- Wachsmuth Cottages circa 1940
The Oysterville Design Review Board met this weekend to consider the conceptual plan for an addition to the one remaining Wachsmuth Cottage in Oysterville. We were out of town but owners Carol and Tucker wrote to say that the meeting went well and they are on to the next step. Hooray!
We are especially pleased for the purely selfish reason that we like them a lot and by enlarging their tiny cabin, Carol and Tucker will be able to make the transition from part-time to full-time status. That means we will have ‘new’ neighbors – neighbors who have a long history with Oysterville, in Tucker’s case going back to the 1860s. And there’s something about having neighbors with deep roots in the village that is reassuring, at least to me.
When I stop to think about it, a large percentage of our residents have family history here. At least half our homeowners are second generation Oystervillians. Some are third, fourth or fifth generation. I think that gives a stability that a more recently-arrived population can’t provide. Not that we are – or want to be – stuck in the past, but our history provides a context in which to decide upon present and future developments in the village. It balances the new ideas and energy brought by residents who are just beginning to build a history here.
Since our neighbors at the ‘Y’ began their addition to the Charles Nelson house a year or so ago, I believe the Wachsmuth Cottage has had the distinction of being the smallest house in Oysterville – great for weekends or for a few weeks at a time, but too small for full-time occupancy. It is the only remaining cottage of the three built in 1939 by Harry and Louise Wachsmuth with the original intention of housing family members during vacations. Watching its transformation from cottage to house will make for an exciting summer in Oysterville. We hope construction moves forward smoothly and quickly so the moving in can begin!
I hope you will alert us when the building starts so we can keep track of the progress!