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141 results for: Great Seattle Fire (1889)

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Image of Frederick & Nelson interior, Seattle, circa 1925
Photograph

Frederick & Nelson interior, Seattle, circa 1925

The first Frederick & Nelson retail store opened in 1889, right after Seattle's great fire. By 1916, the company was doing so well that it built a large new store at Fifth Avenue and Pike Street. Frederick & Nelson was one of Seattle's landmark companies for over a century, but it closed in the 1990s.This interior photo is part of…
ID Number:1974.5923.308
Date:Circa 1925
Image of Frederick & Nelson account statement, December 1908
Document

Frederick & Nelson account statement, December 1908

The founders of premiere Seattle department store Frederick & Nelson got their start selling used furniture during the rebuilding of Seattle after the Great Fire of 1889. The business expanded to include home delivery of goods, a tea room, and ready-to-wear men's and women's fashions. The owners built a reputation for elegance and customer service. Although the company went out…
ID Number:1976.6359.1
Date:1908
Image of Damage to Seattle business district after Great Fire, June 6, 1889
Photograph

Damage to Seattle business district after Great Fire, June 6, 1889

The Great Fire of June 6, 1889 was a significant turning point in Seattle's history and changed both the physical and political landscapes of the City. The fire started in a paint and woodwork shop at Front and Madison and swept a southward across 100 acres of Seattle's business district and waterfront. The inferno completely consumed the business district's wooden…
ID Number:1976.6362.224
Date:1889
Image of Great Seattle Fire at 1st and Union, June 6, 1889
Photograph

Great Seattle Fire at 1st and Union, June 6, 1889

The Great Fire of June 6, 1889, was a significant turning point in Seattle's history and changed both the physical and political landscapes of the city. The fire started at 2:30 p.m. in a paint and woodwork shop at Front and Madison and over the course of the next 18 hours swept a southward across 100 acres of Seattle's business…
ID Number:1977.6487.7
Date:1889
Image of SFD annual charity ball ticket, November 25, 1908
Ephemera

SFD annual charity ball ticket, November 25, 1908

The Seattle Fire Department (SFD) was organized as an all-volunteer organization in 1876. The City Charter was amended in 1883 to fund equipment, but a paid, professional unit was not organized until after the great fire in 1889. Two years later the Seattle Fire Department Relief Association was founded as a result of the tragic death of Herman Larsen, the…
ID Number:1978.6700.13
Date:1908
Image of The start of the Great Seattle Fire, June 6, 1889
Photograph

The start of the Great Seattle Fire, June 6, 1889

The Great Fire of June 6, 1889, was a significant turning point in Seattle's history and changed both the physical and political landscapes of the city. The fire started at 2:30 p.m. in a paint and woodwork shop at Front Street (now First Avenue) and Madison Street and over the course of the next 18 hours swept a southward across…
ID Number:1979.6815.3
Date:1889
Image of Thomas and Warren French posing inside their grocery store, Seattle, circa 1910
Photograph

Thomas and Warren French posing inside their grocery store, Seattle, circa 1910

Siblings Irene French Cardiff Witt (1854-1932), Thomas Franklin French (1862-1944), and Warren Harrison French (1868-1922) were all born in Illinois and moved to Seattle. Warren arrived in 1888, and helped fight the 1889 Great Fire. The French brothers are mentioned as part of a group of Seattleites met by Seattle Times reporter T. A. Davies during his 1897 trip to…
ID Number:1979.6841.2
Date:Circa 1910
Image of Portrait of Irene, Thomas, Warren, and Margie French, Seattle, circa 1910
Photograph

Portrait of Irene, Thomas, Warren, and Margie French, Seattle, circa 1910

Siblings Irene French Cardiff Witt (1854-1932), Thomas Franklin French (1862-1944), and Warren Harrison French (1868-1922) were all born in Illinois and moved to Seattle. Warren arrived in 1888, and helped fight the 1889 Great Fire. The French brothers are mentioned as part of a group of Seattleites met by Seattle Times reporter T. A. Davies during his 1897 trip to…
ID Number:1979.6841.12
Date:Circa 1900
Image of Portrait of Irene, Thomas, George, and Warren French, Seattle, circa 1920
Photograph

Portrait of Irene, Thomas, George, and Warren French, Seattle, circa 1920

Siblings Irene French Cardiff Witt (1854-1932), Thomas Franklin French (1862-1944), and Warren Harrison French (1868-1922) were all born in Illinois and moved to Seattle. Warren arrived in 1888, and helped fight the 1889 Great Fire. The French brothers are mentioned as part of a group of Seattleites met by Seattle Times reporter T. A. Davies during his 1897 trip to…
ID Number:1979.6841.13
Date:Circa 1920
Image of Financial district, 2nd Ave. and Columbia St., Seattle, 1925
Photograph

Financial district, 2nd Ave. and Columbia St., Seattle, 1925

This view of the southeast corner of Second Avenue and Columbia Street in downtown Seattle includes several buildings that remain standing. In the center of the frame The Seattle National Bank Building (now the United Way Building), built in 1921, stands at 720 Second Avenue. Moving south on Second Avenue, the 15-story Dexter Horton building is at 710 Second Avenue,…
ID Number:1980.6877.32
Date:1925
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