Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Prescott native Mary Grant Tompkins will be on site to share history of the two towns
WAITSBURG – The Bruce House Museum and adjoining Wilson-Phillips House, which features revolving displays, will be open to the public following the Waitsburg Celebration Days parade on Sat. May 19. Waitsburg Historical Society member, Mary Phillips, has been hard at work organizing a new display in the Wilson-Phillips House, featuring the history of the towns of Prescott and Lamar.
Prescott native Mary Grant Tompkins, who donated several items in the display, will be on site at the museum to share her extensive knowledge of the area. Tompkins' great-great grandfather was a Pettyjohn, and one of the first Prescott pioneers, Phillips said.
The mission of the Waitsburg Historical Society is "the preservation of the Valley of the Touchet River and the memorabilia thereto." The Valley of the Touchet River extends to the Lamar Station, west of Prescott, in Walla Walla County.
Lamar, which is located on the Touchet River, about six miles west of Prescott was originally named Riverside. The name was changed by the Northern Pacific Railway in 1902. At one time, the tiny town had about 60 families, a hotel, post office, school, mercantile, depot, restaurant, Acme flour mill, insurance broker and livery stable. The town businesses slowly disappeared, with the Post Office closing in 1916.
The Lamar Cabin, built in 1863 by George Dudley Goodwin, and later purchased by James and Joseph Lamar is still on site. The cabin is located at on SR124, one mile west of Harvey Shaw Road intersection, not far from the north bank of the river.
Prescott was named in 1881 after C. H. Prescott, the general superintendent of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company, after he designated it the location for the railway's division shops. The Prescott Post Office has been in operation since 1881, though the town was not officially incorporated until 1903.
Though the current population remains at roughly 300, the town was once bustling, with six churches and a flour mill.
The Wilson-Phillips House display includes books and photos from the Pettyjohn school, Prescott High School Tigers memorabilia, photos of historic homes, and the Prescott jail, which has since been moved to the Fort Walla Walla Museum. Other items on display include a photo of the homestead Waitsburg long-timer Jack McCaw was raised in, and high school awards from the 1940's, honoring McCaw for "Scholarship" and as an "Outstanding Ag Student."
Waitsburg Celebration Days attendees will want to be sure and take in this display, as well as the many other displays featured at the museum complex. Vendors will be on the complex lawn selling their crafts and wares through the afternoon.
The Bruce Mansion Museum Complex will be open Saturday following the parade. Through the summer, the museum will be open daily from 9 a.m. -5 p.m., by appointment, for docent-led visits. To book a visit, call (509) 337-6157 or (509) 337-3009, text (713) 252-1196, or email whstour@gmail.com. A docent will be available to meet visitors at the entrance of the Bruce House Museum within 15 minutes.
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