1950 Olympia Today and Tomorrow

“Olympia Today and Tomorrow” was a week-long exhibit at the Armory in May 1950 as part of the city’s Centennial. The exhibit featured Olympia-area businesses including Olympia Oyster Company, Western Metal Craft as well as state agencies including the Department of Highways, Department of Soil Conservation and also National Guard Trophies from the 9th Infantry Regiment of the Second Division at Fort Lewis. The Armory was also the site of the “Beard Contest” judging–many Olympia men grew beards for the Centennial.

2021 Creative Campus Event

Unknown Date, Early Photo (No Radio Tower)

“This building will always have a special place in my heart. I’ve had a lot of different experiences and ups and downs in my short time there. I have met some amazing individuals there. I’ve learned a lot of lessons I don’t think I could’ve learned outside of the armory and the great people who’ve been there to help me along the way. It was my first armory and will always feel important to me.”

“I joined the Army National Guard in 2012 after commissioning as an officer from the University of Oklahoma. I was assigned to 205th Signal Support Company in Mustang, Oklahoma as a platoon leader for two years. I stayed in Oklahoma to pursue my master’s degree. Once complete I was ready to move to Washington to start some place new, and I landed in Olympia, WA. I was working downtown and struggling to find a unit to be assigned to in the Washington National Guard. One afternoon I went for a walk through a neighborhood on my lunch break and found SSG Florey smoking a cigarette outside the armory steps. I approached him asking about finding a unit needing a Signal Officer. He quickly got me set up with MAJ Monaghan and CPT Cromwell (who tried to convince me to branch transfer to Field Artillery). Since that day, I spent six years of my military career in the Olympia armory bonding with my soldiers, peers, and leaders. I pushed myself to grow and build a sense of ownership and community within my ranks. I was grateful when LTC Mushallo granted me command as the HHB Commander, making me the first female battery commander in the Washington Army National Guard. Many times I have thought about the armory and it’s inhabitants since moving to our Seattle Armory. I can’t help but look at it as my second home. A piece of me is intertwined in the legacy of the Olympia Armory. It’s interesting smell, the lead contamination in the old basement space, the S6 cage with the door that always dragged on the floor, our motor pool that is just a little too small for comfortable parking are all things I can never forget. I’m so proud of the people I have met there, and cherish my memories fondly, even the hard moments that were necessary to shape me.”

“The huge eagle over the main entrance to the Olympia Armory was designed and sculpted by John W. Elliott.

Elliott was a recognized master of architectural modeling and sculpting. The legacies of his career are found in the states of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska, as well as in British Columbia.

John William Elliott was born in Sheffield, England, on February 22, 1883. He started his seven-year apprenticeship in the silver industry in England at the age of thirteen. He graduated from the Sheffield Technical Art School.

Elliott immigrated to the United States in 1906. His early years here were spent designing silver and glass pieces for manufacturers such as Wallace, Gorham, International Silver, and Corning Glass Works. He came to Seattle in 1924, where he worked at Joseph Mayer & Sons Jewelers.

From the mid-1920s until his death in 1971, Elliott turned his full attention to the art of repoussé, metal chasing, sculpting, and architectural modeling.

He created many works still in public view, including: the sculpted “Heads of Lawgivers of the World” on Condon Hall at the University of Washington; 34 repoussé panels on the “Evolution of Lighting,” displayed in the Seattle City Light Building; ornamentation on the exterior of the Montlake Laboratory in Seattle; decorative panels on the U.S. Post Office in Longview; and a wealth of ornamentation on other buildings around the Northwest.

In addition to his eagle on the Armory, local examples of Elliott’s work include: a silver crosier created for the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia; five repoussé panels of various brewing scenes, created for the Olympia Brewing Company; two bronze plaques, also created for the Olympia brewery; and the sundial on the Capitol Campus, depicting scenes from Washington’s territorial history.

Elliott was a member of the Seattle City Art exhibition committee in 1940; a founder of the Craftsman’s Guild of Washington; a district supervisor for the State Board of Vocational Rehabilitation during the 1940s and 1950s; and a recipient of a Certificate of Superior Craftsmanship in Architectural Sculpture and Repoussé in Metal, from the Washington State Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.”

Articles culled from the Olympian about events at Armory

Articles have been scanned by Newsbank, or text provided by McClatchy Corporation, and are available for public viewing by entering State Library or Timberland Library card numbers at this link:

Description of articles and dates: 

• April 18, 1946, p. 5: Plum trees dedicated to World War II veterans
• November 28, 1950, p. 2: Wrestling match at Armory
• December 7, 1970, p. 9: New Commander at Armory
• August 20, 2008, text provided: Guard members deployed to Iraq
• October 29, 2008: Ski Swap sale advertisement
• December 4, 2010, text provided: Job Fair for veterans
• November 19, 2011, text provided: Social Services for Veterans event

“A few years back the Armory let local artists have an Artist’s Flea Market. The artists sold their seconds or rejected wares, such as pottery, artist supplies, etc. Great resource for local artists.”

