The Bellingham house that once was home to Frances Axtell, a leading female political figure in the early 1900s, has been added to the state list of historic places and might be added to the national list, too.
"I'm absolutely thrilled by the news," said Thelma Follett of Bellingham, who researched the history of Axtell and the house at 413 E. Maple St. for the state application that was approved Thursday, Nov. 3. "It's important for Bellingham; it's important for Axtell."
Follett was helped in the effort by Axtell's grandson in California, Bill Hussey, and by the current owner of the building, Bellingham attorney Patrick Gallery.
A political progressive, Axtell was one of the first two women elected to the Washington Legislature, in 1912, and was the first woman appointed by a president to a federal commission, the U.S. Employees Compensation Commission, in 1917.
She nearly became one of the first women elected to Congress, in 1916, but she lost her House race by just 3,000 votes.
It could take about two months for the National Park Service to decide whether the house should be added to the National Register of Historic Places, said Michael Houser, the aptly named architectural historian with the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.
There are potential tax benefits for properties listed on the state and national registers. More important, Follett said, is that details about Axtell's life and civic contributions will be readily available to people who search those listings. She also hopes a plaque honoring Axtell can be installed at the house.
"The whole idea is to raise the public profile, celebrate the history," she said.
Follett was a founder of the Little Swan Theatre in downtown Bellingham, where shows and re-enactments based upon local history were sometimes presented. Through that, Follett became familiar with Axtell's life, and began thinking about winning historic status for the house.
Born in 1866 on an Illinois farm, Frances Cleveland - she was a cousin of President Grover Cleveland - earned a doctorate in an era when most women didn't attend college. She and her husband, William Axtell, a doctor, moved to the Bellingham area in 1894.
They built the house on Maple Street in 1902 and lived there for many years. The house was divided into eight apartments in 1926, shortly before her husband's death. Axtell continued to live there until the early '40s, when she moved to Seattle to care for her ailing daughter. Axtell died there in 1953 at the age of 86.
Known for her courage and her sense of humor, Axtell was an advocate for women's issues, economic development, a minimum wage and three progressive favorites - initiatives, referenda and recalls. She was considered hard-working and independent.
"She's important at the local, state and national level," Follett said.
