by Gary Jones, watching passing orcas with the lighthouse in the foreground)
Checking our archives, we’re reminded that last summer, lighthouse volunteers put out a call for reminiscences, as part of preparations for the centennial celebration of the current tower being placed into service as its light was turned on.

The lighthouse’s origins go back so far, nobody’s left to reminisce about the earliest days in person – as Winter told the ACC last week, the first light was put up on the site in 1868! Other milestone dates include:

*US Lighthouse Service bought the land and took over light operation in 1910

*Lighthouse Service became part of the US Coast Guard in 1939

*Alki’s last lighthouse keeper (second-to-last one in the entire U.S.) retired 1970

The grounds, as you may know, are home to the commander of the Coast Guard‘s 13th District.

But the history – which you can read in its entirety here – is more than dates – it’s also the tale of the lantern that held 9 days of kerosene, and the 10-foot-tall Fresnel lens now on display, “a rather impressive piece of glass,” as Winter described it.

The light is automated, so the lighthouse is “more like a museum than anything (else),” he acknowledged. Even the foghorn’s been out of service since 2005, since ships now have high-tech features like GPS and don’t need audible alerts during times of low visibility.

It’s in an interesting spot, though – Winter also showed navigation charts, noting that Puget Sound is 700 feet deep right off Alki Point.

You can see for yourself on Saturdays and Sundays again this summer, starting on the centennial-celebration day, June 1st, 1-4 pm. That’s provided there are enough volunteers available – Winter said the corps might be a little thin – it takes four people to staff the grounds during tour days!

During Winter’s presentation at the ACC meeting, Log House Museum manager Sarah Baylinson mentioned they were firming up plans for their part of the centennial celebration. And we received some details in time to include with this story:

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is planning a complementary celebration of the Alki Lighthouse Centennial on Saturday, June 1. That afternoon, during its open hours of noon to 4 pm, the organization’s Log House Museum — just a half mile east of the lighthouse — will host an expanded lighthouse exhibit. The exhibit will feature artifacts, rare photos, memorabilia and artwork, all focused on telling the story of the lighthouse, including the decades prior to its construction when a single lantern provided the same function of aiding the navigation of sailing ships and steering them away from danger.

A brief program on Saturday, June 1, will begin at 2 pm, with presentations by area residents with connections to the lighthouse. A highlight of the afternoon is an emphasis on children’s activities, including an opportunity for each child to color his or her own version of the Alki Lighthouse. Each child who completes the coloring exercise will receive a handmade, hand-decorated cookie that is a replica of the lighthouse.

“We are hoping that everyone who visits the Alki Lighthouse on its first touring day of the summer will also stop in just a few blocks away at our Log House Museum,” says Clay Eals, executive director of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. “By the end of the afternoon, we hope that at least 100 children will have visited us so that we can display 100 colored versions of the lighthouse in honor of the 100th birthday.”

The expanded lighthouse exhibit will run through early September, with new items added in coming weeks. “We are calling it a centennial summer,” Eals says. More details will be available later this week.

The museum is at 61st and Stevens, while the lighthouse is accessible from the spot where Alki Avenue and Beach Drive meet on Alki Point.

Anne Higuera from longtime WSB sponsor Ventana Construction was working on a project in Ballard when that West Seattle story from a 1961 edition of the Seattle P-I, stuffed in the walls, caught her eye. It tells the tale of how a West Seattle family nabbed a would-be burglar. Click here for a larger, readable version (you might have to click it to zoom in when it opens in your browser – that’s what happened with ours).

Ahead, the current cases:

Garry‘s house in Seola was broken into and ransacked between 11 am and 4:30 pm Sunday:

The brazen thief(s) stole an extendable ladder from my neighbor’s back yard, then used it to get to a 3rd floor window at my house.

They got away with watch, jewelry, credit cards, membership cards, a black Swiss Army backpack, a bag of tortilla chips, and some other small items. I am still cleaning up and trying to get a good inventory of what was taken. Made a real mess of the place, but left large items.