“Back in the day there was the National Guard and the State Guard, the latter to a large extent made up of men too old for active duty with the Army or service with the National Guard. It’s possible the State Guard still exists “on paper.” “

“When Lyle joined the 205th Coast Artillery (Washington Army National Guard), in May 1940 (Service number: 20951209), the Stedman Family (Francis “Frank” & Edna Haverfield Stedman), was living on Tumwater Hill.

The 205th was inducted into the Active Army in February 1941. At that time the 205th was stationed at Camp Haan (a US Army training camp built in 1940, near March Air Force Base in Riverside), California when Pearl Harbor was bombed.

Lyle’s duty stations followed in: Los Angles, California; El Paso, Texas; Ontario Air Field, California; Camp Cooke (today Army Space Command at Vandenberg Air Force Base), California; and Hawaii: Pearl Harbor; Camp Hase (Located on the eastern portion of the Mokapu Peninsula in Honolulu County, Oahu; Kaneohe Bay (on the Mokapu Peninsula of windward Oahu in the City & County of Honolulu; Moanalua Gardens, (in the Moanalua district near Tripler Army Medical Center); Fort Shafter & Schofield Barracks (west of Honolulu); and Fort Kam (Fort Kamehamehea, an old artillery base created to defend Honolulu and Hickam Air Force Base).

When he left Hawaii (and the Army), in 1946, Lyle was a Master Sergeant (E-7), and Acting Sergeant Major. He returned to Eugene, Oregon where my mother (Melba A. Pittsley Stedman was living with her Parents, Benjamin and Nora Syverson Pittsley, and Lyle and Melba’s children: James (born 1944); Gary (born 1945); and Stephen (born 1946). My grandfather, Benjamin Pittsley, a tool and die maker, worked at Pearl Harbor during the war, repairing Navy ships damaged during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

My grandfather Frank Stedman, was a civilian shipyard worker during WWII, at the Tacoma Shipyards, working on the construction of “Liberty Ships”. Frank’s sons Lyle Stedman (Army) and Dale Stedman (Navy), served in WWII. Frank’s daughter, Lola Stedman Cleek, was a shipyard welder on Liberty ships during WWII. Frank’s sons-in-laws: Henry J. Bittmann (Navy), John A. Johnson (Army), Joseph H. Pierre (Navy), Vernon O. Starnes (Army), James A. Jessing (Army Air Corps), and Charles Peterson (Navy), all served in WWII.”

Gary Stedman, after basic training at Fort Lewis, served in the U.S. Army (1966-1968), in the 2nd Infantry Division in South Korea (1967-1968), and served (as a civilian), at Fort Lewis/Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM), 1984-2018.

“I grew up in the Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater area. When I was 10 years old, I attended a Hunter Safety Course that was held at the Armory. We spent a week in class learning hunter ethics and safety. The final day was a range day, where we fired rifles and pistols in the range which was housed in the basement at the time. That was in the summer of 1979. Forty one years later I came to work for the Washington Military Department as a Telecommunications Engineer. I found myself working in the Armory during times of bad weather since I live in Tumwater and the Armory was my designated COOP site for disaster response.”

“When I was in the 5th or 6th grade, about 1957, I was on a basketball team that played in an intramural league every Saturday morning at the Armory during the winter. The team consisted of 7 Garfield classmates, and we adopted the team name Binger’s Rocketeers, since the parents of Brian Binger, one of the leaders of the team, outfitted us with uniforms. I don’t remember if our team was any good, or if we won any games, but I do remember that I was COLD every time I played there, and the floors were HARD. Picture of our team is attached with names of teammates.”

“The Olympia Salmon Club organized its second annual Boat & Sportsmen Show at the armory; the show was held February 28, March 1 and 2, 1958, and featured displays by many local businesses.”

“I grew up on the Eastside and took a school bus to Washington Junior High (then brand new on Cain Road) [1969 to 1972]. Later I rode the bus to Olympia High School [1972 to 1975]. Often I caught my bus in front of the old Armory. This building was (and is) an interesting landmark in the neighborhood. I am glad it is being preserved and will serve the community as a creative center.”

