B.F. (Benjamin Franklin) Middleton, an Iowa native, moved to California and then to the Seattle area after the 1889 Seattle Fire. He settled in South Park in the Duwamish Valley in 1893 and ran a large grocery business and general store at 8207 Dallas Avenue in South Park’s business district.

In 1894, the Middleton family built a wood frame house at 1005 South Southern Street in South Park. This image shows the parlor, with its upright piano, pebble-faced fireplace, rocking chairs, and wall clock. Prominent on the wall-to-wall carpet are several animal-skin rugs, including those from bear and cougar.

Caption information source: The Seattle Daily Times: November 11, 1956, p. 57.