King County Historic Preservation

05/15/2026

Since we're nearing the anniversary of Mt. St. Helen's 1980 eruption, we thought we'd mention one of the more significant volcanic events in King County history, the Osceola Mudflow, or lahar. More than 5,000 years ago this lahar from Mt. Rainier created the Enumclaw Plateau, and it remains the largest relatively flat area in King County. The lahar filled in creeks and ravines and changed river courses, but created a broad area that became a significant agricultural economic engine in the late 19th century through today.

05/13/2026

Yesterday King County preservation staff attended a virtual session on "Structural Stabilization of Historic Masonry Buildings." We occasionally get some extra instruction so we can assist historic landmark owners around the county. We don't have that many brick buildings in our inventory, but they are often subject to seismic damage and freeze-thaw cycles that can damage the brick or stone. This example is from downtown Issaquah.

05/04/2026

May the 4th be with you! King County has a historic connection to Star Wars...with a former landfill compactor called "The Mole." It's rumored it was the prototype for the Tatooine sandcrawlers in the original movie! Our office still has film of this beast in action!

The Mole, a 1960s trash-compacter from Cedar Hills is rumored to be the inspiration for the sandcrawlers in Star Wars.

05/01/2026

We wanted to congratulate Sarah J. Martin for accepting a special role with Historic Seattle to prepare landmark nominations for important properties in Seattle. Sarah has done a number of landmark nominations for property owners in King County; rarely do we see such comprehensive research. In the last few years we’ve designated several of her nominations including the Charnley House in Shoreline (built 1967). It’s significant for its distinctive Modern Movement architectural design by the Seattle-based firm Nelsen, Sabin & Varey and for its association with Donn Charnley, a Washington State legislator and senator in the 1970s and 1980s. Another one is the Wenberg House in Issaquah (built 1963). It was designed by architect Omer Mithun of the Bellevue-based firm Mithun & Associates Architects and built by Swedish immigrant carpenter and builder Gustav Bruse. Finally, Sarah took on documenting the Preston Mill Drying Kiln (built ca. 1910), a rare surviving industrial building associated with the early 20th century heyday of lumbering in eastern King County.

03/27/2026

An older photo, but perfect for this sunny, blossomy day. Snoqualmie Depot.

03/20/2026

With the spring equinox occurring tomorrow morning, we thought we'd share some wonderful blooms and a colorful historic barn! Happy Spring!

03/10/2026

We're on a bit of a quest to identify the original use of this shack. It was used by King County Public Works for years as a job shack, and would get hauled around to various project sites, mostly in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. But we think it may have its origins as a logging rail car, either used as a job shack for timber harvest, or maybe even a rolling bunkhouse. There are no rail bits left, it was definitely used with rubber tires in its later life. Just wondering if anyone out there has thoughts on it? Still owned by King County but likely going to be deconstructed and used for scrap or recycle soon. Thanks for any input!

02/24/2026

Couldn't get through this day without recognizing it's Twin Peaks Day!! Hope everyone is having a "damn fine cup of coffee and a piece of cherry pie!"

02/09/2026

What a game last night! Congratulations to the Seahawks! We suspect there were quite a few people hanging out at the Rainier Bar and Grill for the game, and for good reason. It was our recent award winner for Legacy Business. Check out the video, and let us know if you were there or watching the game from another historic venue! GO HAWKS!

Rainier Bar and Grill is being recognized with a John D. Spellman Award for its decades-long role as a welcoming community gathering place for residents and ...

02/03/2026

With the holidays and start of the new year we neglected to get these great videos of our award winners up! Here's the award for Stewardship and Education to the Black Diamond Historical Society!

Maintained and operated entirely by local volunteers for over forty years, the Black Diamond Historical Museum stands as a powerful example of community stor...