Puget Sound Towns Vie for Methodist University
Tacoma, Olympia, and Port Townsend compete to host the Puget Sound University, sparking a rivalry over land, mortgages, and civic pride.
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.
Tacoma, June 10.—Papers were drawn up today for the transfer of the Puget Sound University building to Lemon's beach. President Thoburn of the university expects that $600,000 will be realized for the buildings, and $1,000,000 will be netted for endowment. As a result of this proposed change of location, a lively fight is predicted in the next Methodist conference this fall. The Seattle pillars in the conference are expected to side with Olympia, arguing that Tacoma's agreement—to provide a $70,000 building free of debt—was never met, as the building was saddled with an $89,000 mortgage. Meanwhile, Port Townsend, which made a vigorous effort to secure the university, is again expected to take a hand in the fight for final location.
“As a result of this proposed change of location a lively fight is predicted in the next Methodist conference this fall.”
This civic scramble for a university campus reflects the ongoing territorial competition between Washington cities to attract anchor institutions, just as Seattle, Tacoma, and other hubs have historically fought for prestige, rail lines, and education centers.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.