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Sylvester Park

Sylvester Park
Circa 1899, featuring bandstand and sprinkler
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Map
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Interactive map of Park location
Location615 Washington St SE, Olympia, Washington 98501
Coordinates47°02′34″N 122°54′03″W / 47.04287°N 122.90077°W / 47.04287; -122.90077
Area1.57 acres (0.64 ha)
Built1850
Architectural styleNew England style
NRHP reference No.87000868
Added to NRHPJune 17, 1987

Sylvester Park is a historic city park in downtown Olympia, Washington[1] listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2] It was donated for public use by Edmund Sylvester in 1850 and was later under the jurisdiction of the state government from 1905 to 1955. Between c. 1901 – c. 1927, the park was known as Capitol Plaza.[3]

History

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President Roosevelt delivering a speech, May 1903

Edmund Sylvester donated the land (block 16 on the city's original plat) for public use to the city in 1850.[3] The lot remained undeveloped for several years before being cleared and fortified with a blockhouse.[4]

During the Puget Sound War, the park was occupied by Olympia residents fleeing the conflict.[5] In 1855, William White was killed[6] by Wa-Le-Hut (Yelm Jim)[7] which alarmed several hundred residents. Sometime in October-November,[8] a 15 feet (4.6 m) high blockade was built along 4th Avenue (now Legion Way SE), bay-to-bay with a gate at Main Street, a cannon[9] and nightly armed patrols secured residents,[10] expecting to shelter north of the blockade; however, no attack actually took place.[11]

In 1893, a year after the Old Capitol Building across the street was completed,[12] the park was officially landscaped with a Victorian bandstand, a pond stocked with fish, maple and beech trees, and clamshell-surfaced walking paths. The park block was surrounded with a decorative iron fence.[3]

On May 22, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt delivered a 40 minute speech to a crowd of thousands at the park.[13][14]

The bandstand was demolished in 1928 and the pond was filled in some time after World War II.[3]

In 1955, the legislature passed an act to retract Olympia's proprietary rights to the park, to build an underground parking garage on the site. The city enacted a protective ordinance to preserve the park through a vote the same year.[15]

The current gazebo was constructed in 1975 and is approximately 472 feet (144 m) in size.[16]

Markers

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The park contains several historic markers:[17]

List of Historic Markers in Sylvester Park, Olympia, WA.
Marker Dedicated Description Image
John Rogers Statue January 19, 1905[18] A granite statue of Governor John Rankin Rogers at the east central side of the park.
Women's Christian Temperance Union Emma Page Fountain July 29, 1912;[3] re-dedicated in 2000 after repairs to 1997 vandalism[19][unreliable source?] A drinking water fountain in honor of Emma Page.
Oregon Trail Marker February 22, 1913[20][21] A native granite boulder at the northwest corner of the park, bearing bronze plaque marking the end of the Oregon Trail.

Donated by the Sacajawea Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) of Olympia.[22]

Edmund Sylvester Marker A bench in honor of Edmund Sylvester.
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  • Looking Northwest, circa 1899.
    Looking Northwest, circa 1899.
  • Looking west from the Old State Capitol building, circa 1895-1904.
    Looking west from the Old State Capitol building, circa 1895-1904.
  • Standing on the edge of pond, circa 1910.
    Standing on the edge of pond, circa 1910.

See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sylvester Park.

References

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  1. ^ "Sylvester Park". Washington State Department of Enterprise Services (DES). Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  2. ^ "Historic Property Inventory Report". National Park Service. June 17, 1987. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e Thurston Regional Planning Council (July 27, 2004), National Register of Historic Places Registration: Olympia Downtown Historic District NRHP application, City of Olympia, OMS 1024-0018, retrieved June 17, 2025
  4. ^ Crooks, Drew (January 26, 2014). "Sylvester's Legacy to Olympia". ThurstonTalk. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  5. ^ "Sylvester Park". Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum. March 2, 2025. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  6. ^ Museum, Lacey (April 4, 2016). "The Story of Lacey: From Community to City, Part 1, 1848-1891". ThurstonTalk. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  7. ^ "Early Residents – W". Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum. March 2, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
  8. ^ Humanities, National Endowment for the (November 9, 1855). "Pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory [Wash.]) 1854-1861, November 09, 1855, Image 2". ISSN 2767-6757. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  9. ^ Blankenship, George E. (1923). Lights and shades of pioneer life on Puget Sound. Olympia, Washington: [s.n.] p. 19.
  10. ^ F. H. Turple (March 1909). The Coast - An illustrated monthly of the West. Vol. 17. Seattle: The Coast Publishing Co. p. 188. Retrieved June 16, 2025 – via HathiTrust.
  11. ^ J C Rathbun (1895), History of Thurston County, Washington from 1845 to 1895, p. 32, retrieved June 19, 2025
  12. ^ "Old Capitol Building". Washington State Capitol Campus. Retrieved June 18, 2025.
  13. ^ Address of President Roosevelt at Olympia, Washington, May 22, 1903. Theodore Roosevelt Papers. Library of Congress Manuscript Division. https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/Research/Digital-Library/Record?libID=o289904. Theodore Roosevelt Digital Library. Dickinson State University.
  14. ^ O'Connell, Emmett (June 21, 2016). "History of 4 Presidential Visits to Olympia". ThurstonTalk. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  15. ^ "Mid-Twentieth Century Olympia: A Context Statement on Local History and Modern Architecture, 1945-1975" (PDF). Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. April 2008. p. 52.
  16. ^ Drew, Steven J. "Thurston County Property Inquiry SPL, Parcel #78501600000". Office of the Assessor, Thurston County. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  17. ^ "Stevenson: Thurston County Markers". Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  18. ^ Dougherty, Phil (April 9, 2024). "Statue of Governor John Rogers is dedicated in Capitol Park in Olympia on January 19, 1905". HistoryLink. Retrieved June 14, 2025.
  19. ^ Crooks, Jennifer (January 5, 2015). "A Woman With Heart: Emma Page and Animal Rights". ThurstonTalk. Retrieved June 15, 2025.
  20. ^ "Dedication end of the Oregon Trail Marker". Washington State Historical Society. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  21. ^ "Washington State Historical Society publications. Volume II (1907-1914)". Oregon State University. Olympia, WA: Frank M. Lamborn. 1915. p. 318. Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  22. ^ "Marking the End of the Oregon Trail 1844". National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR). Retrieved June 14, 2025.