John Baima stands on the porch of Newcastle House #75, in this May 1983 photo by Vic Condiotty. This little house, long associated with the Baima family, still stands on S.E. 71st Street in Old Newcastle.
It is the last surviving company dwelling from the early coal mining era. Pacific Coast Company House #75 is a typical one-story miner’s cottage. It was built in the 1870s by a miner who paid ground rent to the Seattle Coal Company. By 1876 the town of Newcastle had 100 such homes. During the labor strife of 1891, the house was occupied by black miners, brought in by the Oregon Improvement Co. to lower wages.
Later acquired by Pacific Coast Coal, the house was rented to Italian immigrants, Adriena and Barney Baima in 1906. Two of their five sons were born in the small east bedroom. Following Barney’s death in 1916, his widow Adriena bought the house for $400, continuing to live there until her death in 1953. One of her sons, Adolf stayed on until his death in 1977.
A family dispute led to the home being sold at auction where it was purchased by neighbors, Gary and Pam Lee who restored the dwelling. The home was granted Landmark designation in 1983 and is now on the National Historic Register. It may be one of oldest buildings in King County still standing on its original site. This photo comes courtesy of JoAnne Matsumura, an Issaquah researcher.
