Olympia celebrates labor and industrial history

After sifting through hundreds of photos, state archivist Benjamin Helle said he has been most surprised by all the factories, mills and warehouses that once bustled in downtown Olympia, especially at the Port of Olympia.

Photos show a veneer factory with a smoke-belching chimney, for example, while the area known as Percival Plaza today was a busy launching point for boats, ferries and lumber shipments.

It’s a stark contrast from the boardwalk and marinas that occupy the waterfront today.

“It was really a working waterfront up until the 1970s and 1980s,” Helle said. “It’s crazy how much production was being done in that area.”

Olympia is celebrating its labor and industrial history in May with several events devoted to Preservation Month. This year’s theme, “Labor in Olympia: This Place Matters,” coincides with a national campaign that honors historic places in communities.

Highlights include a dedication Saturday (May 21) of a metal sculpture with two crossed shovels titled “Dignity in Labor” by local artist John Vanek. The sculpture is outside the Olympia Labor Temple at 119 ½ Capitol Way N. in what is also known as the Woodruff Block.

The Labor Temple was built in 1887 when downtown Olympia was a center of manufacturing and industry. The site has housed union offices, businesses and clubs over the years, including a bar now known as The Brotherhood Lounge.

“The whole center of town was really right there in that area,” said Helle, archivist with the Washington State Archives in Olympia.

Michelle Sadlier, historic preservation officer for the city, said this month’s focus on labor can provide a different perspective on Olympia’s past.

“It’s sort of going beyond, ‘It’s just an interesting old building,’” Sadlier said. “Part of historic preservation represents the stories that are behind it.”

The festivities for Preservation Month kicked off Thursday with a trivia night about state labor history at Three Magnets Brewing. Upcoming events include:

▪ A dedication of the “Dignity in Labor” sculpture will begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday outside the Olympia Labor Temple. At 7 p.m., the temple will host a performance of “Hold the Fort: Stories and Songs of the Wobblies” by John O’Connor, who is known as a “labor troubadour.”

▪ A panel discussion titled “Views on South Sound Industry: Two presentations on the working worlds of the Olympia Brewing Company and the artist Edward Lange” will begin at noon Monday (May 23) at the Schmidt House, 330 Schmidt Place SW.

▪ The Olympia Downtown Association will host its Downtown Academy at 8:30 a.m. Friday (May 27) at the New Caldonia Building, 116 Fifth Ave. SE, featuring an illustrated discussion on labor and industry in downtown Olympia.

▪ An exhibit with historical photos will open May 30 in the second-floor lobby at City Hall, 601 Fourth Ave. E.

▪ Information on self-guided walking tours will be available at each event. The tour highlights various buildings that played crucial roles in local labor history. Examples include the former Olympia Knitting Mills, located at what is now Fish Tale Brewing; the former Olympia Canning Company at the northwest corner of Capitol Way and A Avenue; and the old State Capitol building by Sylvester Park — currently the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction — where the eight-hour workday for Washington women was enacted in 1911.

This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 5:17 PM with the headline "Olympia celebrates labor and industrial history."