Looking South on 4th Street, Oysterville, c. 1900 near School Street (light)

I was preparing a bit for my “Oysterville Moment” to be given today at Vespers. It’s been a tradition for the (almost) 50 years of our Music Vespers Programs that the first five minutes will be devoted to a story or memory about “old Oysterville” and I had decided for my contributions this year, I would talk about what Oysterville was like from a kids’ point of view growing up when I did — in the 1930s and ’40s.  Luckily, I had interviewed a number of my contemporaries back in 2008 for a Sou’wester magazine called “Growing Up in Oysterville” so I’ve had lots of great reminiscences to work with.  But today I thought I’d talk about my own memories, starting with where the village “boundaries” were in those days.

Papa (front) and Uncle Will on Log Wagon on planked 4th Street in Oysterville

I pretty much relied on my memory — and hoped against hope that Corky Biggs would be coming and that I could double-check a fact or two with her before I was “on.”  But I did Google: “When was 4th Street in Oysterville finally paved?” 4th Street in Oysterville, now known as Territory Road, has never been paved. To maintain its designation on the National Register of Historic Places, the community deliberately retains its unpaved, crushed-shell, and dirt roads. This preserves the authentic 19th-century village aesthetic.   Of course, I fired back that This answer to my question is completely untrue. My family has lived on 4th Street (now Territory Road) continuously for six generations. The street was paved in the late 1950s or early 1960s. We became a National Historic District in 1976; paving the county roads has never been an issue or any kind of condition for our National Historic District designation by the Department of the Interior.

I asked my question again.  This time, AI’s  response was: 4th Street in Oysterville (now known as Territory Road) was not paved in the traditional modern sense; instead, it was historically paved with wooden planks. The road, which acts as the main thoroughfare through the unincorporated village, remains an unpaved, rustic gravel or packed-dirt route to preserve the area’s 19th-century historic character.

Looking east on Clay Street at high tide, April 2024.

AGAIN, I asked my question and, much to my surprise, I received an instant “apology” (of sorts) saying that they had confused 4th street with the other streets in town — Clay Street, Merchant Street, and Division Street which are not paved in order to keep the historic character of the town.  They are right about those streets (or “lanes” as we call them) remaining unpaved, but I’ve always thought that the County simply sees no reason to put money into roads that are only used as footpaths to the bay these days.  So…  I never did find out when 4th Street (now Territory Road) was paved.  I think it was in the late 1950s or the early 1960s.  I do know that the County widened the street quite a bit at that time and when they had the hearing about their proposal, my mother pointed out that if they widened it as proposed, it would take out half of our kitchen and dining room.  Fortunately, they revised their plans a bit but I do think that we lost quite a chunk of our property and that the county right-of-way next to the road is now narrower than most.

Jimmy Kemmer, Aunt Rye, Judy Heckes at the west end of Oysterville Road, circa 1943.

I never did find out exactly when the road was paved.  Nor do I know precisely when Sandridge was continued north cutting behind the schoolhouse and ending at Oysterville Road.  I think that was about that same time and I vaguely remember that our paths up the hill behind the church — the paths to the best blackberry picking EVER, were forever off-limits from then on.   But I double-checked with Google just in case the response had actually been updated.  This time AI said:  4th Street in Oysterville, now known as Territory Road, has never been paved. You might check with Sydney Stevens or other historians of the area to learn more details.