The Shipbuilder Who Built Ballard
Captain John J. Holland, the man behind the Bailey Gatzert and Ballard's water system, passes away from pneumonia.
Capt. John J. Holland, the well-known shipbuilder, died yesterday morning at his residence on Shilshole Avenue in Ballard. While building a ship in Alaska for the North American Trading and Transportation Company, he contracted a cold and fever in a tent, from which he never fully recovered. Pneumonia intervened and carried him off suddenly. Born in New Brunswick, he built several famous steamers in Portland before coming to Tacoma and eventually Ballard in 1890. Known as a talented shipbuilder, he was also a two-term city councilman who, along with A. W. Hight, originated the salt water fire protection system on Ballard Avenue. He leaves behind a wife and five children.
“He and A. W. Hight being the two councilmen to whom the credit is given for originating and consummating the only system of fire protection in Ballard.”
Capt. Holland’s life mirrors the trajectory of Seattle’s maritime pioneers, whose engineering works formed the literal infrastructure of neighborhood development. His story highlights the precarious nature of life for even the most successful builders in the late 19th century.
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