Brooklake Community Center
From Prohibition-era speakeasy and rowdy roadhouse to library, Women’s Club and beyond, what today is called the Brooklake Community Center spent decades embroiled in controversies, legal battles and community wrangling. Federal Way’s local historian, Dick Caster, tracked down the Center’s stories, photos and facts, spinning exhaustive research into a great read for his new book, “The Brooklake Community Center.”
Mrs. Denny’s Rose
Louisa Boren Denny is credited with bringing and planting the first seeds of the ‘Sweetbrier’ rose into the Seattle area. This rose is Rosa rubiginosa, also known as the ‘Eglantine’ rose of Shakespeare’s England. The name has also been spelled ‘Sweetbriar.’
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Federal Way Area School History
This 141-page monograph is intended to discuss the history of schools in the Federal Way area from the late 1800s to the present time. This presents the individual schools known to exist from the late 1800s to 1929, the consolidation of schools into the Federal Way School District 210 in 1929, and the growth of the school system from 1929 until the present.
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Federal Way Schools
A pictorial history of the schools and the naming of Federal Way.
Download Full Pictorial Part One PDF
Download Full Pictorial Part Two PDF
The Barker Cabin
This 65-page article provides a history of the oldest original structure in Federal Way. This homestead cabin was built in 1883 by John Barker. Barker lived in this cabin with his wife and three children for seven years.
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The Denny Cabin
David Denny was part of the original party that settled Seattle in 1851. This monograph tells his story including his construction of the Denny Cabin in 1889 for use as a real estate office to promote the sale of land at the foot of Queen Anne Hill, including the land that now makes up the Seattle Center and surrounding land. The 93-page monograph also tells why the Denny Cabin ended up in Federal Way and describes the restoration work accomplished by the Historical Society of Federal Way.
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Father Peter Hylebos, St. George’s Indian School and Cemetery
This 29-page article provides a discussion of the man, his works and his place in the history of Federal Way. The key activity for Federal Way was the construction and operation of St. George’s Indian School.
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Federal Shopping Way
A history of the first major shopping center in Federal Way along with it’s founder J.R. Cissna.
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The Natural History and Geography of Federal Way
This 15-page article is intended to provide information relating to the formation and present conditions of the landforms and water resources of the Federal Way Area. Primarily this includes the last ice age which dramatically affected the soil and water of the area. A discussion is made concerning the presence of peat in the area, the present soil consistency, the water table and drainage and the trees and other vegetation.
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The Native American Presence in Federal Way
This 149-page monograph is intended to provide the information available for the presence of Native Americans in the Federal Way area prior to large-scale settlement by non-Native Americans. It also includes a discussion of Native American relations with the white settlers from 1792 up to the present.
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Federal Way Dance Halls
A history of the Dance Halls in Federal Way in the first half of the 20th Century.
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Harold Booker and the Struggle Against Racism in Federal Way, 1962-1970
This 17-page article describes Harold Booker and his struggle for racial equality in the Federal Way area during the 1960s and 1970s.
Harold Booker and the Struggle Against Racism in Federal Way.
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The Federal Way Teachers Strike of 1974
This 55-page article describes a major teachers strike that took place in Federal Way in 1974 leaving bitter feelings up to the present.
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The Federal Way Student Student Strike of May 1938
This 12-page article describes the strike students undertook to show support for their recently fired principal.
Download Full Student Student Strike PDF
