About The School on the Hill: the History and Archaeology of Grace Seminary
Presented by David Ellis, principal
archaeologist, Willamette Cultural Resources Associates
In the summer of
2017, construction for a new parking area at the Centralia Armory began
encountering a variety of glass and ceramic artifacts. Recognizing the
potential importance of the discovery, the construction was halted and the Washington
Military Department contracted with Willamette Cultural Resources Associates to
conduct systematic archaeological excavations at the location of the discovery.
In addition to the excavations, we undertook extensive research on the history
of current Armory area.
Seminary Hill is
named for Grace Seminary, a Baptist school constructed on the hill 1889-1890.
George and Jane Washington, the founders of Centralia, were instrumental in
establishing Grace Seminary. Although developed by a Baptist organization, the
school focused in art and music classes. Financial problems soon took their
toll and the school closed in 1893-1894. The building sat vacant until 1905,
when it was purchased by a local doctor and transformed into Centralia General
Hospital, the city’s first hospital. The hospital operated for just 14 years
before it closed. The Seminary building remained vacant until it was demolished
in the early 1930s. The current Armory was constructed in the late 1930s.
The archaeological
excavations recovered an extensive array of glass and ceramic artifacts
associated with the Seminary and the hospital. Unfortunately, many of the items
were badly fragmented and could be definitively associated with either the
Seminary or hospital. A few artifacts could be identified as educational in
function and therefore likely to be from the Seminary. More artifacts were
clearly for medical use, and we encountered one small refuse pit full of
hospital debris. Nonetheless, our fieldwork and research has offered glimpses into
these important contributions to Centralia’s history.
About the Speaker:
David Ellis is
principal archaeologist with Willamette Cultural Resources Associates in
Portland. He has directed archaeological projects throughout the Pacific
Northwest for over 40 years, from a 4,500-year-old prehistoric site on the
Cowlitz River, to a 19th-century Chinese laundry in downtown
Portland. David directed the excavations at the Seminary site and led the
historical research.