“Beginning in the mid 1950’s Saint Martins College began using the Armory for Basketball practice. The Schools existing gym which was built in the 1920’s was utilized by the High School. Also the old gym did not meet current College standards for court size and was not in great shape. SMC played their games in various local High Schools but primarily at North Thurston High. Finding a practice facility for the College was finally resolved when an arrangement was made to use the Olympia Armory while the College constructed what was to be The Capitol Pavilion located on campus. The assumption was the Pavilion was going to be completed in a relatively short time and then practice would be moved back on campus. As it turned out it took much longer than anyone thought! For about a decade SMC teams utilized this grand old building for training and practice games.

Unlike like regular Basketball floors that are built with a certain amount of flexibility built in to them The Armory floor was constructed with two by fours on end making it the equivalent of solid concrete to support the large military vehicles that regularly drove into the facility

for training etc. Every SMC College Basket ball player who ever stepped onto the court referred to it as the “SHIN SPLINT MAKER”. Another complication was the fact that the Governor’s Ball was always held at the building during this time in January. To make the floor function as a dance floor it was peppered with dance wax which turned it into a virtual Skating Rink when it came time to practice basketball. Athletes running at a fast pace from one end of the court to the other were unable to stop until they painfully slid into the wall. As the season ended in March most of the wax had worn off. Another problem was the smoke from the diesel trucks that were sometimes left on the floor when we arrived. The military quickly fired them up to move them into the lot behind the building. These were old vehicles and when started they left a of plume of black toxic smoke that hung in the air for hours. An hour of vigorous activity left players feeling like they smoked a pack of cigars. Once two such trucks were left in the middle of the floor and the weekend warrior in charge of the keys left for home with the keys still in his pocket! Using a two ton truck as screen on the way to the basket was quite effective. Every once in awhile the showers in the lower level of the building would only emit cold water which made for a less than pleasant ride back to school on cold and wet winter nights.

Over the years I was aware of a number of discussions to remove or retrofit the building for use as something other than an Armory. I and I know many other SMC athletes are very pleased that the building has been spared from the wrecking ball and will get a new lease on life that will hopefully provide many years of service to the Thurston County community. As for me and other players the fact that it will remain gives us the chance to drive by with our grand children and a share stories of a time when we played basketball in the grand and iconic old building.”

“I served there as an E5 and member of A Co. 3-161 Inf. back in 1991 and 1992 and again as the CSM of 2-146 FA from 2006 to 2008. It can be a spooky place when you’re alone there at night.”

“I was assigned to HHB 2-146th Field Artillery from January 1998 to July 2015. I was a Human Resources Specialist and worked in the Tactical Operations Center. Serving here will always be a fond memory of great times. There were so many long hours spent on training, care of equipment and the armory itself. It was always a motivating time when everyone returned from training in Yakima because we knew that the finish line for closing out that training weekend or annual training was within sight. Their were many friendships forged there and I am happy to have had the opportunity to call this armory a home away from home.”

“I’m MSG (ret.) Carl Lansford and I was HHB 2-146 FA Readiness NCO upon returning from Iraq in 2009. As the Readiness NCO from 2009 to 2015 I was also the building manager, responsible for armory upkeep as well as renting the armory out for special events such as dances, receptions, conferences, and various other events. I’ve had to spend several nights in the armory alone as it was the central site for emergency response command and control for the community during floods and fires and can say that at times it was eerie walking the dark halls at night.”

“My dad worked there about 1965-66 I think. One day he took me with him so I could practice driving. Including parking between a couple of strategically placed oil drums in the back lot.”

“Saint Michael’s years ago would hold their annual Harvest Festival there.”

“As a young teen I attended a dinner where Senator Henry (Scoop) Jackson spoke. I believe it was a fund raising dinner. It must have been in the early 1960s.”

“Good old wooden backboards.” (Referred to basketball backboard)

“It was used for voting headquarters in the 60’s. My mom and dad worked on voting days.”

“While I was at the Armory today, (2/9/2022) I neglected to mention a lower level under the apartment.

Access is just across the entry from the apartment door. My grandmother did her laundry down there and stored her canned goods.

Actually, the room’s primary purpose was to house the furnace that heated the entire building. It was a coal furnace approximately 5’-6’ wide.

It had a 20”x20” cast iron door. I remember being so frightened when my grandfather opened that door to feed coal.

The flames lapping up inside frightened me because it reminded me of Hansel and Gretel.

I was so afraid a witch would scoop me up and toss me in the huge oven.

As long as the door was closed, I loved playing down there.

Memories!”

“Bet you didn’t know the NBA has been playing at the Armory for over 20 years! That’s right, the Nooners Basketball Association (NBA), made up mostly of state workers (and now many retirees) meets regularly at, you got it, noon, for recreational basketball.

