In early days of western cities’ development, municipal water was conducted through threaded wooden pipes, a healthier and cheaper material than lead. Our thriving port, with its abundant nearby forest resources, was a natural location for wood-based industries. The National Wood Pipe Company established a factory at the north end of Olympia’s central peninsula (near the current Hands On Children Museum), shipping its products up and down the west coast.Unfortunately, a spectacular fire destroyed the factory in 1909. Photograph selected and captioned by the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum. For more information, see olympiahistory.org.
State Library Collection, Digital Archives