Sue Brand is a five-year volunteer at the Ferndale Heritage Society. “Every Saturday was bath day,” she says. “The father got into the tub first, then the mother, the oldest child down to the baby. By that time, you might not to be able to find the baby in all the dirt.” This is where the saying, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water came from.
The Shields family was in danger of losing the baby in the bathwater. Living in a cedar planked home built in 1885 – now known as the Shields House – they had 11 kids and 2 parents. That’s 13 people using the same bathwater once a week.
You can still visit the Shields House today, which is available to walk through during a tour and is fully furnished in a turn of the century style.
If you’ve ever wondered about Pioneer Park, the cedar plank cabins located in Ferndale, just ask a member of The Ferndale Heritage Society. This group of dedicated volunteers spends over 4,000 hours a year keeping the history alive. It’s a cause they feel passionate about.
“One three-year-old girl spent 45 minutes in the Foster house looking at tools and butter churners,” says Tom Brand who has volunteered with his wife Sue for the last five years. The little girl then said, “these are awesome.”
“The responses from kids are great,” says Tom.
In 1901 an organization known as The Old Settlers Association bought four acres of land to preserve the cedar trees and host their annual picnic. Some came all the way from Birch Bay with their wagons and horses. They set up camp in the cedar forest for two or three days of fun, food, debates, storytelling and music. The land is now known as Pioneer Park and the picnic is still going on today. This year marked the 123rd year of The Old Settlers Weekend picnic held in July.
Today 12 cedar cabins stand on the property in Pioneer Park. They have been relocated from various sites all over Whatcom County, many of them donated. They’re relocated by the Old Settlers Association and the Ferndale Heritage Society. Workers number the logs for transportation and recreate the homes piece by piece in their original form on top of concrete pads. Pioneer Park now has the largest collection of cedar cabins in the world, occasionally attracting international visitors.
The cabins illustrate a time when people had amazing skill and strength. In 1895, Mr. Foster built what is now known as the Foster house. The home was constructed from 24-inch-thick, extremely long cedar planks that run vertically along the house. It’s two stories high. Not only did Mr. Foster build this home completely by himself, he was 70 years old at the time. How he accomplished this feat is unknown.
Volunteers for the Heritage Society dedicate thousands of hours to preserving these stories and teaching them to others. Volunteers dress in costume, tell stories and recreate pioneer living for school children who come in buses from as far as Mount Vernon. Kids get to hand dip candles, grind grain and make rolls they can eat before heading back to school.
Sue loves to see “the kids eyes get wide” as they see the candles get bigger and bigger with each dip. They even get to take the candles home as a keepsake.
“Kids need to connect with the past and history,” says Sue. “Generations of people who remember this as kids now bring their kids.”
Louise Sager is one of the Ferndale Heritage Society’s four original founders. She has enough vintage clothing to fill a department store. She has collected pieces from every time period since the late 1800s. “I have 1,500 pioneer dresses, 50-60 wedding dresses; my husband said it was him or the clothes,” Louise recounts. They opted to sell a few acres of land to build a two-story climate-controlled barn closet. Now her husband and her clothes can coexist comfortably. Louise occasionally uses her clothing to put on fashion shows to raise money for the society.
The Ferndale Heritage Society puts on fundraisers to cover the cost of keeping the cedar homes in top shape. The Olde Fashioned Christmas is a special annual, authentic and non-commercial event put on by the Society. Volunteers spend over 800 hours putting up lights, decorating each cabin and preparing homemade cookies, hot chocolate and crafts for kids. It’s a truly magical weekend event that is attended by roughly 2,000 people every year. Some families come up from Seattle, saying it’s the best event they’ve ever been to.
The Ferndale Heritage Society have found friends and fellowship. Whole families are welcome too. Louise’s six-year-old great-grandchildren help out, while the oldest volunteer is 89 years old. And they’re always looking for more helping hands in a variety of areas.
The Ferndale Heritage Society
Pioneer Park
360-384-6461
park@ferndaleheritagesociety.com
