Category Archives: Historic Houses

Stanwood’s Namesake

Womens History Month is the same month as the birthday of Stanwood’s Namesake, Clara Stanwood, March 18th.

Clara Stanwood Pearson, Namesake for the town of Stanwood,Washington.

Clara J. Stanwood Pearson was born in Lowell, Massachusetts March 18th, 1849. In 1868 the came to the Puget Sound by way of the Isthmus of Panama, when she was 19 years of age. She joined the Pearson Family in Coupeville and on the June 3rd, 1868 she was married D. O. Pearson. In 1877 the young couple and their children moved to Stanwood then known as Centerville. He established a mercantile and had a wharf built on the shallow mouth of the Stillaguamish River. After living on the waterfront for sixteen years they moved north to their home on Market Street, now the Pearson House Museum.

Her children attended a small school on the waterfront but in 1892 she lobbied for a new school among other social needs. To learn more, click the photograph below and read more.

West End Walking Tours 2025

The tours were held JULY 26, 2025 and the weather was great for the tours. We hope to continue to provide more. Volunteers Welcome!

Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center 2025

Meet at the historic 1902 Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center to begin the walking tour. Wear sturdy shoes and prepare to walk the sidewalks along Market and Main Street. Hear about how pioneer families settled along of the Stillaguamish River, logging, fishing, farming and building businesses.

Sons of Norway Hall 2018.

Hamilton Park along the river

The tour will take you through the west end of town that was settled before the Railroad came through in 1891. It will begin at the Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center built in 1902 and proceed through the streets and towards Hamilton Park.

Among the many buildings the tours will feature are the Sons of Norway Hall, the Masonic Hall (also open later in the day) the Folly Theater now a new bookstore. the S. A. Thompson home which is the Stanwood House, now an art gallery.

Hamilton Park is the newest park in town located under the Hamilton Stack that was once part of one of the two large lumber mills in Stanwood along the waterfront. This one of the few areas where you can see the waterfront and imagine it was for Indians and for new settlers.

After the tour, visit the museum exhibits in the Eldridge Center, Pearson House and the Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center and learn more about the history of Stanwood, Stillaguamish River and surrounding area.

Following the tours will be a book signing event from Noon until 4 pm for the new Stanwood book that will be available along with all of our publications.
The Museum exhibits in the D. O. Pearson House, the Eldridge Center and the Floyd 3rd Floor will will be open 11 – 4 pm Saturday afternoon.

Stanwood and Camano Island Historic Sites Summer Tour, 2025

Join us for the all new summer tour of
Stanwood and Camano Island Historic
Places & Events

July 26th there will be two special walking tours of Stanwood’s historic west end.
Meet up at the Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center for tour #1 at 9 am and tour #2 at 11 am.

Along with that will be a book signing event from Noon until 4 pm for the new Stanwood book that will be available as well as all of our publications. The museum exhibits will be open regular hours 1- 4 pm Saturday afternoon.

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[Please note, the Stanwood Home Tour scheduled for September 6th is cancelled.]

Historic Homes Tour – Thank You

Thank you to all of those who participated in our Historic Homes Tour! It was a very successful event honoring the preservation of our older homes as they were originally designed.

Thank you to our sponsors

Windermere Real Estate
SAAL Brewery
Sollid Real Estate

Thanks also to Chicago Title & Escrow for their “in kind” support and research done by Quinn Marrs under the direction of Don Graham.

And to Camano Commons

Historic Sites Tour 2022

www.historicsitestour.org
CARS AND QUILTS
AUGUST 26 & 27
New this year is the “In person tour”, antique cars and quilts will be at multiple locations to help tell the stories.

Thanks to Humanities Washington for an Opportunity Grant to support this event and Camano Island Chamber of Commerce, SAAL Brewing Coastal Community Bank and the many donations dropped off in our previous tours!
The Stanwood Area Historical Society is planning a program featuring Richard Hanks “The Men Who Built the Floyd: Stanwood’s Historic Public Hall“.
All the buildings will be open
12 noon -4 pm Friday, August 26th,
10am to 4pm on Saturday, August 27th.

D. O. Pearson’s gardens

Flaval Pearson, daughter of Fred Pearson, granddaughter of D. O. Pearson in their garden north of the FNCC. 2004.79.01

Our recent clearance of the lot on 102nd Ave just north of the Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center has opened up a large city lot that apparently had been empty until 1971 when the house was built. Just by chance we happened to discover these two photographs in our collection and some notes that show this garden on lot in the 1920s – 40s.

Apparently D. O. Pearson and perhaps his son Fred, used this lot as a garden. Here are two photograph of his Fred’s daughers, Claire and Flaval in the garden.

The snapshots were donated by Claire Payne in one of her visits to the Pearson House from her home in Spokane. The lower photograph is her sister Flaval who became the Anacortes librarian in 1939.

1948 cropped aerial photograph of the gardens north of the FNCC (former I.O.O.F. Hall ) Photographer: J. Boyd Ellis. By 1948 the roofline of the FNCC is no longer peaked. The house in the top right photograph was moved one lot north of the gardens in 1976.