1907 Wedding Portrait of the Pearson Family. Photographer: John T. Wagness

D. O. Pearson House, Stanwood
(National Register of Historic Places).
The D. O. Pearson House was the home of the first mayor of Stanwood. He arrived in the area when it was still called Centreville and established the town’s first general store in 1877. As Postmaster, he renamed the town Stanwood for his wife, Clara. Stanwood was her maiden name. The house was built in 1890. It was placed on the National and State Registers of Historic Places in 1973. It is a three-story Second Empire Victorian Home with a mansard roof and roof cresting (or widow’s walk) and is open as a Period House Museum. The story is told in this article (pdf 4 mb) about the history of the D. O. Pearson House.

Little White Church on the Hill – Silvana Washington. Howard Hansen, Photographer, circa 1960-1980

Little White Church on the Hill,
Silvana, Washington
(Washington State Register of Historic Places, 1972)
The building was completed in 1890 with funds raised by the ladies aid of the congregation which formed about 1882-1884 The church is located about 1/2 mile west of Silvana on Pioneer Highway (just over the bridge) overlooking the scenic Stillaguamish River Valley. For more information

Toftezen Memorial,
Lutheran Cemetery
Pioneer Highway, Stanwood.
Martin Zacharias Toftezon (Taftezon) Washington’s first Norwegian settler arrived on Whidbey Island in 1849. Members of his family followed and settled near Hatt Slough (on the Stillaguamish River.)

Hevly Cash Store at Florence, Washington circa 1910. Florence was one of the earliest towns on the Stillaguamish River in Snohomish County. It was platted in 1866 and actively competed with Stanwood (downriver) as a commercial center until the Great Northern Railroad bypassed it and the steamboats could no longer make it up the river. There are only a few residences left it the area and one section of the original store.

Utsalady Ladies Aid Building

Utsalady Ladies Aid Building
The Utsalady Ladies Aid Building was built in 1923. Utsalady is on the northern shoreline of Camano Island in Puget Sound, the site of an early mill. It was and continues to be an important symbolic place as the heart of this small community on Camano Island in Washington State. In 1999 it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Camano Pioneer Cemetery,
Located on Hwy 532 at Terry’s Corner Camano Island, Washington

Historic Cama Beach Resort Cabins

Cama Beach State Park (formerly Cama Beach Resort)
The cabins in the photograph on the right were originally part of the Cama Beach Resort which now the Cama Beach State Park. This large Camano Island resort opened in 1934 and closed officially in 1989. Washington State Parks purchased it in the early 1990’s and it is now being developed as a new State Park. It celebrated its official opening as a State Park on June 21st 2008. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Camano Lutheran Church, Camano Island
Washington State Register of Historic Places
The Camano Lutheran Church was established in 1890 in Utsalady. In 1895, the congregation held services in the Livingston Bay school which was located across the road. That school was bought and moved on site and now is the Pioneer Hall. Construction of this church building began in 1904 and was dedicated July 9, 1906. There is a small plaque near the front door of the old church (east entrance) noting that it is on the State Register of Historic Places.

Mabana Schoolhouse (private residence – no tours)

Now a private residence, this schoolhouse is now on the Washington Heritage Register.

Camano City schoolhouse appears in the distance on the left on the top of the hill.

Camano City Schoolhouse,
Camano Island, WA
Washington State Register of Historic Places

The traditional white schoolhouse building on the left is now known as the Camano City Community Hall. It overlooks Saratoga Passage on the western shoreline of Camano Island where there once was a shingle mill, store, hotel and a short logging railroad. It was built as the “Camano City” School about 1906. The local lumber company operating in the area at the time, Camano Land and Lumber, deeded it to the Former Island County School Dist #18 in 1911 for $1.00.
The only historic photograph we know of as of today is the one below. We are seeking additional historic photographs of the schoolhouse and any information.  You can read more about the preservation of the schoolhouse at the Foundation website.

The Kristoferson Barns, Camano Island,
Washington Heritage Barn Register.
The hay barn in the foreground was built about 1914 and the newer addition was made in 1938. The barns are located on the Kristoferson Farm established about 1912. The family owned the Kristoferson Dairy in Seattle and the Camano farm was managed throughout the years primarily by caretakers. Recently family has taken over the farm again after many years most recently as an alpaca farm. They are restoring the creek, replanting native shrubs and growing organic hay.

Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center
formerily the Stanwood Fraternal International Order of Odd Fellows Public Hall (IOOF), Stanwood,
Stanwood, WA
(National Register of Historic Places)
Built in 1903, this sturdy timber structure has survived many years to host music, arts and cultural and family events as it once did in the early part of the 20th century. It was completely rehabilitated in order to be preserved.  Though not an exact replica, many of the original features were kept and an addition with a kitchen and storage added to make it usable for community and family events in the 21st century.
After checking out the audio and video tours for this years Stanwood and Camano Island Historic Sites Tour, read on below about other building histories – a working list telling our community history through local places.