Gorham House

Snohomish Then & Now: November 2013

THEN: THE GORHAM HOUSE, circa 1915

This month’s historic image emerged from a slowly decaying glass plate negative at this time because of an inspired initiative by the Sno-Isle Libraries to “Digitize Our Community’s History.” 

The Snohomish Historical Society was selected as a partner along with our local library branch to select historic images from our collection for a featured online presence at Sno-Isle.org. As volunteer archivists for the Society, Kathleen Lince and I jumped at the opportunity to take advantage of the libraries’ expertise and equipment to finally scan our extensive collection of glass plate negatives.

The number scanned reached 135. A few we recognized from existing prints, but most are mini-mysteries to be solved. One thought is to publish an interesting selection of these unknown images online in a quest for information, perhaps even identification.

Our favorite finds will be featured in this column for the next several months, beginning with this month’s knockout image of the Gorham House, 404 Avenue D, taken around 1915, most likely by a hobbyist photographer. (Prepared glass plates for the “prosumer,” to use a modern word, were available into the 1920s.) 

Charles Wesley Gorham, born in New York City, worked with his father as a printer in South Dakota. Moving west on his own, Charles purchased the Index Miner and the Snohomish Tribune in 1893. He was only 27 years old. Around this time, he was one of the leaders organizing a company of the Washington National Guard. Yet, in a confusing combination of events, he withdraws his name when nominated as a 1st Lieutenant, thus “ending the first bloodless battle of the Snohomish militia,” reported his own newspaper, June 13, 1895.

Moving on to a longer-lasting adventure in his life, Charles married Elsie E. West at a June wedding in 1901, the same year that he gave the presentation speech when the Woman’s Book Club transferred the public library to the Snohomish City Council. 

Their gracious home was built in 1902 by the popular contractor, Nels Hansen. They raised three children in the home, Harlan West, Helen Margaret, and Elaine Standish — who must be the children pictured in our image — making its discovery a true historic treasure.

NOW: BILL AND FRAN MESTER’S HOME, 2013

Charles, who served three terms as a Republican in the state legislature suffered a stroke while in Olympia, was paralyzed, and died a year later, on October 22, 1919, at home. His wife, Elsie, shared the grand home with her grown children off and on, until her death in 1946. The couple is buried side-by-side in the G.A.R Cemetery.

About the THEN photograph: Pictured in this recently discovered image from a glass plate negative is the young Gorham family posed in front of their home at 404 Aveneu D. The first two people on the left are not known, but the youngest girl is Elaine, then her mother Elise, son Harlan on the bike, Charles, and the eldest daughter Helen on the right.

About the NOW photograph: Charles and Elise Gorham would have no trouble recognizing their former home today.

Published in the Snohomish County Tribune, November 20, 2013.