Area History
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Olympia has been the Capitol of the Territory and State of Washington since 1853. The Capitol Campus is situated on 12 acres of grounds designed by the famous Olmsted Brothers and with a sweeping view of the city and Puget Sound, it remains one the loveliest capitol settings in the United States. The grand centerpiece of the campus is the soaring Legislative Building (1928), a monumental landmark of columns and hand-carved friezes. Six cast-bronze doors weighing five tons apiece, each one bearing a different scene from Washington's past, open into a sumptuous world of polished marble and plaster ceilings.

Majestically looming over Sylvester Park in downtown Olympia is the Romanesque style "Old Capitol" building. Built in 1892, as the county courthouse, it was originally topped by eight turrets and a central clock tower; unfortunately natural disasters destroyed these architectural features. It remains an impressive landmark for the city and visitors can step inside during public business hours. This building is part of the 12 square block area of downtown, which was designated as a National Register Historic District in 2004.

In a world that is increasingly mobile, it's a breath of fresh air to come upon a place that connects the generations in one location; you'll find just that in the historic Bigelow House Museum in Olympia. This Carpenter-Gothic style house, one of the oldest homes in the state, was, until recently, home to four successive generations of the pioneer Bigelow Family. Visitors will enjoy the museum's original heirlooms, furnishings and family handiwork.

A more opulent home built in Olympia is the Lord Mansion, gifted to the state in 1939 and now serving as the Washington State Capital Museum. With its arched, formal entry and majestic staircase, this museum preserves the history of Washington State.

"Site of the First American Pioneer Settlement in Washington - 1845." The words inscribed at the base of this stylized representation of a northwest coast totem pole in Tumwater symbolize the influence of Native American culture on the region. The 1938 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Provided by the Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater Visitor & Convention Bureau "


FAST FACTS
  1850
      First Post Office in Washington at Olympia
  1851       First Port of Entry on Puget Sound
  1852       First newspaper in Washington Territory "The Columbian"
      First public school in Washington at Olympia
      First Masonic Lodge in Washington at Olympia
  1853       First Territorial Capital
  1854       First Legislative Assembly in Washington Territory at the Parker and Colter Store
  1859       First Washington Fire Department "Alert Hook and Ladder Company"


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