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.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The Chinese mission school, which for fifteen years previous to 1886 flourished in this city, has been revived under the leadership of Mark Ten Suie, the well-known Chinese merchant. The mission held its first meeting Monday evening and perfected reorganization. During the previous existence of the mission, Mark Ten Suie was its prime mover. In 1886, however, the Chinese riots took place and the mission became demoralized and collapsed. Since that time, Mark Ten Suie has made several attempts at reorganization, but the Chinese residents of the city had lost interest in the cause. His latest attempt to revive the mission was begun nearly a month ago. He talked the matter over with his countrymen, and finding an awakening interest, he endeavored to arrange a place of meeting. He first tried to obtain the use of the basement of the First Methodist church, but the rent demanded was so high that he was forced to give up the idea. He finally concluded to allow the mission the free use of his store basement at 821 Second Street until the organization gets in good running order. In addition to converting the Chinese to Christianity, the object of the mission is to teach the men to read and write the English language. The mission starts out with a membership of about twelve, with promise of a rapid increase.
“With the beginning of 1886 the school promised to be a prominent affair... In that year, however, the Chinese riots took place and the mission became demoralized and collapsed.”
Mark Ten Suie’s struggle to secure space for a community mission in 1892 mirrors the persistent challenges marginalized groups face in securing affordable, stable space in an increasingly expensive downtown Seattle. His resilience serves as a powerful reminder of how community hubs are often formed in the shadows of displacement and institutional indifference.
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