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.

The Middleton family built a wood frame house in South Park at 1005 South Southern Street in 1894. This image shows the exterior of the house with the family standing on the porch. The absence of plants suggests that the picture was taken not too long after the house was built. The boy and man on the right are likely Merl Middleton and B.F. Middleton, his father. One of the women may be Emma Middleton, Ben Middleton’s wife.

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