Interestingly, same afternoon, the culprits used the cards at Shorewood Grocery, Target, Bartell, and Big 5. Shorewood Grocery is checking their in-store video, and Target has video and Photos of the people making purchases using my cards. Hopefully the King County Sheriff will be able to get those images and bring the law.

Keep your windows locked.. Even the ones on the third floor!

Also received today – Ben‘s hit-run report from Gatewood, with a photo:

I have gotten to my wit’s end with people and their driving. I thought you could add this to your crimes section. I live near the corner of Thistle and California and this is the second time in 6 months someone has destroyed my car and driven off. I woke up this morning to this; my wheel was bent under the car and un-drivable.

If you have any information, contact police.

Last but not least, a quick reminder that the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council‘s monthly meeting is tomorrow – Tuesday, 7 pm, at the Southwest Precinct (Webster just west of Delridge), with an SPD burglary detective as the special guest, and the usual chance for you to bring up concerns with police leadership.

This story is from the “looks can be deceiving” file. Messages/questions we’ve received suggest that more than a few people who have seen those two real-estate shingles in the 4800 block of Beach Drive believe the “sold” sign means the historic-landmark Satterlee House/”Painted Lady of Beach Drive” finally has a buyer, after years on the market. No, the 107-year-old Satterlee House has NOT been sold; it is still on the market. The “sold” sign is for the house to the south, 4872 Beach Drive; we confirmed that with its selling agent, Dan Mullins, who tells WSB that while that house is not an official landmark, it has a long history of its own: “It was built about 100 years ago for the Chinese consulate.” He says the family buying it wants to “restore it to its original beauty.”

Meantime, a couple of people who e-mailed us also wondered about the work crew you see on the Satterlee House’s front lawn in the background of our photo, recalling that the “lawn” is actually on the books as three separate lots (which was part of the subject of the long court fight that ended at the state Supreme Court’s doorstep three years ago). According to the permit shown in online city records, it’s side-sewer-repair work.

P.S. Here’s the current listing for the Satterlee House, on the market right now for $1,595,000 (down more than $600,000 from its 2008-2009 listing price).

Just in time for the warmth of late spring and summer, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society is ramping up its tour schedule and native-plant garden — and volunteers are welcome to help out.

Volunteer committees have formed to focus on tours and gardening. The leaders are Mark Lewis for tours and Carol Vincent for gardening. Here are details on both:

TOURS: Volunteers are sought for a committee that is organzing a coordinated series of entertaining tours of our peninsula. The tours would begin this summer, continue annually and be open to residents and tourists alike.

“The idea,” says committee leader Mark Lewis, “is to create fun, educational, outdoor recreational opportunities, with an emphasis on our geology, flora and fauna, culture, history and philosophy.”

One example would be a tour of West Seattle’s urban forests, which could last 90 minutes with a stop for coffee halfway through. Another example would be an indoor/outdoor tour of the Nucor Steel plant and surrounding neighborhood. Lewis also seeks other ideas, spanning all neighborhoods on the peninsula.

“We are looking for volunteers interested in creating, writing script, and/or guiding walking tours and/or researching and writing scripts, for themselves and for others,” Lewis says.

The next meeting of the committee will be at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at Uptown Espresso in the West Seattle Junction. To learn more, go here.

GARDENING: In the 16 years since the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s Log House Museum opened, its native plant garden has flourished with colorful flowers and greens admired by all.

A volunteer committee is working to take the garden to the next level — a well thought-out plan to enhance it as an educational resource and community gem that will draw visitors to the museum in its own right.

“We have often talked about how delightful it would be to have ‘Tea in the Garden’ as a premier event once the garden is fully ship-shape,” says Carol Vincent, membership secretary for the organization.

The museum long has had a native-plant garden as an educational component on the museum grounds. The garden is an official Alki Wildlife Habitat site, and identifying signs are placed near various species of plants.

