What if a neighborhood story isn’t about headlines but by the people who unlocked the door each morning? Hear about Wright Park, Stadium High School and distinctive entrepreneurs who shaped the Stadium business District. You may not recognize the names of Mrs. Lucy Darling, Mr. Harold Allen or Mrs. Lois Scholl, most don’t. And yet…

What if a neighborhood story isn’t about headlines but by the people who unlocked the door each morning? Hear about Wright Park, Stadium High School and distinctive entrepreneurs who shaped the Stadium business District. You may not recognize the names of Mrs. Lucy Darling, Mr. Harold Allen or Mrs. Lois Scholl, most don’t. And yet…

During the 1910’s residents of Tacoma wanted the peace and quiet of the suburbs before the suburbs became popular.  Craftsman homes on the corner of North 13th and Stevens Street, North 12th and Stevens Street and North 12th & Huson Street still stand today.  Residents Mr. William Lechner, a barber; Mr. Christian Jorgensen a laborer…

Step into Tacoma’s shadowy past. Have you heard about the 1951 vice raids – the kind of story that doesn’t just make the headlines, it rearranges a whole city. Hear about the scandal, the secrets and the shockwaves. From bootleggers and bordellos to a former city attorney who died in a mysterious fire, these aren’t…

In 1906, seven square blocks became something more than a dot on the map, they became Ruston. A small town shaped by the people of the Tacoma Smelting Company who wanted what everybody wants, safety, better streets and services. A steadier kind of everyday life. And maybe most of all, that simple, beautiful thing called…

When Tacoma’s streetcars were still humming and the Narrows Bridge gateway began here, 6th Avenue was already doing what it still does best. Moving people through, connecting neighborhoods, keeping the city in motion. Kmart is gone. Shakey’s is gone. PhotoMat, the tiny booth-like time capsule you drove past without thinking is gone too. But the…

Ever feel downtown Tacoma whispering? Streetcars once rolled out from the transportation barn, carrying the city forward.  A child was christened on the girders of the Rust Building – steel and blessing, high above the street. Department stores where you shopped for everything from washing machines to shoes to jewelry, you will be fascinated to…

Science has no certain answer for what lingers inside Tacoma’s longstanding buildings after the doors are locked and the lights go out. But some say the past does not rest quietly here. Have you ever stepped into a room and felt the air turn cold, as if unseen eyes were watching from the shadows? Beneath…

Science has no certain answer for what lingers inside Tacoma’s longstanding buildings after the doors are locked and the lights go out. But some say the past does not rest quietly here.  Have you ever stepped into a room and felt the air turn cold, as if unseen eyes were watching from the shadows? Beneath…

Why Tacoma is So Sweet – We are talking about candy – the kind that sticks and brings you back to being eight years old. Hear the surprising truth: some of America’s iconic candy stories began right here. Mars Candy Company, Brown & Haley, Marcoe Candy Company and Johnson Candy. Who were the men and…

The Summer of 1929 was exceptionally dry and the Fall was not better, significantly draining Tacoma’s electricity.  The shortage became so critical that Superintendent Ira S. Davisson had to cut power to homes and businesses. In December 1929, there were several discussions between the Tacoma Chamber of Commerce and lumber mill operators to shift their…

Step into Tacoma’s shadowy past. Have you heard about the 1951 vice raids – the kind of story that doesn’t just make the headlines, it rearranges a whole city. Hear about the scandal, the secrets and the shockwaves. From bootleggers and bordellos to a former city attorney who died in a mysterious fire, these aren’t…