SouthWest Stories: New history series on 6 future Sundays

Historian Rob Ketcherside recently shared that 1937 photo from tax-assessor files via the WSB Flickr group. It might look familiar even if you weren’t around in the ’30s – it’s the subject of the mural behind the commercial building on the southwest corner of California and Fauntleroy in Morgan Junction. It shows the Morgan Street Drive-In Market; Ketcherside will be speaking about the market (on the site where West Seattle Thriftway [WSB sponsor] is now) at the kickoff event for the SouthWest Stories series just announced by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. If you want a sneak peek, read his story about the city’s drive-in markets, including this one, and see his photo roundup.

Ketcherside’s presentation is four weeks away – 2 pm Sunday, March 20th, at High Point Library; it’ll be followed by five more presentations on the third Sunday of each month, scheduled out through August, rotating among WS and South Park branches of the Seattle Public Library (which is co-sponsoring SouthWest Stories) – see the list on the official flyer. All free!

heather February 21, 2016 (11:42 am)

Cool! I really like these old photos.

Rick February 21, 2016 (1:27 pm)

Isn’t Thriftway on the SE corner?

JM February 21, 2016 (1:33 pm)

That should be the SE corner — the lettering on the picture is incorrect…

WSB February 21, 2016 (1:49 pm)

Thanks but my description is correct. As I wrote, the *mural* is on the back of the building on the SW corner.
Rob Ketcherside February 21, 2016 (4:13 pm)

Thanks for promoting the talk!

The lettering is definitely misleading, I’m not sure if it’s incorrect or not. As others on the thread commented, it may have been the convention for them to describe where they were standing.

If you encounter this on other assessor photographs and need to know what it means for sure, try contacting the Washington State Archives Puget Sound Branch and I’m sure that they know — that is where the collection is housed.

Vivian February 21, 2016 (2:21 pm)

If the building in the picture is in the Thriftway spot, then could the NW Corner written on the photo be a reference to where the photographer stood?

ryan February 21, 2016 (2:25 pm)

Not saying I’m right but that building looks like it is on the SE corner.

WSB February 21, 2016 (2:26 pm)

@Vivian – That would seem more likely (I’ll send a question to Rob Ketcherside, who I imagine will know). Also … the configuration of streets in that area is unusual to say the least … Thriftway is technically at California/Fauntleroy/Morgan … and it could have been different at the time the market opened? – TR

metrognome February 21, 2016 (2:41 pm)

the pic may have been labeled to mean that it was taken from the NW corner, although that is usually labeled separately as ‘taken from’.

interesting that there is a 2-bay Texaco station where the phone store is now; looks like the pumps were on the side facing the market (there’s a hose barely visible on the left.) Upper structure for storage?

love those two old cars and the minimal amount of parking compared to now.

are those bi-directional streetcar tracks on California?

WSB February 21, 2016 (2:51 pm)

If you didn’t see it in one of the links to Rob’s site, I also should mention, he has another photo in the WSB Flickr pool – same site, almost 20 years later – when it was a Tradewell – direct link to the pic and his caption – https://www.flickr.com/photos/tigerzombie/24855271242/in/pool-westseattleblog

M February 21, 2016 (3:10 pm)

Wow. This is a freaky case of serendipity. I literally spent my morning searching for old photos of the Morgan Junction. After reading the “Then and Now” section of the Sunday Times I went on a hunt looking for an old photo. I live in the Morgan Junction with my wife and young kids. I was thinking how cool it would be to frame an old photo in the house to show the kids. I searched online and trough the Seattle Municipal Archives but couldn’t find anything on the Morgan Junction. Where can I buy a photo like this??

WSB February 21, 2016 (3:30 pm)

M – I hope a reader will have more-comprehensive information but for starters, since Sunday afternoon can be slow, I’ll jump in: Rob explains the source on the Flickr page for the photo:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/tigerzombie/24346407463/in/pool-westseattleblog

There’s some great info in here: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/State-archive-photos-can-make-great-holiday-gifts-2263233.php
Rob Ketcherside February 21, 2016 (4:20 pm)

This photo comes from the state archives. If you download the highest resolution from where I posted it on Flickr, feel free to use it as you wish. It is a government document wit no rights issues. I paid $50 for scans of the various drive-in market locations, and there is no reason for you to pay as well.

