“Ah ha, do you remember when the Testy Chef was Mondell Merlini’s Valley Sport Shop?” Someone responds, “You mean Doris’ Snack Bar?” These restaurant names lay on the ground before them, all engraved in walking stones.
“Hey look, they lived on the farm next to us,” and “Oh good grief, I’d forgotten all about that Tahoma history teacher.” The comments were predictable, the names memorable, and the reminiscing triggers went on and on and on.
Strolling beside Maple Valley Historical Society’s “Memory Walkway” is fulfilling, like a history book can be. But this days carousing is triggered by a path that duplicates the surface of a waffle, a metaphor for memory – ups and downs and gaps.
About 50 Maple Valley residents and Tahoma District attendees and alumni gathered on a day when temperatures climbed past 80 degrees for the Maple Valley Historical Society’s unveiling of new memorial tiles for their Memory Walkway. In addition, an All School Alumni Picnic served up icy drinks while groups in the Fire Engine Museum browsed through yearbooks, scrapbooks and other historical displays.
Stepping stone tiles come in two sizes: 4×8” and 8×8” with a price range of $65 to $85. Messages on the tiles can consist of three lines of type with 20 letters and spaces per line. Tiles need to be ordered in groups of at least four to avoid extra charges; therefore, there could be a waiting period for four orders to accumulate. However, a special rush job of one tile is possible for an additional $20.
The stones contribute to one’s knowledge of history around Black Diamond, Hobart, Ravensdale and Maple Valley. They highlight homesteaders, stores, restaurants, newspapers, teachers, pioneers, coal mines, land developers, graduating classes, family members, farms … and the list goes on. One family stone that touches the heart with shared emotion reads: “Anton J. Seppi (Tony), 1897-1982, He Loved the Valley.” Funds generated from sale of the walkway memorial tiles originally helped with setting up and restoring the Gibbon/Mezzavilla Store (1894) as a museum. The stone contributions are maintained separately from the MVHS general fund and are intended to aid future construction of a new museum building.
The memorial tile walkway is located next to the Maple Valley Historical Society’s museums at 22012 SE 248th St. The store museum incorporates Maple Valley Post Office history. The Fire Engine Museum is on the same lot. All museums are open the first Saturday of each month from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm or by appointment. That includes the 1920’s Maple Valley School museum at 23015 SE 216th Way in lower Maple Valley. That three-story brick building is Maple Valley’s first museum. It houses the main photo collection of the Society as well as the primary Society offices. There is a room almost solely dedicated to the history of the Tahoma School District, one depicting the industry that was in the area, and a third room showing the everyday living of early pioneers.
President of Maple Valley Historical Society is Dick Peacock, a 1964 THS grad. He and other senior-age volunteers are now strongly encouraging a younger and wider range of Maple Valley residents to participate in history restoration. His personal family memory stone documents local history: “Peacock Family, Hobart Pioneers, Established in 1887”.
Historical Society volunteers assist in cataloging and data entry, editing and writing for publications, hosting at free public programs up to five times a year, and offering hands-on help in organizing and displaying memorabilia. Those interested in showcasing the history of the Greater Maple Valley area have three contacts: Peacock at 206-940-6943; vice president Dan Nicholas at 206-909-1342; or via email info@maplevalleyhistorica.com. The main goal of MVHS is to teach the history of the Greater Maple Valley area, provide a means for people to do research on their heritage, and to showcase the history of the area through maintaining all three museums with displays of the past.
