Tenino stone carving will represent Washington in U.S. Capitol time capsule
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- A Tenino sandstone apple was placed in the Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule.
- Keith Phillips carved the apple from stone mined at Hercules #1 Quarry.
- Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez chose a carved apple to honor Tenino sandstone’s industry.
A time capsule will soon be sealed below the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., containing items chosen by each state’s congressional delegation to honor the country’s 250th anniversary. The capsule will remain unearthed until 2276.
One of the objects representing Washington state comes straight from south Thurston County: an apple carved from Tenino sandstone.
Tenino exploded as a quarry and stone exporter in the 1880s. The stone is uniquely workable and is featured in some of Washington’s most prominent structures, including the State Capitol Building.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez represents Tenino in Washington’s 3rd District. Perez selected the carved apple to commemorate the sandstone’s industrial significance for the state.
But there’s a personal connection, too.
Perez’s great-great-uncle was a stonecutter in Tenino, she shared in a statement online. His photograph hangs from a beam in The Shed, the modern showroom for the Tenino Stone Cutters Guild.
The creator of the apple, Master Stone Carver Keith Phillips, sat at The Shed’s barn door entrance on Wednesday. The building was converted from an historic dirt-floor feed storage building. Phillips received a call that morning confirming the apple had been placed in the capsule.
For Phillips, the representative’s decision to entomb his artwork in Washington, D.C. is an unbelievable level of recognition.
“I feel famous!” Phillips said. “I feel really proud and happy and appreciated.”
But for South Thurston County residents, Phillips is already a local celebrity. His work decorates buildings throughout Tenino, from a stone grocery bag in front of the supermarket to a carved mortar and pestle in front of the pharmacy. Now 79, Phillips arrived in Tenino in 1984.
“It’s versatile, you can carve anything in Tenino sandstone, anything,” Phillips said. “It opens us up to a lot of ideas and avenues – carving stone will take you on an adventure.”
The stone used for the apple was mined from Hercules #1 Quarry, the same excavation site that’s been drawn from for over a century.
Phillip’s handcrafted workshop sits at the foot of the site. The structure is simple, patterned after medieval German cutting sheds. One paneled window has etchings drawn in the layer of dirt on the glass — the 11 markings each signify a local stone carver’s symbol, used to mark their work.
Phillips pointed out his symbol, a version of the letter “K,” after demonstrating how he made the apple.
The stone apple started as a square block of sandstone cut with a diamond saw. Phillips formed the piece into a cylinder, then created the round top and dimpled bottom. Each apple takes six to eight hours to create. Phillips estimated he’s made 50 of the fruit, including one given to former Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee.
Stonecutters have represented Tenino’s economic and industrial force for a century, Phillips said. But the Tenino Stone Cutters Guild is new.
Guild Director Bill Lenker created the guild with Phillips in 2023 to embrace the heritage, skills and history of stone carving.
Lenker’s work also decorates the county. He created the patio and walls of Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls and a circular bench at the Olympia Farmers Market. He and Phillips joined forces on the 3 ½ ton Olympia Beer Logo displayed outside the office of the Olympia Tumwater Foundation.
“We want to honor the past workers and keep the heritage moving forward,” Lenker said. “And the skills, which will be lost forever if people like Keith don’t share.”
Though Phillips is retired, the guild still operates through three branches: Private commissions, restoration-focused consignment and education.
The guild currently offers stone carving classes, at the quarry and a nearby school, but hopes to create a physical education center in Tenino.
“We want to teach more carvers. That’s the most important part of the guild, to pass the knowledge on to the next generation.”
A spokesperson for Perez told The Olympian the capsule has not been sealed as of July 17.
The congressional time capsule featuring the Tenino stone apple is different from the America250 time capsule. Though both contain objects selected by the 50 states, “America’s Time Capsule” was buried in Philadelphia on July 4. The Semiquincentennial Congressional Time Capsule contains objects specifically chosen by each state’s congressional delegation to go beneath the Capitol Visitor Center.