“Improving the garden is a way to ensure that current and future generations can get a glimpse of bygone eras,” Vincent says. “The garden helps the museum serve as a community focal point and provide cultural enrichment while preserving local history.”

If you would like to help develop and implement a plan to make the garden a first-class attraction, visit: http://www.loghousemuseum.info/blog/would-you-like-to-help-revitalize-and-maintain-our-museums-native-plant-garden/.

(Photos courtesy SWSHS executive director Clay Eals)
The sun came out for the Colman Estate tour presented Sunday afternoon by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and Historic Seattle. Also out: 135 visitors!

Thanks to SWSHS executive director Clay Eals for sharing photos – see half a dozen more, ahead:

Historic Seattle volunteer Marta Brace greeted visitors at the 1922-built estate:

Pausing on the second-floor landing in the next photo are, from left, Joey Richesson and Marcy Johnsen, SWSHS board member and president; Larry Kreisman, program director of Historic Seattle; and Todd Erickson, contractor for the most recent improvements on the home:

SWSHS volunteer and West Seattle resident Dora-Faye Hendricks was among the dozen volunteers helping out:

Next, a visitor chatting with gardener Kathleen Lapham:

There weren’t only sights to see, but also stories to tell – Nancy McPhee, SWSHS volunteer and lifelong Fauntleroy resident, displayed a book containing a 1929 photo of the wedding of Lawrence and Isabel Pierce at the home; Nancy was in the photo as the then-4-year-old flower girl, along with Isabel’s father, Laurence Colman.

The book is a 1990 memoir written by Lawrence Pierce. His family owned the home until four years ago; its ongoing splendor guarantees more history to come:

As noted earlier, volunteer power helped make this event a success; the next volunteer-information session for SWSHS is coming up, 11 am May 11th at the Log House Museum – find out more on the organization’s website.

(Photo courtesy Historic Seattle)
Southwest Seattle Historical Society executive director Clay Eals sends a reminder – if you want to join this Sunday’s rare tour of the historic Colman Estate in West Seattle, you need to sign up by Thursday!

The Laurence Colman Estate Tour is right around the corner, on Sunday, April 28. What better way to spend a spring afternoon in West Seattle?

Organized by Historic Seattle and co-sponsored by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, this rare opportunity provides an in-person glimpse of the home of one of the legendary families of the Fauntleroy neighborhood, West Seattle and Seattle as a whole.

Under new ownership, the four-floor Colman Estate sparkles with panoramic views and a vivid rhododendron garden.

Southwest Seattle Historical Society members can register for the tour at a discount. Sign up now, while there are still slots available. The deadline is Thursday, April 25.

You don’t have to be a member to take the tour, though. For details and registration, go here.

(Volunteer Kathi Ishimaru in action! SWSHS photo)
Everything old is new again – or can be, if it gets some TLC – and that’s the mission of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which is welcoming prospective volunteers to an informational session this Saturday at its Log House Museum. Volunteers have been busy lately at events including the Alki Elementary centennial celebration last week, and will be vital at upcoming events such as the Colman Estate tour on April 28, Alki Lighthouse centennial on June 1, and the All-West Seattle High School Reunion on June 7. Here’s the SWSHS pitch for you to get involved, starting with attendance at Saturday’s session:

Got time to volunteer? The Southwest Seattle Historical Society needs you! Like to interact with people? Fix computers? Update databases? Make small repairs? Transcribe interviews? Shoot videos and still photos? Plan events? Get a glimpse of our community’s past? Whether you have lived here one year or 50, come learn about how to turn your desires and skills into meaningful tasks that will help preserve and promote the heritage of West Seattle and the greater Duwamish peninsula. Here’s a way to look to the future helping others explore West Seattle’s past.

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society, which operates the Log House Museum, offers this introduction to volunteering, led by Clay Eals, executive director. It will include a brief primer on West Seattle history. The museum is one block from Alki Beach, at 61st and Stevens. More info: 206-938-5293 or loghousemuseum.info.

