The Baima House Still Stands Newcastle's Hidden Voices Knees
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14 Focus MARCH 20, 2020 MARCH 20, 2020 Focus 15 When Coal Was King A look back at Newport’s Regional History Knees Deep in Coal SHANA HUANG Did you know... Reporter Over 10 Million tons of coal was excavated In 1996, a book titled: The Coals of Newcastle: A Hundred Years of Hidden History was published, detailing the city of from the region Newcastle’s unique history. From 1863 to 1870, Seattle was famous throughout the country for a string of bustling coal mining towns from Bellingham to Carbonado. Included in this line of towns was Newcastle, the most prosperous and advanced town of them all. Founded in 1869, Newcastle was created as a coal-mining town, and the abundance and quality of the coal in Newcastle Coal was the first product shipped out of brought about economic growth for Seattle, a city which had been trying to find other products besides lumber and pilings to bring the fledgling port of seattle income to the port. Phillip H. Lewis, a man from Illinois, described how there were coal outcroppings in the area during 1863, and a team quickly assembled in search of coal, consisting of Lewis himself, Edwin Richardson, a teacher who surveyed school land, and old coal mines can still be found on local Josiah Settle, who served as a tree-cutter. After five weeks of combing through the forest, the group found coal outcroppings along trails near coal creek riverbanks, exciting the new businessmen of Seattle. Once their discovery was made, Edwin Richardson named the brook “Stone Coal Creek,” and thus the name “Coal Creek” was forever cemented in history. According to the Eastside Heritage Center, “coal shaped the Seattle area as significantly as timber,” and while wood products were shipped to Seattle from the area closest to the source, coal was mainly shipped from Elliott Bay in the Central Basin region of the Puget Sound, increasing development in the port of Seattle. Due to the port’s growth from lumber and coal, Seattle became the third largest port in the country by 1910, and railroads and steamship services which arrived in the city were powered by local coal from areas like Newcastle. Image Courtesy of the Newcastle Historical Society In the late 1800s to early 1900s, Newcastle became a landmark for coal mining, drawing in many immigrant workers. The Baima House in Newcastle According to Rich Crispo of the Newcastle Historical Society, Chinese workers arrived in the area in the early 1870s. While most Chinese workers focused on railroad work, some travelled to Newcastle to work for the coal mining company. After many of the men completed work on the railroad extension from Renton to Newcastle, they went to work in the coal mines, sorting coal by size in the bunkers. Driven by the Chinese Exclusion Act, racial tensions broke out in 1885 and one Chinese worker was kidnapped while the rest were driven out of company owned houses as the buildings were burned down. With nowhere to stay, the workers The Baima House Still Stands built huts in a forested area near a creek away from the company camp, and over time, the area was given the name “China Creek.” MIKI KUSUNOSE The City of Newcastle states that during the height of Newcastle’s mining boom, the city had a population even greater than Reporter that of Seattle. Newcastle was one of the most successful coal mining towns in northwestern Washington due to its location among If you drive south on Coal Creek Parkway for seven minutes and take railroad transportation routes, and due to high demand, between 75-100 tons of coal were produced each day in the city during a left towards the Coal Creek YMCA, a small white cottage sits in a green field. 1872. Since Newcastle’s economic growth and liveliness was fostered by the need for coal, many towns in the area which depended The peely white porch and the shingles, spotty with moss, give the tilted roof on coal disappeared when the Pacific Coast Coal Company left the area in 1929. Nonetheless, coal mining in the city continued until a character of rustic antiquity. 1963, and when the last mine closed, more than 11 million tons of coal had been extracted from the area. On a map, 7210 138th Ave. NE, Newcastle is nothing more than an The world has changed immensely since the 1800s, and in the 21st century, Ryan Zhang (10) has noted that “Newcastle ordinary old house. This seemingly ordinary house, however, is the Pacific has grown in the past few years, with apartments now everywhere.” Even so, remnants of the past can still be found in the Coast Coal Company House No. 75, or as the locals call it, the Baima House. Newcastle and Coal Creek area. In the forested trails nearby, hikers may find entrances to old mines, tools and bricks in the Built around 1872, the Baima House is the last standing company streams, and even parts of the old railroad from the late 1800s. So, the next time you go out and about, take a closer look at the house from the coal boom era of early Newcastle. After 150 years, the Baima place you call home; you may just be surprised by what you find. House stands as the last remnant of history that reminds residents of the coal history. It bears the name of the Baima family, an Italian immigrant family who lived in the house. Prior to the Baima family, black strikebreakers were Image Courtesy of the Renton History Museum residents of the home in the 1880’s during worker strikes. Coal Creek miners posing for a photo However, when Company House No. 75 was built in the late 19th century, it was anything but extraordinary. As one of the hundreds of company houses that lined the area, miners would leave in the morning and come back after backbreaking work in the coal mines, working as miners, timbermen, or blacksmiths. Teenage boys as young as 14 worked as greasers, Newcastle’s Hidden Voices carrying buckets of oil to keep the machinery running, all while earning a NING WEI meager $1.85 per day. Reporter After the coal boom died out in the region, the company houses faded Chinese workers came into the area in the 1870’s, primarily to work on the railroads - in 1876 and 1877, more than 300 Chinese workers were employed as they crumbled away in peoples’ memories, and the Pacific Coast Coal in building the railroad extension from Renton into Newcastle. Once the railroad line was completed, many of those men came to work in the coal mines Company moved on to other areas to prospect for coal. The Baima House at Newcastle. They mostly worked in the bunkers at the picking tables, sorting coal by size. They were housed in company-owned buildings until 1885, stayed untouched by this tumultuous change and continue to hold its ground when race issues arose and all of the Chinese occupied housing was burned. The workers, all men, left the camp and built small huts among the trees thanks to restoration efforts by current owners. near a creek away from the camp. There, they planted narrow gardens along the creek bank and coops for chickens and ducks. Over time, the creek To this day, the house tells the story of a home that represents became known as China Creek. only a sliver of the once-prosperous coal economy. Yet, it carries a heavy responsibility to teach the history of the very soil that Newport High School Newcastle was also home to many African-American miners, who came as strikebreakers from the Midwest during the 1890s. When organized miners was built on. Andy Li (11) noted the importance of studying Newport’s went on strikes, the mine management brought in these new miners to serve as replacements and thwart the white labor unions. These strikebreakers regional history: “we should know about the region because we stay on this Image Courtesy of the Newcastle Historical Society were thrown into a tense situation between the mine management and the striking miners. Resentment against the African-American miners were land.” Moreover, local history “makes you feel more connected to the place,” African-American strikebreakers at the Newcastle Lime Kiln Club high, as they were perceived by the striking miners as a threat to their bargaining power and were often subject to harassment. With nowhere else to said Angel Xie (9). turn, many of the African American miners banded together to form fraternal organizations. These clubs provided social contacts and companionship, The Baima House will undoubtedly outlive this generation, and the next, will but also were a safety net in case of tragedy. If a miner was killed or injured in the mine, the fraternal group would help with food, cash donations, and lots of personal help. Pictured to the right is the Lime Kiln club, a social gathering place for the perhaps continue to stand as a quiet reminder of our once booming history. African-American miners. 16 Sports March 20th, 2020 SAT/ACTPREP Get results with our SAT or ACT prep programs Huntington has the best SAT or ACT prep programs for SAVE $100 students seeking improved test WHEN YOU CALL BEFORE 06/30/2020* scores and better college choices. Personalized Attention. Proven Results. 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