In 1901, Washington State purchased the Thurston County Courthouse, adjacent to Sylvester Park, to serve as the state’s Legislative Building. An annex to the original building was built to accommodate state government functions. This photograph from around 1902 shows the groundbreaking for the annex. Governor John R. Rogers is in front, wielding a ceremonial shovel. The building is now the office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Image selected and captioned by Deborah Ross on behalf of the Olympia Historical Society, olympiahistory.org.
photo about 1902, Courtesy State Capital Museum collection, Washington State Historical Society