By Lanny Weaver
On a weekly basis, Members Lanny Weaver and Deb Ross catalogue the State Capital Museum collection now housed at the Washington State Historical Society (WSHS) in Tacoma. This project is made possible through a collaboration between the Olympia Historical Society and WSHS, and Deb and Lanny are grateful for the time and cooperation of the WSHS and Research Center staff in making this possible. This new and regular column will inform you about their work.
In early fall, Deb completed cataloguing an interesting collection of photos that were donated in 1964 by historian Adah Dye. Around 1949 or 1950, Miss Dye took snapshots of houses and commercial buildings that were then 50 years old or older (I.e., were built before 1900). In most cases, she helpfully noted on the back what and where the building was. While cataloguing the Dye collection, Deb took her own contemporary photographs of those buildings that still exist.
These photographs and catalogue listings are now included in the “Early Residents” section of the Olympia Historical Society’s website, along with links to Miss Dye’s photographs and to listings in the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation’s database of historic homes, where available. The complete Dye collection can also be searched on line by going to the Washington State Historical Society’s collection catalogue and entering the search term Adah Dye. Unfortunately most of Miss Dye’s photos have not yet been scanned; scans can be ordered from the State Society for a small fee.