A RICH HISTORY


At first glance, Lacey may appear to be a relatively new community, but it was actually a thriving town boasting a train station, hotel, post office and nationally-renowned horseracing facility way back in the 1890s.

The Lacey Museum was established to further the preservation and interpretation of Lacey’s history through exhibition venues, historical publications, educational programming and research activities.

The museum’s permanent and rotating exhibits highlight many interesting periods of Lacey’s past—from the pioneer-era of the 1850s to the fight for incorporation in the 1960s.  Popular exhibits include the “Resort Room,” which features artifacts and photographs from the nineteen resorts that graced Lacey’s five lakes in the 1920s, and the “Lacey School Room,” which explores the important role the Lacey School played within the community and includes such objects as the school’s 1913 tower bell.

Displays also highlight Lacey’s fame as a horseracing mecca in the late-1890s, the establishment of historic Saint Martin’s University and the birth of Washington State’s first radio station in a small log cabin on the campus’ grounds. 

The Lacey Museum is located at 829 Lacey Street SE.  Hours of operation are Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Group tours, historical presentations and access for researchers can also be arranged by appointment.  Admission to the museum is free.
           
For more information, including how to become involved in the Lacey Historical Commission or to serve as a volunteer docent, please contact the museum at (360) 438-0209.

Lacey was originally named “Woodland” in recognition of pioneer settler Isaac Wood, who took out a 320-acre donation land claim in 1852 encompassing what is now the Lacey Historical Area.  Isaac and two of his sons founded the first brewery in what was to become the state of Washington in 1860, near the shores of Budd Inlet.  The Union Brewery produced a cream lager beer that—according to some newspaper accounts of the time—went for five dollars a glass.

Isaac’s property was eventually divided among his seven children.  One of his sons, also named Isaac, sold 33 acres just east of what is now the Saint Martin’s University campus to John M. Adams.  In 1890—one year after Washington became a state—Mr. Adams platted Lacey’s original residential section on the property. 


The first school in the area was constructed in 1853 on Stephen Ruddell’s land claim near today’s Pioneer Cemetery.  By 1892, a one-room schoolhouse with a large pot-bellied stove was erected in town, near the present-day intersection of Pacific Avenue and Carpenter Road.  As the population continued to grow, a succession of larger and larger structures were constructed on the site.  By 1928, the school served 300 students and featured an auditorium that seated 750—making it the center of community life.  The district has never stopped growing, and North Thurston Public Schools is now the largest school district in Thurston County. 

In 1891, residents of the growing community decided the town needed its own post office, but the federal government denied their request because a post office with the name of Woodland already existed near the Columbia River.  The name “Lacey” was submitted as an alternative, although its source remains a bit of a mystery.  The most popular account is that local Justice of the Peace O.C. "Chester" Lacey had something to do with it. 

O.C., who in addition to his law practice co-owned a real estate firm, was quite a promoter.  The same year Lacey was chosen for the post office, he placed an ad in a local newspaper offering $5,000 to anyone who could post a sign on Mt. Rainier advertising his real estate business—providing the lettering was large enough to be read by passengers on steamer ships plying Puget Sound.
 

1891 also saw the opening of Mr. Isaac Ellis’ Woodland Driving Park—thought to have been the first mile-long sulky oval horse racing track west of Kentucky—and the adjacent Woodland Hotel.  The hotel became a favorite place to socialize before and after races.  The same year, the Northern Pacific Railroad Company constructed the Lacey Train Depot directly in front of the race track, near today’s intersection of Lacey Boulevard and Clearbrook Drive. 

Hundreds of passengers from around southern Puget Sound would arrive to attend the races.  The glory days came to an end in 1909, when betting on horseracing was made illegal.  The depot provided rail service until the mid-1920s, and was eventually dismantled in the 1930s.

In 1895, Saint Martin’s College opened its doors to its first—and only—student.  Enrollment soon increased to about two dozen students, many of whom were boarders from Seattle and Tacoma.  In addition to being the first 4-year college in Thurston County, Saint Martin’s was the birthplace of the oldest radio station in Washington State.  Father Sebastian Ruth started wireless broadcasting in 1914, and received the call letters “KGY” in 1921.  Now a coeducational university, Saint Martin’s serves nearly 2,000 students with 22 majors and 6 graduate programs.


By the mid-1920s, Lacey had earned fame as a resort community—in fact more than 19 resorts graced the shores of Lacey’s five lakes.  One of the grandest was Gwinwood, situated on the south shore of Hicks Lake.  It was operated by Gwin Hicks, whose 18-room mansion served as the centerpiece of the 40-acre spread.  Gwin’s father, Urban East Hicks, was a friend of Mark Twain, who is said to have visited the mansion.  The structure was dismantled in 1960.  A church camp now occupies the site, which is still known as Gwinwood.

In 1948, the Lacey Volunteer Fire Department was created by a handful of enthusiastic and committed volunteers with a hodgepodge of used equipment from other fire departments and the military.  The organization formed an official fire district in 1951 and passed its first bond levy that year.


By the mid-1960s, the community of Lacey had grown to more than 8,000 residents.  Housing and commercial developments grew in number and size.  Residents and business owners alike began to demand city services.  Members of the Lacey Fire Department, North Thurston School District, and the Lacey Chamber of Commerce organized the “Committee for the Incorporation of Lacey.”  Although the first effort wasn’t successful, interest was renewed two years later as the City of Olympia sought to expand its municipal boundaries to the east.  At stake were the survival of Lacey Fire District 3, the independence of the North Thurston School District, and tax revenues from the newly-opened South Sound Center.  Community members organized another effort to incorporate.

It was a hard-fought campaign, with heated words exchanged at community meetings, letters and articles in local newspapers championing different viewpoints, and yard signs for and against the effort.  On November 8, 1966, 1,586 voters approved incorporation; 1,346 were opposed.  75 years after receiving its name, Lacey was now—officially—a city.