Thursday, August 4, 2016
Buck Street
McCleary's northernmost street within city limits currently hosts a portable toilet, but there will probably be real people in real houses on this street in the near future.
Where the sidewalk ends
Where Summit Road crosses the railroad tracks was once a thriving little community called "Summit" because it was on the highest elevation on the railroad between Puget Sound and Grays Harbor. The Summit Post Office was established in the 1870s. The community had their own school and the building later became the Grange Hall demolished in the 1990s, I think, to make room for the new residential development.
Pony circle
In the background, where Simpson's fence now exists, there was a two story structure a century ago known as "The Old Oaken Bucket." In the first floor were business enterprises, such as the newspaper The McCleary Stimulator, founded by the Craft twins, Ray and Roy, with their friend Bob Cooper. On the 2nd floor was another sort of business enterprise employing some of the "soiled doves" of the town. Another such place was on the now vacant SW corner of Main and Maple, once home to The Pines.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
The Union Hall
This was the site of the Pastime Pool Hall where Al McKean was killed.
If I am not mistaken, I believe Henry McCleary's desk now resides in this building, a fact that no doubt would've really bugged that old union buster.
Somewhere around this spot was also the gate to the Jake Anderson place before Henry McCleary arrived. Jake, a cranky Norwegian bachelor, lived at what is now the top of the "T" at 5th and Oak.
Tony and ZZ
The crypt of Anthony (1908-1960) and Azizeh (1915-2001) Souda in Fern Hill Cemetery, Aberdeen.
The Soudas operated the Golden Rule Store, which was located in what is now a vacant lot just north of the second hand store on Maple and Main. They were a vital part of McCleary community life. The actual building was still standing as late as the 1960s.
Al McKean, 1879-1926
The crypt of Al McKean, Fern Hill Cemetery, Aberdeen.
McKean was a popular figure in McCleary. He ran the Pastime Pool Hall, where the present Union Hall sits. The original Pastime building was torn down in the summer of 1986.
McKean was shot and killed when he surprised a burglar while returning to the Pool Hall after hours. Henry McCleary spared no expense in helping law enforcement track down the killer. When they finally arrested the likely killer and threw him in the Grays Harbor County jail, he refused to talk.
The story goes that McKean's twin brother was made up to look like a ghost and would silently stare at the superstitious prisoner through the bars at night. This method extracted the needed confession.
The entire episode earned an article in a sensationalist crime story tabloid, Real Detective in Jan. 1937 entitled "The Jungle Buzzard and the Ghost of Al McKean."
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Frank Lloyd Wrong
Cedar St., one realtor actually marketed this place as "Frank Lloyd Wrong." It had a flat roof. Why anyone would build a structure with a flat roof in western Washington is beyond me, especially in Grays Harbor County.
Baseball dugout
Baseball
Although McCleary definitely is a town filled with Seahawks fans, baseball is the sport that has been played by the citizens, children and adult, ever since the town was created. Baseball is a big part of the Bear Festival every year.
That being said, there are only two times I have seen fireworks set off in McCleary outside of New Years or Independence Day. First was when Osama bin Laden was killed by special forces sent in by President Obama, and second was when the Seahawks won the Superbowl.
Lost Boys Pirates
Preparing the bear stew
In 1959 the town celebrated the first annual Second Growth Festival, an event that stemmed from the University of Washington sponsored Operation Second Growth, 1955-1956, a program designed to help small communities help themselves.
The local editor of the McCleary Stimulator, Norman Porter, got into an editorial war with Roy Craft, the editor of the Skamania County Pioneer over which county had the better tasting bears. I suspect alcohol was involved in this debate.
Craft, who had actually started the Stimulator back in the 1920s with his twin brother Ray, and was a childhood pal of Porter's had briefly been Marilyn Monroe's publicist. He was the guy who convinced her to stand over a grate in downtown NYC in order to promote the Seven Year Itch motion picture. Leave it to a McCleary guy to think of that.
Anyway, in the first year the bear was served in steak form, but in short order the Festival planners figured out it was easier to make stew so more people could enjoy it.
The Festival soon became known as the McCleary Second Growth and Bear Festival, but now the "Second Growth" portion of the name has been discarded.
Greek section
George Itsos (1886-1940), Christ Pappas (1882-1956), Savvas Karaynnis (1873-1923), George Iliades (d. 1919), Peter Cholos (1873-1917), Demetrios Stamatoy "Yakima" Eanis (1881-1963), Anton Stergon (1882-1915) and three unmarked.
Beerbower Park slide
Beerbower Park was named in honor of Mayor Ernie Beerbower (1903-1966) who died in office. The site was originally home to Henry McCleary's lumber mill which existed prior to the door plant. The mill closed and fell into disrepair after the Great Depression while the door plant remained in operation.
The stage empties and the Festival packs up for another year
We have to wait another year to strut and fret our hour
Monday, August 1, 2016
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