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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1876 | 4 |
| 1880 | 1 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 9 |
| 1884 | 3 |
| 1885 | 7 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1887 | 2 |
| 1888 | 5 |
| 1889 | 11 |
| 1890 | 1 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 20 |
| 1893 | 30 |
| 1894 | 18 |
| 1895 | 20 |
| 1899 | 6 |
| 1900 | 1 |
| 1903 | 6 |
| 1904 | 4 |
| 1908 | 1 |
| 1909 | 6 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1914 | 2 |
| 1915 | 1 |
| 1916 | 5 |
| 1923 | 1 |
| 1925 | 1 |
171 stories matching basement
- The $40 Prize Burglary That Came Up Through the Floor
Someone broke into the basement of the Famous Clothing Co., bored a clean hole through the floor beneath a display window and pulled out the cash box without disturbing the storefront.
- The Tragedy of the Elliott Block Fire
A coroner's jury investigates the death of two brothers in a nighttime fire, leaving their family displaced and the local community rushing to provide aid.
- City Neglect Leaves Walla Walla Streets in 'Abominable' Condition
Citizens and business owners plead for repairs to East Alder Street and local alleys, warning of potential lawsuits over property damage.
- The City Mission's Winter Struggle
A basement mission in 1892 Seattle provides soup, shelter, and strict discipline for the city's growing population of out-of-work laborers.
- The Saloon Stoop Feud
A corner clothing shop proprietor scores a court victory against a neighboring basement saloon's attempt to wall off the sidewalk.
- Growing Pains in the Queen City: Seattle’s 1889 School Crisis
As the population exploded, the city’s schools were so overwhelmed that children were squeezed into attics, basements, and makeshift classrooms—a familiar struggle for a booming town.
- A Glue Pot, a Pail of Water, and the Fire That Took Seattle
A painter, a cabinetmaker and a frightened workman recount how a glue pot and a bucket of water ignited the blaze that consumed Seattle.
- A House on the Bluff: Fire Lights Up the City as the Engines Fail to Arrive
The lakeside home of E. J. Jeffries burns to the ground while the fire department is too far away to save it — a blaze visible for miles across Seattle.
- The University’s $230,000 Gamble: New Dorms Rise Where the Race Track Once Roared
As Seattle prepares for its first university opening in the fall, Regents approve plans for massive brick dormitories on the edge of town, signaling a shift from frontier outpost to academic hub.
- A Reborn Haven in Old Seattle
After the violence of the 1886 anti-Chinese riots shuttered his school, a local merchant defies the lingering hostility to create a space for education and community.
- Summer Storm Floods Walla Walla
A sudden deluge leaves streets submerged, damages wheat harvests, and sends mountain campers fleeing back to the city.
- Plumbing Failure Floods State Capitol
A clogged flush tank at the Olympia capitol caused hundreds of dollars in damage to government records.
- The Great Escape: Two Prisoners Vanish from Seattle’s Basement Jail
In a display of audacity and desperation, two men held on smuggling and liquor charges crawled through a torn-off board in a water closet to flee the U.S. Marshal’s improvised prison beneath the Clancy Building.
- The Library Hatchet Prank
An unknown intruder bypassed the Kennewick public library's security, but left with nothing to show for it.
- The Blue Sand Beneath Seattle
In September 1876, a crew of Chinese laborers excavating the foundation for a new building at Wellington and Third struck a rare geological treasure: a bed of pure blue sand.
- Tacoma's Labor Boycott: Business Men Forced to Meet in a Basement as Tensions Escalate
A planned meeting of business men to address the Trades Council's boycott of the Ledger newspaper is postponed after the Commercial Club refuses its rooms. Undeterred, a group meets in a basement, but the Trades Council dismisses it as meaningless. The city remains on edge as labor and business collide.
- Seattle Picks Up the Hammer: A Kindergarten, a Church and a Dozen New Homes
With confidence returning after the hard times, builders break ground on the Bailey Gatzert free kindergarten at Twelfth and Norman, finish a German church at Tenth and Stewart, and raise modern homes from Queen Anne to the south side.
- Police Raid High-End Queen Anne Apartment
Prohibition-era sting nets stash of liquor, gambling gear, and opium in a fashionable Seattle neighborhood.
- A Vassar of the West: Pullman Builds a Home for College Women
In 1895, Washington Agricultural College regents approved a granite-and-brick women’s dormitory with parlors, a recreation hall and suites modeled on Eastern colleges.
- The Great Seattle Main Street Flood of 1886
Heavy rains turn a bustling thoroughfare into a literal river, driving residents from their homes and stalling city business.
- Seven Years of Sagebrush
A Highlands farmer transforms raw desert land into a productive bungalow estate.
- The Drunken Rampage at the Marshall Block
A rowdy disturbance on Commercial Street lands a man in the custody of the law after a destructive tavern brawl.
- New $100,000 Commercial Building Approved for Downtown Seattle
A five-story brick and stone structure is set for the corner of Main and Second streets, intended for wholesale tenants.
- A Dying Declaration on South Second Street
A Chinese resident is fatally stabbed near the Standard Theater, and his accusation sends a railroad laborer to the county jail.
- A Boy’s Near-Fatal Caprice
A 14-year-old boy who accidentally hanged himself while experimenting was saved by doctors using artificial respiration.