Location: 205 15th Ave SW
Women’s History; South Capitol National Historic Neighborhood
George and Georgiana Blankenship House, 1937, Thurston County Assessor, Southwest Regional Archives |
George and Georgiana Blankenship House today (2013), photo by Deb Ross |
Among the most popular citizens in Olympia in early days, George and Georgiana Blankenship forged a partnership that has created lasting contributions to the history of Olympia and Thurston County. George E Blankenship was the son of pioneer George C Blankenship. The Blankenship family were publishers, printers, and authors: George E Blankenship wrote a memoir, Lights and Shades of Pioneer Life, of his childhood in very early Olympia. Georgiana began her professional career as a librarian in Spokane, was divorced and then moved to Olympia when she married George. Seeing a need to record the recollections of early pioneers before they had all passed into oblivion, she collected their stories and published them in a book entitled Tillicum Tales, or Early History of Thurston County. She was also active in the Woman’s Club and was president of the Thurston County Historical Society. Both volumes are available on line: see our Residents section for links. The Blankenship family continues to contribute to preserving the history of Olympia and Thurston County.
The Blankenships had two homes. This home, located very near to Capitol Campus, was built in 1907, before the campus was laid out and developed. It is an early example of the Craftsman style. Their summer home, Five Firs Point (now demolished), north of Squaxin Park, also became their retirement home after George retired from the printing business.
The home is not on the local register but is located in the South Capitol National Historic Neighborhood.
South Capitol National Historic Neighborhood
Article, Blankenship, Meet the Blankenships and Yantises
Copyright © 2022 Deborah Ross