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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1883 | 1 |
| 1884 | 1 |
| 1885 | 1 |
| 1886 | 1 |
| 1888 | 4 |
| 1889 | 4 |
| 1891 | 3 |
| 1892 | 3 |
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| 1894 | 6 |
| 1895 | 8 |
| 1899 | 1 |
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42 stories matching refresh
- A Revolver at the Fair: Oregon's Superintendent Holds Off the A.-Y.-P. Guards
When exposition officials tried to put a refreshment booth on Oregon's lawn, the Oregon building superintendent met them with a revolver and 35 men in reserve.
- The Prohibitionists' Cold Water Jubilee
Temperance advocates marked Washington's birthday with a sober banquet in Seattle, raising hundreds for their cause.
- Sunday Refreshments at the Yesler Pleasure Garden
A look at the popular 1870s recreational spot where Seattle residents found relief, music, and ice cream on their days off.
- A Night of Whist and Crokignole in 1889 Seattle
A surprise party for Miss Fannie McKay at her family home on Fourth and Yesler offers a glimpse into the parlor social life of early Seattle.
- A Musical Benefit for the African M. E. Church
The Merry Eight Club hosted a successful spring musical at Turner Hall to support the local Jones Street African Methodist Episcopal Church.
- The Great Strawberry Heist of 1885
After the ladies of the Trinity Guild finished their social, two Seattle boys broke into the hall to steal the remaining ice cream and strawberries.
- The Church as a Public Refuge
Rev. Wallace Nutting argues that churches should be open 24/7, serving the city as community centers with drinking fountains and social services rather than just Sunday pulpits.
- Old Soldiers Take the Floor: Seattle’s Post-Civil War Fraternal Life
In January 1891, the veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic and their families gathered in the Hinckley Block to install new officers, a ritual of civic pride and remembrance in a rapidly growing Seattle.
- Five Thousand Seattleites Turned a Chamber-Music Festival Into a Social Event
O. E. Pettis’s three-night midsummer festival drew crowds, six concerts and hours of after-concert conversation—proof that music had become a civic occasion.
- The Arlon Society's Grand Seattle Welcome
A band-led arrival and lakeshore luncheon mark the visit of the New York-based German society as they transit through the city toward California.
- The Greasy Pole Gambit: Seattle’s Summer of Slapstick and Sweat
On a sweltering July evening in 1889, thousands gathered at the foot of Madison Street not for politics or protest, but to watch three men fail spectacularly at climbing an oiled pole—a moment of pure, unadulterated civic joy.
- University Social Honors Professor Lee and Retiring Professor Bradley
A celebratory gathering at the university president's home marks the return of a faculty member and the departure of another to his farm.
- A Fraternal Greeting from Tacoma
The First Unitarian Society of Seattle welcomes its new pastor with a formal reception and a warm letter of solidarity from their sister church in Tacoma.
- The Unlucky Entrepreneur of Fourth of July
A man’s ambitious plan to capitalize on the holiday crowds turns into a street-side cautionary tale when his dray and goods go missing.
- The Hitching Post Fountain
A historic Seattle landmark, rescued from use as a stable hitching post, is restored to its purpose by the W.C.T.U. and the Good Templars.
- The Great Rain-Soaked Barbecue of 1889
A much-hyped political feast in Seattle ends in a pathetic drizzle, empty plates, and heated accusations of corruption between the Republican and Democratic parties.
- The Leap Year Proposal That Stole the Show
In 1896, a group of young women in Seattle’s mill district turned tradition on its head, organizing and managing their own social event to celebrate the rare calendar day.
- The First Votes: When Seattle Women Went to the Polls in 1886
On a chilly, foggy November day, Seattle's women braved election-day crowds to cast their ballots, marking a pivotal, short-lived moment in Washington's struggle for suffrage.
- The Last Class at the Old U—and the Girls Win the Spade
In May 1895, the University of Washington’s Class of ’95 held its final class-day exercises in the original downtown building, with women delivering the spade orations for the first time.
- The Governor Candidate Who Refused the Union Label
Col. R. H. Hartley, a Republican candidate for Washington Governor, publicly rejects the union label on his campaign materials, sparking a fierce debate over labor, liberty, and the influence of organized unions in state politics.
- A Surprise Party in South Seattle
Neighbors and friends gathered for an evening of music and refreshments in South Seattle, a moment of local community building in 1889.
- The Grandest Affair of the Year: Knights Templar and Eastern Star Unite for New Year's Eve
Seattle’s elite gathered at Commandery No. 10 for a lavish installation ceremony, complete with Indian impersonations, sword presentations, and a feast that lasted until dawn.
- Judge Glasgow Fines Lake Washington's Beer Sellers by the Barrel
Saloon keepers at Madrona Park and the Madison Street pavilion plead guilty, and the police court scales fines to their liquor bills.
- Seattle's War on the Saloon 'Ladies' Entrance'
Aldermen want every drinker—and every woman—to come through the front door, arguing side doors lure respectable girls into saloon wine rooms.
- The Xora Wins the Day on Elliott Bay
Seattle’s newly organized Elliott Bay Yacht Club staged a full regatta, with the Xora taking first class, the Truant winning second, and a capsized Linda giving the crowd a scare.