Throughout 2023 the Sunday Olympian’s Looking Back theme was origins of area place names. Giles Street, in northwest Olympia, takes its name from Charles Giles, whose home is at the corner of West Bay Drive and Giles Avenue. Charles Giles was a mill operator, whose business was nearby. The home is on the state register of historic places.
Photograph of Charles P. Giles, around 1925, unknown photographer, Ancestry Public Member Photos & Scanned Documents, shared August 15, 2018
Text © Deborah Ross and The Olympian 2023