The session for prospective volunteers is 11 am-1 pm on Saturday (April 6th).

(First 5 photos by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
6:43 PM: Beautiful afternoon for photography – especially if you’re up on a ladder for a photograph to document history, as was Jean Sherrard along 59th SW this afternoon!

Hundreds of Alki Elementary students and staff past and present gathered for a group shot as the school’s centennial celebration began, co-sponsored by the Alki Elementary PTA and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, whose executive director Clay Eals helped get hundreds of participants in place:

Lots of unofficial photographers too – even TV – that’s KING 5′s Lori Matsukawa in the yellow jacket toward the left, with her crew (and on the ladder, it’s official photographer Sherrard):

And inside, lots of memory-sharing and fun:

The celebration continues till 8, and everyone’s welcome.

ADDED 10:10 PM: More photos:

From left, Pathfinder K-8 principal David Dockendorf, who’s a former Alki principal; Chanda Oatis, the current Alki principal; Seattle Public Schools superintendent José Banda; executive director of schools for the district’s Southwest Region, Carmela Dellino. Next, a fun view as a timeless game of marbles was played:

We’re awaiting the official version of the centennial photo and will add when it’s in.

ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: Here it is!

(Photo by Jean Sherrard; click image for larger view)
We also have four more photos from the event, courtesy of John Hinkey - if you’re reading from the home page, click ahead to see them:

A former Alki student shared memories of the 1965 earthquake:

(This photo and next 3 by John Hinkey)
You can’t have a centennial celebration (or any other kind, really) without cake!

More earthquake memories, from a former Alki teacher:

And a crowd in the cafeteria:

John added an extra word of appreciation for Amy Bannister from the Alki PTA, chairperson/organizer for last night’s event!

Please join us at West Seattle High School, Friday evening, June 7, at 5 pm to celebrate our 50th Reunion.

Also, register in advance for a fantastic buffet dinner at the Rainier Golf and Country Club, Saturday, June 8 at 6 pm.

For registration forms, contact jelmer63@comcast.net

Did you ever attend or teach at Alki Elementary School? Are you coming to the school’s 100th birthday on Thursday evening, March 28? Make sure to dig up photos of yourself and your school for sharing at the event!

The Alki PTA and the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, co-sponsors of the celebration, are planning a variety of activities to engage students and community members of all ages. One is a sharing area, where people can share stories from their time at Alki with others. We’ll also have a video booth so we can capture memories on video.

“This will be a fun way to tell the stories and preserve the rich history of our school,” says Amy Bannister, who chairs the event for Alki PTA.”

The event will start with a group shot outside the school at 5 pm. You can stay connected with other event updates through this Facebook event page.

(Video and photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
The Alki Tavern‘s long farewell – dating back to the January announcement of its plan to close – ended late last night, with the last “last call” after 38 years. WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams was there; his video includes final thoughts from proprietor Gill McLynne, and scenes from the final night and weekend. We’ll be adding one last round of photos; in the meantime, if you missed any of these galleries from the final days/nights:
*Seafair Pirates’ visit
*Last ‘Taco Thursday’
*Wednesday night memorabilia auction

ADDED 10:16 AM: The last look at last night, in photos:

Merlyn BB, right, dances with friends.

(Above, Roman Benninghoven kisses Heather Mason.)

(Above, Jerry claps during the last call at Alki Tavern. He has been coming to the bar for the last 30 years.)

After sailing their landlubbing vessel Moby Duck right behind the West Seattle High School Marching Band in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade downtown (as shown in our parade coverage), the Seafair Pirates brought it to this side of the bay for a visit to the Alki Tavern. Thanks to Don Brubeck for catching the scene as the Pirates reboarded and prepared to sail away before sunset. Tomorrow, as announced in January, is the tavern’s final day; the farewell festivities this past week have included a memorabilia auction Wednesday night (photos here) and the final Taco Thursday, motorcycle lineup and all (photos here). The site including the tavern and neighboring parcels has been sold and is expected to be redeveloped, though no formal proposal is filed with the city so far.

