By Susan Park

The Seattle area is blessed with many museums. Thereıs the Museum of History & Industry in Montlake, the Nordic Heritage Museum in Ballard, and thereıs the Museum of History in Tacoma, to name a few.

Tucked away under the Aurora bridge in Fremont is a museum that is distinct from the others in that it is the only whose focus is on recording neighborhood history. Itıs called History House and on Sept. 22, its supporters gathered to celebrate its second anniversary, toasting the occasion with wine from Woodinvilleıs Columbia Winery.

History House president Suzie Burke says she ³loves other museums, but the truth is, Œneighborhoodı is really where we live.²

History House actually came into existence in July 1994, but Burke says the museumıs board considers this to be its ³two-year anniversary² because the building wasnıt completed until 1998. Burke says many people think History House is only about Fremont, but says that isnıt so. The museum also includes exhibits from other neighborhoods as well, and its goal is to showcase historical perspectives of communities from throughout the city.

I had the chance to hobnob with some of Seattleıs finest. I finally got to meet the famous Trudy Weckworth who was being honored by the History House for her years of dedication and service to neighborhood newspapers. History House installed a tile in the lobby in her name ³so sheıll always have a place in neighborhood history,² said Burke. A number of Weckworthıs fans ‹ people sheıd worked with over the years at various Puget Sound newspapers were there in attendance.

Stan Stapp, a longtime newspaper man himself who was once Weckworthıs boss, introduced Trudy, noting that he has known her for 52 years since hiring her to work for the old Outlook, the neighborhood weekly that Stappıs family published for several decades until its sale in 1974. Stapp, who wrote the original Hash column of rehashed police reports, turned the column over to Weckworth around 1950. Weckworth continued the column for many years and ran it in several papers until just last year. Stapp added that Weckworth was also especially good at collecting bad debts and added laughingly that she once used her connection with the police by telling an advertiser ³ŒIf you donıt pay up, Iım going to get the Bunco Squad after you!ı It worked!² Stapp said.

Weckworth made many friends in the newspaper field and several came out to honor her including: Seattle Times columnist Kathleen OıConner; Judy Hucka, a former Seattle Times writer and UW journalism teacher who now runs an online health publication called ³On Health²; Joanne Querin-André who worked with Weckworth in circulation at the Outlook and now works for the Vancouver Columbian; and Seattle Press publisher Tom Herriman, who published Weckworthıs column before her retirement.

A number of History House board members were also present including: horticulturist and Green Lake resident Bob Leitner and his wife Toni; St. Maryıs Food Bank volunteers Dick and Rita Selin; Peggy Ganson and others.

Singer-songwriter Lei-llah and her husband, Horton Smith, a descendant of Seattle pioneer Dexter Horton, came bearing gifts for History House: a ceramic teapot and soap dispenser of the famous 1920s cartoon character ³Fremont² that they had picked up while on a trip to New York City.

State Rep. Helen Sommers of Seattleıs 36th Legislative District came early to view the exhibits. King County Councilman Larry Phillips wrote down in the guest book that he lives in the ³Center of the Universe² ‹ the nickname for Fremont.

The event was also an opportunity to commemorate 100 years of the Woodland Park Zoo and its volunteers. Marty Bluewater accepted the honor on the zooıs behalf and thanked Burke for her generous support of the zoo, and added ³especially for supporting the trolley going up to the zoo...²

³...Even if it has to be a monorail,² winked Burke.