I love this picture. It’s Center Street in around 1897. Notice to the right, you can see the Van Eaton house that sits above the medical billing center today.
Click on the photo to enlarge and see all the amazing detail.
Photo courtesy Pat Van Eaton.
Eatonville To Rainier 
6 responses to “Center Street ca. 1897”
The picture gives the reason why Center St E has a offset at the intersection of Mashell Ave. TC Van Eaton owned the property and it was the easiest place to put it. TC gave FM Groe a Swiss emigrant land to build the Pioneer Hotel in 1892 and then named the street after him. It’s the building on the left. On the right was TC’s hog ranch. Sometime in the 1950’s the Town changed the name from Groe St to Center St and little bit of Eatonville’s history with it. The bank run gravel on the road came from the lot across from Town Hall where the medical billing building now sits. It was hand shoveled into wagons with movable boards in the bottom that could be moved in such a manner as to let the rock out without shoveling.There where other rock pits in town one was where Sorensen’s Grarge is now.
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Thank you! This answers lots of questions. 🙂
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The article about the Van Eaton mansion says it was built in 1896. If that is the Van Eaton house, this picture must be later than 1896(or the other article is incorrect). Does anyone know for sure?
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Let me check with Pat on this one too.
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Hi Your right it’s more like 1897 or 1898
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i think it is sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo cool to see what is gone and or has been torn down and to see the things that are still standing and in good shape such as the Van Eaton mansion
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