Queen
Anne's Beginnings
After
an exploration in December, 1852 of Smith's Cove and on to
Salmon Bay, David T. & Louisa Boren Denny placed a claim
on 320 acres in what is now lower Queen Anne, generally the
area between today's Denny Way and Mercer St. from Elliott
Bay to Lake Union. Married in January, 1853 in his brother
Arthur's cabin, David built his new wife Louisa a one-room
log cabin on the bluff overlooking Elliott Bay, near Denny
Way and Western. Built
of nearby trees without a single nail, Louisa planted Sweetbrier
roses outside the front door. The roses were found still there
growing wild in 1931, when they were uprooted for a new commercial
building on the site. Around
1860 the Dennys cleared an area near 2nd Ave. North and Republican
Streets (now Seattle Center) for a farm, and built a new home,
living in it until 1871, when they moved to a new home at Republican
and Dexter. In
the spring of 1853, Thomas Mercer settled on a land donation
claim just north of David & Louisa Denny,
in an area roughly bounded by Lake Union on the east, Mercer
St. on the south, 1st Avenue North on the west, and Highland
Dr. on the north, while Dr. Henry Smith settled in 1853 in
western Queen Anne in the area that came to be known as Smith's
Cove, or Interbay.
|
|
| The
Queen Anne name is derived from the 1880's when Rev. Daniel
Bagley, an early Seattle settler, asked folks jokingly if
they were 'going out to Queen Anne Town?'--for by that time,
many homes in the area were in the Queen
Anne style. Several still exist today, more than 100
years old. Interestingly, the Reverend and his wife lived
with their son Clarence, and his family, in this house
located in Queen Anne. Beginning
in 1960 part of lower Queen Anne was reshaped into
Century 21, the Seattle World's Fair, where you can still ride
up in the Space
Needle, Seattle's most recognized landmark. We invite
you to visit our site to see a glimpse of Queen Anne and
its history. From our registered
landmarks, the terrific views, to our cemetery--there
are some great places and wonderful history to visit on Queen
Anne Hill.
About
the Society The
Society was formed in 1971 by the History Committee of the
Queen Anne Community Council, and since that time has worked
in many areas to advance its mission of preservation of the
community's historic heritage. An independent non-profit
organization, we maintain a community history archive and
hold five meetings each year which feature programs emphasizing
community and Washington history. Check out our Upcoming
Events page for the latest happenings. Click here for
a thumbnail history of Queen Anne, courtesy of Historylink.
Or click here  to
view a short video on Queen Anne, courtesy of Historylink and
the Seattle Channel.
. 
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1923 Seattle Polk Directory)
Our new image archive is now up and running! Over
120 photos of Queen Anne, many never seen before! |
