Local history from Bellingham, WA | BellinghamHerald.com

Local History

Milestones: Fortress of memories: Bellingham Armory ripe for redevelopment

Available for development: 60,000-square-foot fortress. Nearly 100 years old; needs work. Call Western Washington University.

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LOCAL HISTORY

Milestones: Former fire station holds history of Bellingham

An old map of Bellingham stands behind a movable wall at Firehouse Performing Arts Center, and you can see it if you take off your shoes and if no one is dancing, acting or singing in the performance space.

1546 days ago
LOCAL HISTORY

Beneath the city of Bellingham lie the memories of coal mines

For more than 30 years, the men and horses of the Bellingham Coal Mines toiled beneath the city, using dynamite and muscle power to carve a labyrinth of passageways through a thick coal seam. Over their heads was a ceiling of crumbly slate rock, held up— if all went well— by log timbers...

1546 days ago
LOCAL HISTORY

Milestones: Residents share their armory memories

For some people, the old Bellingham Armory on North State Street brings back memories of military service. For others, it’s memories of dancing, listening to music, watching professional wrestling, or roller-skating with friends and maybe stealing a kiss afterward. Here are a few stories.

1554 days ago
LOCAL HISTORY

Rome Grange celebrates its 100th year

Rome Grange wasn’t quite built in a day, but it has lasted nearly a century.

1567 days ago
LOCAL HISTORY

Grandfather's bronzes grace Northwest

Seeing how the spirit of Lori Smiley’s grandfather fills her house, it’s apt that some people think angels are on her side as she explores his life and art.

1651 days ago
LOCAL HISTORY

Bellingham slowly regaining diversity

Bellingham's population was whiter in 1980 than 77 years earlier, when Fairhaven and Whatcom merged to form the city.

1656 days ago
LOCAL HISTORY

Early Asian workers faced mob violence

In 1885, local civic leaders waged a successful campaign to drive Chinese residents out of town, and celebrated their going with a torchlight parade.

1656 days ago
LOCAL HISTORY

Hispanics came for work, stayed to build futures

The history of non-Indians in the Pacific Northwest is rich with Spanish explorers, fishers, cowboys and others.

1656 days ago
LOCAL HISTORY

Few blacks settled in Whatcom County

Western Washington University had one other black professor in 1961 when Thaddeus Spratlen came to teach there. He was surprised to hear that the 1960 census reported 22 black residents in all of Bellingham.

1656 days ago
LOCAL HISTORY

Milestones: City sports developed home-grown base

While the geography of Whatcom County has helped amateur athletics thrive, with skiing, biking and water sports putting the area on the map, there's also been plenty of professional sports. Some of the legendary figures in Pacific Northwest athletics made their name in Bellingham — national...

1656 days ago