I’m a relative newcomer, having joined the group in 1990 when it was playing at Old Washington Gym (AKA Knox Gym or Avanti H.S.). The group started well before that, playing as young people at St. Martin’s in the ’70s. Time slips away; the reason we know we started at the Armory around 2000 is because of 9/11, which happened in 2001. For awhile after that we had to show our ID at the door.

Our group, in and of itself is fairly unexciting, which is part of its charm. Most of our group of 25 or so (who pay monthly dues to play) are well north of 50 years old, and five of us are 75+. The elders tend to be pretty feisty, as you can imagine, but physical altercations are a thing of the distant past and rarely do we even argue over fouls – something endemic (and tiresome) to pick-up games with younger folks. Aside from one of us, who is a walking highlight reel, none of us are particularly good basketball players. We really do just play for the sheer love of the game, and, I suppose, we enjoy each other’s company.

Soldiers stationed at the Armory always play for free, and, though they tend to be younger and more physically fit than we are, most of them have been very courteous – a credit to the uniform.

The gym floor itself, what they call the “drill floor,” seems to have been built to withstand tanks. It’s a beautiful, large hardwood floor made out of 2 x4s butt-end up, and it is truly hard; there is no give. It’s also a vanishing breed. We actually purchased the six fiber-glass backboards so more than one full-court game can be played at one time when there are more than 15 players. We’re hoping against hope that they preserve the gym floor (as a multi-use space) when it becomes an arts center, as there just aren’t many basketball gyms available – particularly for adults or, especially, older adults.”

“I began my military service at the Olympia Armory as a member of Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery in July of 2002. I mobilized into federal service from this armory, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, in November of 2004. Since 2002, I have been associated with this Armory, as it has been the headquarters for the 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery during that time. In July 2020, I was assigned as the Battery First Sergeant – the top enlisted advisor of an Artillery Battery – for Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 146th Field Artillery, and was responsible for the preparation, packing, and moving of the unit from the Olympia Armory to the new Thurston County Readiness Center.

And, as it often is in life, a fitting way for me to bid adieu to the Olympia Armory was by relinquishing my responsibilities as Headquarters Battery’s First Sergeant and assuming my new position as the Battalion’s Command Sergeant Major. The transition of my responsibility in February of 2022 was almost serendipitous in the way that it aligned with the Washington Army National Guard’s transfer of responsibility for the Olympia Armory to the City of Olympia.

I will always hold this Armory in my heart, as it has been the home of my dedicated and faithful service to the State of Washington and the United States for 20 years. This coming month of March 2022 will be the first month that I do not report to this building for military service. I must admit, there is a part of me that feels as if I am almost experiencing the passing of a family member or dear friend. I will undoubtedly drive by to see her once again, but I am optimistic for the continued service the Olympia Armory will continue to provide her community and State.”

“I’ve attached that picture of me taken at the Olympia National Guard Armory. I was just 19 at the the time and was helping with a KGY remote. The picture was taken in early 1960. There’s a date of April 1 on the picture, but that may have just been when it was developed. KGY had a booth in a home show type event. I’m sure I wasn’t the one doing the remote, but I held the microphone and wore a Giants uniform while posing for the photo. KGY was promoting the fact that it carried Tacoma Giants baseball and that the season was just about to start. In those days, the sports announcer didn’t follow the team for out of town games — especially if they were in far away places like Hawaii. Instead the announcer re-created information he obtained from ticker tape. He would even throw in sound effects so you could hear the crack of the bat hitting the ball.”

“One day at work at the (Washington State) Tax Commission, just a few months after December 7, Pearl Harbor Day, a memo was sent around to the offices asking for volunteers to work at night at the Armory. The Armory needed volunteers in what they called their “filter” center. We tracked incoming planes. Since Olympia is on Puget Sound, there was a great fear at that time that the Japanese might attack us.

Of course, after Pearl Harbor the military was building up at Fort Lewis and they didn’t have enough manpower to do the jobs. Our windows in Olympia had to be blackened at night, as they thought the west coast might be bombed. It was all kind of frightening. Several gal friends of mine and I were dating the new officers coming into Fort Lewis and having a good time at dances. So, anyway, we decided to volunteer. We worked shifts from 8:00 p.m. until midnight.

One night there was a recruiting sergeant on duty and he showed us brochures on the WAAC. I wanted to join right away, but you had to be 21 years of age. My birthday was in August and I signed up as soon as I reached my 21st birthday.

When I left for the Army in 1942, my Mother, Julia Balia McCoy took my place up at the Armory volunteering on a night shift, and later received a certificate from the Aircraft Warning Corps, IV Fighter Command, Aircraft Warning Service for her services.”