The home of West Seattle’s history might be where you discover some of your own history.

Southwest Seattle Historical Society executive director Elizabeth Rudrud told us the story of Chuck Burtch‘s visit to SWSHS’s Log House Museum. While chatting with the 93-year-old, she learned about his history in West Seattle, including his years working at Bethlehem Steel – the mill that’s now Nucor (WSB sponsor). Elizabeth picks up the story:

Chuck started working at Bethlehem Steel in 1958. He lived just up the hill from the plant. In 1977, he became the chief metallurgist. He was sharing his story and memories with me when I suggested we look in our catalog for photos of Bethlehem Steel from that era. We found several photos of the plant, his neighborhood, and yes – even a photo of him from the year he became chief metallurgist! We talked for a long time about his work and the plant and when other visitors came in, he was able to share his story with them – including the fact that we found a photo of him from almost half a century ago in our collections!

That photo is in this collage –

That’s Chuck above the center, in dark-rimmed glasses. After his visit, Elizabeth told managers at Nucor about it, and though she hadn’t gotten his contact info while he was there, she managed to track him down. So they subsequently arranged for him to visit the mill. That’s now happened, and Samantha Hogan at Nucor tells us it was quite a special occasion – she shared photos:

The first picture is a keepsake our teammate (Mark Hanson) made on our waterjet cutting table.

The second photo is Chuck with Kenny Lyons, a fourth generation Nucor teammate. Chuck worked with both of Kenny’s grandfathers and his father.

The last photo, from left to right, is our General Manager Mark Davis, Chuck, and current Chief Metallurgist Erik Nissen.

As a postscript, Elizabeth notes that the Log House Museum has come into possession of some other West Seattle steel history: “Just a week or so prior, we received a donation of a tool box from a machinist who worked at the factory in 1917. We have his tool box, tools as well as correspondence about a die set the artifact’s owner helped patent for what was then Pacific Coast Forge” – preceding the mill’s Bethlehem Steel days. (Nucor took over in 2003.) Some of the photos already in SWSHS possession include this early-20th-century aerial:

And a photo of Bethlehem Steel workers after their 1937 Salmon Derby:

That’s just a tiny fraction of the historic treasures the museum has. Ultimately, Elizabeth says, all this is a reminder of the connections that can be made from the present and future through the past, with the help of an organization like SWSHS. Whether or not you have deep local roots like Chuck, you’ll probably find something memorable at the Log House Museum, usually open to visitors noon-4 pm Fridays and Saturdays, at 61st SW/SW Stevens, one block inland from Alki Beach.