If you’d like to get a photo of a different property, you can take a laptop and scanner to the Washington State Archives Puget Sound Regional Branch, request property cards based on the instructions here midway down this page, https://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/archives_puget.aspx . They’ll even have one for your house or apartment building. Or if you work during business hours during the week like me, you can pay to have the archives scan it for you.

Other local archives like the Seattle Public Library or Seattle Municipal Archives may also have photographs of Morgan Junction if you look through their collections. But I would recommend contacting the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and asking them. If they have one, it will probably be a more interesting scene than the assessor photos (for example, a parade). And if you pay for a reproduction through them, you will be supporting your local museum.

Alan February 21, 2016 (3:18 pm)

I have found that it is best not to read too much into the description written on photographs unless you know the convention used by the person or department involved. For instance, old Seattle engineering photos use the project address, which may not relate at all to the location of the photo. In this case, they clearly either made a mistake or (more likely) were using a convention of where the photograph was taken from, rather than what the picture was being taken of. Based on the hills in the background, the only corner that it could be would be the SE corner where Thriftway is now.

metrognome February 21, 2016 (4:06 pm)

M –

You might also try the MOHAI archives. their tagging is inconsistent, so multiple searches with different keywords may be needed. but, if you have time, leafing through the 75 pages of thumbnails can be fun (leave the search box empty and hit ‘enter’). also, they are linked to UW, so you have access to 150 databases.

http://www.mohai.org/research/photo-archive-search

the pics of the Tradewell are great. love the Van de Kamps (Holland Dutch) Bakery sign in the 1956 pic; an icon of a great Seattle institution which is now relegated to boxes of frozen fishsticks (notice that it’s gone in the 1966 pic.) Mgrs from VdK went on to found the QFC chain as well as Vernell’s Fine Candies, another long-lost Seattle institution (my mom worked there for awhile and forever after treated me with their buttermints; I’m surprised I still have any teeth.)

dsa February 21, 2016 (6:29 pm)

One curb in the picture faces North and the other curb faces West, hence it is the Northwest corner.

Gene February 22, 2016 (1:33 pm)

I lived a few blocks from this corner for thirty years, that is definetly the SE corner.

Paul R. Monk February 22, 2016 (8:25 pm)

I remember this when I was about 7 (in 1949). The Bakery had a bread slicer and when you bought a loaf, they sliced it for you (an amazing machine for a 7 year old)(They also gave little boys and girls a Free Sugar Cookie). The Grocery had wooden floors with two levels. The grocery was on the higher level , and a long ramp ran down to a lower level, where the Butcher was located. There was (later) a shoe repair shop towards the far right. The Texaco Station was in front. The Signal Gas Station was across the street to the North . The Drug Store was directly across the street towards the Sound (later Mc Roy’s) with the Soda fountain with great Green Rivers. Going towards Gatewood School (On the same side of the street as the Drug Store) was a Tavern (with a dark green steel cast water fountain in front of the Tavern) with water that ran all the time. Next down, a Dime Store. Further towards the School was a large Flower Green House (with steam boiler heat).

Rob Ketcherside February 24, 2016 (10:52 am)

Paul, what a great story! I would love to hear more. Please contact me by email, rob.ketcherside@gmail.com .

I hope you’re able to make the talk and share your memories there as well.

Sue February 24, 2016 (11:04 am)

Rob, do you know if these are going to be recorded at all? I really am interested in this, but may have a potential conflict. If it’s recorded, that would make my decision easier. :)

WSB February 24, 2016 (11:13 am)

I can answer that: Clay Eals, executive director of SWSHS, makes sure that video is rolled on pretty much EVERYTHING they do (browse around http://loghousemuseum.info and you’ll see for yourself). No substitute for being there if you possibly can, though!

Sorry, comment time is over.