Catholic Order Plans Expansion in Olympia
Religious orders in the territorial capital announce plans for a new academy for boys, the platting of Priest's Point, and the construction of a much-needed hospital.
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Judging by the proceedings from the Olympia Partisan, the Catholics in the capital city have a number of operations of interest on hand. Rev. Father Classens contemplates the opening of an academy for boys in the old Catholic Chapel. What is popularly known as Priest's Point, a mile below this place on the east side of the inlet, is being laid off into town lots which will be placed on the market in a few days. The land comprises a tract of 300 acres, owned by the religious order known as the Oblate Fathers. The Sisters of Charity of this place propose the erection of a hospital building, provided a suitable site can be secured. At present, many patients have been sent to Seattle for treatment, transferring just that much business to others, and the aggregate becomes a loss of no small magnitude as time rolls on.
“The benefits which such an institution will be to the business of the place it is hoped will be a sufficient inducement for property holders to either donate a site, or place the prices so low as to secure this much needed institution.”
This report highlights the mid-1880s competition between Washington towns for institutional infrastructure. The anxiety over losing 'business' (patients) to Seattle is an early sign of the regional dominance Seattle would soon achieve, a dynamic that remains relevant in local civic planning today.
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