Gladish Community & Cultural Center

County history comes alive at Gladish thanks to WCHS, WCGS volunteers

Another of Pullman’s treasures is located on the first floor of Gladish Community and Cultural Center.

Some of the children walking nearby to go to the gymnasium think it is Santa’s Workshop (thanks to one volunteer).

But most visitors won’t walk by the Whitman County Historical Society Archive but everyone should know volunteers are willing every Wednesday morning to help find information about the people, land and history of the county. That information can come in the form of digitized materials, photos from Robert King decades ago, clippings from major events in Whitman County, maps of townships— right down to houses on the streets and the list continues, said Ed Garretson, the WCHS historian who is in charge of the Archive.

Garretson, a retired WSU history who along with colleagues David Stratton and George Frykman, settled the Archive into Gladish in the 1980s, before Friends of Gladish took ownership of the building. In 1991 with a move to the space it still occupies, the organization has arranged its space lined with drawers, files and pictures that will keep a visitor interested for as long as he or she has time.

Alex Otero

The Archive at Gladish shares space with the Whitman County Genealogical Society which maintains many indexes and other reference material and volunteers to help guests.

“Members of both group work on projects that interest them, and are always ready to guide a visitor through the materials.

“We are not limited to only one activity,” said Garretson. “WCHS’s mission is to preserve the history and cultural heritage of our area.”

Many of the board’s projects develop from request and the interest of others.

One successful project has been the Lost Apple Project. David Benscoter, a retired FBI and IRS Criminal Division agent and Pullman High School and WSU graduate heads the project. Media across the country became interest in the investigator’s new search and the story went national.

“I could tell when a metropolitan paper published the article,” said Valoree Gregory, WCHS director who manages the group’s emails. “We would get scores of

Valoree Gregory

requests and donations from that area! Individuals across the country contributed thousands of dollars to keep the project alive.”

The Archive gets requests from all over the United States, and some are unforgettable. The Texas Precinct in Whitman County, the town of Alki, the hotel on the top of Steptoe Butte, the railroad cars that are supposed to be lost in the bottom of Rock Lake and the Magpie Forest are just a few.

A subject that interested one photographer was information about Martha Washington Rock. Robert King wrote in a 2013 Bunchgrass Historian, the society’s journal, about the 20-foot-tall basalt column on a lava bluff overlooking the future town of Colfax. The historic rock was blown from its foundation by a fierce wind in 1914, but it notoriety among photographers continues today.

Many people get involved while looking for family information.

“I wanted a picture of my house in Colfax,” said Alex Otero, a member for nearly two years. “The history and people at the Archive were so helpful and I was hooked. I enjoy helping others learn to use the information, too.”

The Archive welcomes donations of records, photographs, diaries, ledgers, and other materials that reflect the history of our county. The entire collection is due to the generosity of those who have turned valuable records and materials to the Whitman County Historical Society and the Whitman County Genealogical Society.

One special observation Garretson makes when he talks about his 30-plus years working on the Archive: “People always leave here with a smile.”

Ed Garretson

The WCHS has many properties

The Archive is just one part of WCHS. The group also owns two museums, three historical buildings, publishes a journal and maintains the growing archival collection of more than 700 inventoried collections, photograph collection, a map collection, county plat books and various index to local publications and many other helpful guides.

And with a broad focus of interests, the Society is inviting to many volunteers.

“Some enjoy working at the Perkins House in Colfax while others find time to help with the Holy Trinity Chapel in Palouse, the Roy Chatters Newspaper and Print Museum in Palouse, or the Jones Schoolhouse at the Palouse Empire Fairgrounds,” Gregory, said. Volunteers are always needed at each of the locations, including the Pullman Heritage Interpretative Center in the old NP Depot.

Some different things that we need help with are the Perkins House Ice Cream Social, weeding and gardening, the Jones School and Blacksmith shop at the Palouse Empire Fair, cleaning and dusting, giving tours, become a board member, help with traveling displays and, of course, the Archive at Gladish,” she said.

To learn about volunteer activities, check out the website or email Gregory at wchsdirector1@gmail.com. Questions about using the Archive also can be directed to the director or stop at the Archive on Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-noon. Contact with the Genealogical Society also can be made on Wednesdays, from its website or by email to whitmancgs@gmail.com.

Thank You! New Friends of Gladish members!

Patricia Sheldon – Supporter Horace Alexander Young – Single Robert & Carolyn Allan – Family R. Craft & J. Vaughan—Supporter

Gladish Community and Cultural Center Business Directory • GLADISH is great for Education… Celebrations… Performances… and Events. Contact us today.

ARTS

• Community Band of the Palouse, 509-334-6270 • North Star Music • Red Dog Art Room, Rhonda Skaggs, 509-339-3891 • Trisha Mallet Piano Studio 509-592-3610 • WA-ID Symphony, 208-874-4162

CHILD CARE AND RESOURCES

• The Learning Center, 334-1234 • Montessori School of Pullman 334-4114 • YMCA of the Palouse

FITNESS/WELLNESS

AA District 2 Aloft Yoga and Nia, aloft-yoga.com E. WA Surf Soccer Club Palouse, Brandon Schreiner Lifespan Counseling, 206-910-7138 Mantis Martial Arts LLC Palouse River Rollers Pullman Kokondo Academy 509-995-2894 Rolling Hills Derby Dames rollinghillsderbydames.com Wheat Whackers www.wheatwhackers.com

FOODS

A&Y Cuisine

ORGANIZATIONS

Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse, 509-332-4357 Amalgamated Transit Union American Legion Post 52 Apostolic Faith, 509-338-5869 Friends of Hospice, 509-332-4414 Good Deeds Mortgage, 509-339-7110 Idiopathics Mumma Insurance, 425-455-1406 jeffm@mummainsurance.com • Plateau Archaeological Investigations 332-3830 • Whitman County Genealogical

Society Library, 332-2386 • Whitman County Historical Society

Archives, 334-3940 • Whitman County Humane Society • Whitman Window Cleaning, LLC • Work Source, 509-553-3496 mwood@esd.wa.gov

SCHOOLS

• AC Driving School, Room 306 • Pullman Community Montesorri (Public School) Please support your community center and become a Friend of Gladish. Send a $35 (Individual), $50(Family) or $100 (Business) donation to: 115 NW State St., Suite 212A, Pullman, WA 99163 Or give online here:

www.gladishcommunity.org

Email us: Gladish@pullman.com