John Crellin House with Stevens Hotel in background, c. 1920
The other day as we talked with the State and County officials about the changes in the Oysterville National Historic District, I kept thinking about the newest building going up in town: Cyndy’s house. There were no particular concerns expressed about that structure – at least none that I heard – but I wished we could talk a little about the history of the property, what was there long ago, what happened to it, how Cyndy’s house is honoring the property’s past.
One of the very first substantial structures in Oysterville, the Stevens Hotel, was built almost on that exact spot back in 1854 or 1855 by Gilbert and Alvira Stevens (no relation, in case you wondered.) Like Cyndy’s house, it was built facing north. Wagons carried the lumber from the oyster schooners anchored in the bay along a rutted wagon track to the building site. It was probably the first road in town. It was called Merchant Street and it wasn’t until 1867 that John Crellin built next door and became the Stevens’ nearest neighbor.
Heckes Inn with Annex, c. 1930
My mother (who was born in 1911) remembered the Stevens Hotel from her early childhood. By then, the building was quite derelict but several “old bachelors” lived there. The Stevens family was long gone and Andrew Wirt owned the building. When the Heckes/Kemmer family bought the Crellin property in the 1920s, they bought the Stevens place, too.
Perhaps their idea was to fix up the old hotel and use it in addition to the Crellin home for their Heckes Inn. That’s what they did with the old Swan Hotel and Restaurant, after all. But, when the time came, they decided instead to take the hotel down, salvage the useable lumber, and build an annex next to the Inn.
The final days of the Heckes Inn took place during my early childhood and that extra building was known simply as “The Annex.” At various times overflow guests slept there. Later, family members and visiting relatives slept there. Still later, the building became a garage. And then, sadly, the present property owner tore it down.
New House in Oysterville, 2013
Cyndy’s house will face the location of the erstwhile Annex. I know it’s not a perfect metaphor, but it does remind me a bit of a phoenix rising from the ashes of its predecessor – a new home going up where the Stevens Hotel once stood and facing the very spot that the hotel’s successor stood until recently.
Somehow, knowing the history or provenance of the properties in Oysterville ties the past to the present and gives extra meaning and depth to the changes taking place. I love that!
For the village to continue I guess changes have to happen as in all of life and I am glad that you find meaning in the new build.