February 2024

Happenings

The last month was full of exciting developments at the Olympia Tumwater Foundation! Read on to learn more.

Patrons of the Park

These puppy patrons are named Beemo (left) and Kona (right)! The Maltipoo and German Shepherd mix make monthly trips down to Brewery Park to enjoy the sights and smells of Tumwater Falls. Beemo is the youngest at 2 years old, and is the granddog who gets to tag along occasionally, while Kona is 13! Their favorite season to visit the park is summer. We don't blame them, we prefer the warm weather too!

Submit Your Photos For Inclusion in the Brewery Park Photobook

You’re invited to enter your favorite photos of the park for not only a chance to have your photos included in the book, but to also win some incredible prizes!

This 11″ x 8″ book will showcase the unique beauty of Tumwater Falls through each season. We know how much this park means to the community and want to include its patrons in the development of this project! Once published, the photobook will be added to the OTF giftshop where all proceeds will benefit Brewery Park's maintenance and improvement fund!

Make a Contribution

We need your help to support our programs!

Your gift ensures our ability to sustain all of our charitable programs. The care and improvement of Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls, our Education Program, and our continued care of the historic Schmidt House and its History Program all depend on contributions from generous community members and supporters.

Come Tour the Schmidt House

The next tour of the Schmidt House is scheduled for February 20th at 11am-12:30pm.

Join us for a guided tour of one of Tumwater’s most iconic homes, the Schmidt House, built in 1904 for Leopold Schmidt, founder of the Olympia Brewing Company and his family. Your Tour Guide will take you through four levels of the house from the basement (which houses our archives) to the top floor. Find yourself immersed in the rich history Tumwater has to offer. Doors will open at 10:45am. Please note: The first floor is ADA accessible, but the rest of the house requires climbing stairs.

March's History Talk: Six Degrees of Separation

Held On March 7th



Join us each month for a free hour-long talk on social or natural history, each presented by a recognized expert. All talks will be at noon on a specified Thursday. First come first served until capacity is reached.

What do Kurt Cobain, General Douglas MacArthur, and Close Encounters of the Third Kind have in common? Would you believe . . . Leopold Schmidt? In this lighthearted talk, Karen Johnson, Schmidt House curator, will explain how many famous people and events can be connected to the founder of the Olympia Brewing Company—based on the theory that anyone in the world can be connected to anyone else in six steps or less.

Have You Heard of Cloverfields?

Around 1914, Hazard Stevens established Cloverfields, a large dairy farm on land now occupied by the Olympia High School. The Stevens house, designed by architect Joseph Wohleb, still stands on Carlyon Avenue. 

Want to see more photos like this?

Explore the history of the Tumwater area through vintage photos! In 2020, OTF was awarded a grant from the Thurston County Historic Commission. This grant allowed OTF to digitize over 4,400 images from its collection. We are still actively adding more photos so make sure to check back regularly!