Winter Attacks Remnants of Indian War Fort
By Tovah Pentelovitch | From Preservation | Feb. 1, 2007
What was the U.S. Army's first base of operations on Puget Sound is now the Fort Steilacoom Museum—four leaky, weather-damaged cottages located on the grounds of the Washington State Mental Hospital in Lakewood, Wash.
Two of the cottages' roofs were in a state of disrepair prior to this year, and this winter has taken a toll on a third roof. In the past week, a large hole has developed in the roof of the cottage that once served as the fort chapel. Rain from the hole has leaked in to a display case within the cottage, damaging valuable pre-Civil War antiques.
The cottages tell the history of Fort Steilacoom from its establishment in 1848 to its role in the Indian War of 1855-56. The 640-acre fort and its 12 buildings became a mental hospital in 1871, and today the last four buildings are owned by the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS).
For the Historic Fort Steilacoom Association, raising the funds necessary for repairs has been complicated by the fact that the state government owns them.
"The first responsibility of DSHS is to the mental hospital, and caring for the museum structures cannot be their top priority," says Walter Neary, member and past president of the association.
Last year the state secured $100,000 in emergency storm funding to fix the fort's two most seriously damaged roofs. However, because of an unusually harsh winter this year, the contractors have not yet made the repairs. In the meantime, the hospital maintenance staff has placed tarps over areas with missing shingles. The state had originally scheduled the two roofs to be replaced last year, but now it has promised the association that they will be fixed this spring. Neary says the association estimates that an additional $100,000 would be required in the state budget to cover the costs of fixing the third roof.
The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation placed the cottages on last year's list of the state's most endangered historic properties.
With the damage from this winter's storms, the association is more concerned than ever. It seems unlikely that the state will have money in the 2007-2008 budget to fix the newly damaged cottage. Thus, the association is reaching out to state lawmakers in hopes of getting the museum the attention needed to ensure the survival of the four cottages.
The museum's board of directors encourages those interested to send e-mails to Washington state lawmakers encouraging them to support new roofs for the fort:
State Senator Michael Carrell: carrell.michael@leg.wa.gov
State Rep. Tami Green: green.tami@leg.wa.gov
State Rep. Troy Kelley: kelley.troy@leg.wa.gov
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