ADDED 9:32 PM: WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams was inside the tavern with the Pirates:

(added) … and outside:

(Pirates Lance English, left, and Shane Faucher)
Six more scenes of revelry – ahead:

If anyone was feeling morose about the tavern’s impending demise, the Pirates were a jovial distraction.

Musical, too:

And mellow, on occasion:

(Damian Terrell, talking with Raychill)
But not for long:

Well, there’s always an exception …

Though the Alki Tavern closes after Sunday night, for the Seafair Pirates, the show goes on … They’ll be back on Alki July 6th (if not sooner) for the annual Pirates Landing extravaganza.

(Photo by Don Brubeck)
One last time, motorcycles lined the street outside Alki Tavern on Thursday night. A sign set aside the parking just for them:

(Photo by Cami MacNamara)
A wider view shows how many had arrived even before sunset, for one last tribute:

(Photo by Russ Walker)
One last … taco:

(This photo and others below by Cami MacNamara)
With the tavern closing after Sunday night, it was one more tradition to say farewell to.

Alki resident Cami MacNamara, who took most of the photos in this story, says she got the last seat in the house when she arrived at 4:30 pm:

Some milled outside – maybe appreciating the view one last time:

There were smiles, if bittersweet ones:

And there was art. While many took photos, Ginger captured the scene with a sketch:

And the sight of the night remained the bikes outside – one last time:

Tonight is the tavern’s “Last Call Ball,” as noted in our coverage of Wednesday night’s memorabilia auction (see it here) – music starting at 8 tonight with Tim Turner Band, Randy Hansen, Child, “and other special guests.”

(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
Most business-fixture auctions are anti-climactic … days or weeks after the shutdown, with the business space a near-empty echo of its past. But Alki Tavern, ending its 38-year run this Sunday, decided not to do it that way. Tavern owner Gill McLynne (above) decided to auction off the memorabilia last night – in a raucous atmosphere among friends, with the tavern still open and rocking. WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams was there. No surprise, it drew a crowd:

Adam Price served as auctioneer:

Any winning bid was cause for celebration – here’s Marshall Thomas to celebrate:

Ahead, some of what was bid on – no, not all beer signs!

Patrons were raising numbers as well as glasses:

Steven Bartel removed his Marilyn Monroe tin sign from the wall after winning it:

The Tavern has long held a Janis Joplin image too:

It drew Sandy Murray‘s attention:

Some of the memorabilia was personal – Tom Herron, below left, and Jack Van Campen read a note on the wall of Alki Tavern saying that she met her husband in the bar. (Herron also met his spouse at Alki Tavern.)

Here’s that note:

But the notes of the night on Wednesday were the handwritten bidding cards:

Many beer signs, of course. Some with brands you’d recognize anywhere – Meagan Smith held up a sign with the Clydesdales:

Then, there was Alki Ale, brewed just for Alki Tavern:

Moose Drool Brown Ale, touted by the sign that Rick Whittier took down:

Fat Tire:

The neon signs were tested as the auction proceeded:

They lent a glow to the memory-filled room.

One by one, the items went, mirrors included:

Here’s Meagan again, this time with Coors Light memorabilia:

And the call for bids continued:

In the end, it’s only rock ‘n’ roll:

So, a toast from the auctioneer:

And now it’s on to the final four nights. Tonight, one last Taco Thursday – tomorrow, the Last Call Ball, with Tim Turner Band, Randy Hansen, Child, “and other special guests” – as promised by the tavern’s poster – starting at 8 pm. Right now, no live music’s planned during the weekend, as the Alki Tavern’s time at 1321 Harbor Avenue comes semi-quietly to a close.

P.S. No specific development proposal on the books for the site yet – we’ve checked the city files again.