Rising From The Ashes

The forest was here before Aberdeen was founded, providing a ready supply of material. Wood pilings, compressed sawdust, wooden sidewalks, plank roads and wood-frame buildings formed the city’s foundation - all were highly flammable. Following fires in 1887 and 1889, the town center was rebuilt. On October 16, 1903, a fire in the Arctic Hotel spread out of control, ultimately destroying 140 buildings and spreading over 20 acres, leaving 4 people dead and 6 injured. Volunteers, prisoners and residents fought together and ultimately controlled the fire by dynamiting a house to form a firebreak. In subsequent years, there were additional spectacular fires in and around Aberdeen, including The Grays Harbor Motorship Company (1919), Eureka Mill (1940), Aberdeen Plywood (1940) Saginaw Mill (1970) and more. Weatherwax High School burned in 2002 and in 2018 the Aberdeen Armory building, housing the Aberdeen Museum of History, the Aberdeen Senior Center, CCAP and the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society was consumed by fire. Despite numerous conflagrations over the past century, the community has always found ways to rebound, rebuild and continue to thrive.

Built on this site in 1928, the S. H. Kress Company operated a department store, featuring a lunch counter, toy and pet department, household goods, clothing and gifts – a true variety store that served the community until a devastating fire in 1962. The store was rebuilt and continued to thrive. Renovated in 1982, the building then became Godfather’s Pizza, a popular spot for youth, and most recently, Pizza Hut operated in this location.