The Workingman’s Haven in Old Seattle
A look back at the 'American House' boarding operation, offering weekly room and board at the edge of the Seattle waterfront.
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.
AMERICAN HOUSE. J. D. WILLS, Prop. HILL STREET, NEAR STEAMBOAT LANDING, Seattle, W.T. BOARD AND LODGING PER WEEK from $3 to $6, according to room. Meals and lodgings for 50 cents. Large rooms, 75 cents. The house is new and near the boat; free bus. Warm and cold baths free to guests. ALL ARE CORDIALLY INVITED. MEALS AT ALL HOURS.
“BOARD AND LODGING PER WEEK from $3 to $6, according to room.”
While this ad promotes a simple rooming house, it reflects the perennial struggle for affordable, accessible housing for laborers in Washington’s port cities. Today’s housing crisis in Snohomish and Seattle echoes these 19th-century advertisements, where proximity to transit and 'all hours' availability were the ultimate selling points for the working class.
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