Rebecca Dickinson’s new retaining wall includes a wide, safe staircase from Fourth Street up to her front porch at #704, and she was hoping it would be ready for Halloween this year, but it was still a semi-dangerous construction zone. Rebecca had to cancel the celebration of her favorite holiday, which she announced with a sign at the end of her driveway promising to return next year – scarier but safer.
For many years, the Maughlin House was vacant except for Halloween when it was transformed into a popular haunted house concession for various fundraisers. Rebecca, a nationally recognized children's book author, and illustrator purchased the empty structure and slowly returned it to its stately stature on the highest hill in Snohomish as a family home.
Joseph and Mary Maughlin built the handsome place when they settled here in 1886, and several generations called it home well into the 20s when it passed on to owners outside the family. Rebecca has been in contact with Maughlin descendants who are always curious to see how the interior has changed over the years. And now they have the new retaining wall and stairs to see.
For just shy of 10 years, Rebecca has lived with a collapsed staircase and a retaining wall leaning so badly, the city had to add concrete blocks and close the sidewalk several years ago. The collapse happened during the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake, but contrary to rumors, the city has not received any funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to repair the retaining walls opposite each other on 4th Street, only to spend it on other projects. This repair project finally worked its way up to the top of the city’s to-do list and the total cost of $143,000 was paid from city funds. (The wall on the north side of Fourth Street is #14 on the current list.)
Just as it does today, in 1900, the city solicited bids to grade Fourth Street. Grading the street was at the top of everyone’s list in 1900 since the wider, smoother street would allow access by horse teams pulling the hose and pump wagon in the event of a fire – history’s enemy too. City Engineer, Steve Schuller, whom I talked with back in May 2009, when I first wrote about this project, showed me the plans for the new wall, which detail a wide, deep “keyway” footing, plus a “sheer key” below it, “it likes a keel on a sailboat,” Steve explained. “Plus, unlike the old one, the new retaining wall is reinforced with steel rods. It’s not going anywhere,” he added with a confident smile.
This is way too much information for next year’s trick-or-treaters at 704 Fourth Street, I know, but it may interest the future junior goblins to know that Rebecca’s plan is to have them arrive via the new staircase to her front porch and exit down the driveway. She promises an awesome adventure.
About the THEN photograph: The Maughlin House, built in 1886, was home for several generations of the family. It’s pictured here during a street grading project on Fourth Street. Readers may remember it as the “haunted house” — used as an annual fundraiser on Halloween. Author and illustrator Rebecca Dickinson made the handsome structure a home again in 1992. (Courtesy the Maughlin Collection, Snohomish Historical Society.)
About the NOW photograph: The 1920s concrete retaining wall was the victim of the 2001 Nisqually earthquake, which has finally been replaced this year by the city at a cost of $142,000. Kamins Consgrucgtion of. Bothell, the general contractor, is using modern equipment (of unknown horsepower) to add gravel before the sidewalk goes in.
Published in the Snohomish County Tribune, November 24, 2010.
Anne (Wallace) Bussieresays:
November 24, 2010 at 3:41 pm Edit
I’m another Maughlin descendent (my grandmother Frances was the sister of Barnard, both the children of Albert and Nora Maughlin) and we were delighted to be invited into Rebecca’s home a few years ago with our mother for a tour. Our mom was very small when she visited her grandparents, but remembered her older sisters roller skating around the outside porch, and being terrified of going up into the tower, where the family had gathered to look at a fire somewhere in the valley. Rebecca has done a delightful job in restoring the stately house, and we are all very grateful for her work. It was sad to see it crumbling into a haunted house before she bought it.
Thank you for this publication, by the way. I think I’m going to have to spend some time learning more about historical Snohomish.
Marian (Maughlin) Squibbsays:
November 5, 2010 at 2:09 am Edit
My parents, Barnard Maughlin and Evelyn Tupper were married in that house in 1924. I visited my grandparents there when I was a very small child. I haven’t been inside since, but would love to arrange a tour sometime.