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Historical Presence

Submitted by OlympiaHistory on Mon, 05/22/2006 - 7:10pm.

Welcome to the Olympia Historical Society's brand new blog! We hope those of you with questions, comments, or concerns about local history and heritage will use this space to make us justify our existence! We often learn as much answering questions as we do pursuing our own research, so ask away!

OlympiaHistory's blog
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Welcome!

Submitted by stevenl on Mon, 05/22/2006 - 7:54pm.

Wonderful to see you here! I hope in addition to answering questions you will contribute articles as well. As you can see by clicking on the "Books and Comix" tag, Rick included a "South Sound Stories" section devoted to Olympia area history. So you have an interested audience.

Yay for History!

Submitted by Sarah on Mon, 05/22/2006 - 8:32pm.

I second that welcome, definitely.

I myself have endless questions, the first one on my mind is if you all can unearth more information on the KKK in Olympia in the 1920s, or on any other related group in our history.

I found an intriguing lead in Rebecca Christie's Workingman's Hill, from Gordon R. Newell's Rogues, Buffoons, & Statesmen: In 1924 a "local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan had received its charter from the national headquarters in Atlanta and.....the Olympia sheet-wearers made their presence known by constructing a 100 by 50 foot cross of old auto tires on the hillside above Deschutes waterway and setting it afire, while shooting off parachute bombs with American flags.".

KKK etc.

Submitted by OlympiaHistory on Mon, 05/22/2006 - 9:10pm.

Thanks all for the warm welcome. Regarding the KKK in Olympia, I'm not aware that any serious research exists on the group locally. White supremicist and other nativist/xenophobic groups pop-up throughout Northwest history, especially since the late Nineteenth Century when railroads brought influxes of recent immigrants to work in new industries. By the 1920s, the Klan made a comeback after the popularity of DW Griffith's film, "Birth of a Nation" spurred interest in the group. Members of the revived Klan often presented themeselves as just another civic organization, even sponsoring parade floats in community celebrations at Bellingham and elsewhere. Due to the small population of Blacks, Northwest chapters primarily targetted cross-burnings and other intimidating displays at recent immigrants, especially Catholics and Jews. More research definitely needs to be done here.

The Klan

Submitted by stevenl on Mon, 05/22/2006 - 10:35pm.

My grandmother (born in Centralia in 1891) mentioned to me more than once how she watched, in horror, the Klan marching in Olympia in the 1920s like they were just another civic group when in fact she knew they were really a bunch of hate-filled bigots masquerading as patriots. I have always maintained they wear pointy cowls to match the contour of the typical Klan cranium-- pointy! Like a PINHEAD CIRCUS FREAK!!

Later in the early 1970s, the Vietnam War had become so unpopular that the draft was stopped (I was Number 68 on the lottery, but just missed out), and new recruits were given a nudge from the judge. If you were a teenage male, and you got in trouble, the Judge would give you a choice, "Son, you can serve time or serve your country." One of these poor young sods, (he chose the Army) who was picked on in high school, came back a loyal member of the Klan.

According to him, the base was in Lewis County (big surprise). At that pre-Internet time, the local Klan kept up with each other by CB radio. To back up what OlynmpiaHistory says, the Klan at that time (late 1970s) seemed to target Catholics more than any other group. That was still true up until then 1970s, according to my former high school classmate.

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