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| Mary Olson Farm Auburn, History and Preservation |
The Mary Olson Farm has been called the best preserved historic family farm in King County. It was purchased by Alfred Olson in 1879, and in 1994 the City of Auburn purchased the Farm from his descendents. During those years, the farm and its pristine environment were little changed.
To learn more about the Farm you might read the nomination form for its listing on the National Register of Historic Sites, or continue reading below for a short overview of the Farm’s history and preservation.
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My first view of the Mary Olson Farm was in 1991 when Museum Board member Joe Koch took me on a whirlwind driving tour of the valley looking at his favorite historic sites. We stopped at the Olson family farm and peered in through the gate; it appeared people were living there in a couple of mobile homes.
I remember Joe talking about the place, and the bit of information that stuck with me was that unmarried Olson siblings lived in the farmhouse up until the 1960s or 70s without indoor plumbing or electricity.
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The City of Auburn purchased the Mary Olson Farm in 1994 with King County Conservation Futures funds. It made sense then, as it does now, that we promote heritage education not only within the museum, but outside its walls as well. Since it wasn’t clear at that time what the plans were for this rare site, as the City’s museum director, I volunteered to oversee its care and development. That summer we mothballed the farm; blue tarps covered leaky roofs and five dumpsters of trash were removed. The farm then sat for several years awaiting funds for its restoration and development.
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