The Stubblefield Estate Gift
Walla Walla business leaders scramble to close the funding gap to secure the Stubblefield home.
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.
It has been practically settled that the Stubblefield home will be located at or near Walla Walla. This conclusion was reached today when the trustees of the home gave to President Harry H. Turner of the Commercial Club the decision they had arrived at concerning the donations that had been offered. The values as placed by the trustees are: Ladies' Relief donation $3,500; City donation (12 4-5 acres) $2,500; and W. W. Baker donation $3,000, totaling $9,000. This leaves $1,000 to be raised to fulfill the requirements. President Turner, P. W. Kaser, and J. Z. Smith commenced a systematic canvass of business houses, and by 4 o'clock this afternoon, enough money had been subscribed to ensure the entire amount would be raised before midnight, the deadline provided in the will.
“The trustees may possibly be mistaken in the values but have exercised their best efforts in doing full justice to all parties concerned.”
Securing capital to cement a civic institution in the face of strict donor requirements is a recurring theme in Walla Walla's development. Today's efforts to balance historic preservation and new housing development echo these early 20th-century civic fundraising sprints.
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