Nat Washington House brings guests to another era

EPHRATA — Tucked away in a quiet neighborhood, pushed up against the Beezley Hills, guarded by a white picket fence is a piece of Americana with ties that go all the way back to the founding of this country.

Each footstep through the gate toward the Nat Washington Inn in this small rural town is like walking away from the instant-access world of Twitter and Faceback, back to a time when you could hold stuff in your hand. Back to a time where life was depicted in photographs that hang on the walls and history was etched on bits of paper that don’t fly through cyberspace at the speed of light.

Artifacts belonging to President George Washington and his descendants, the first Washington family to move to the Evergreen State, proudly line the walls for all to enjoy. Monday’s open house put the late Sen. Nat Washington’s home on C Street in front of the Grant County Courthouse on full display.

The day was many things to many people. To former Washington state representative and Grant County commissioner Helen Fancher of Quincy it was a historic tribute on the march into the 21st century. Francis Jensen, of Soda Lake, was part of the building process of the Grand Coulee Dam during his 34-career with the Bureau of Reclamation. To the teenagers and grade schoolers, it was an opportunity to see and touch 100-year-old photographs and study documents dating back decades.

Historic documents traced the footsteps of Bushrod Corbin Washington (1839-1909) and his family’s trek west from West Virginia. Bushrod was the great-great-great-grandson of George Washington’s brother John. History would tie two great families together on the new frontier. Bushrod’s wife Emma Edwards Willis was the great-great-great-granddaughter of James Madison, the father of the fourth president of the United States and called the Father of the Constitution by some.

The Nat Washington Inn is also a showcase of more recent history. The Washingtons being Democrats, there were access badges allowing entry to the floor at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and a portrait of Bobby Kennedy big as life in the main entryway.

There in the middle of it all current home owner Mike Scellick stood providing bits of information – one part storyteller, one part historian, one part educator, as well as adding to his own education. The lawn out front was freshly mowed, truth be known Scellick probably did that as well. He does it all.

¨I love days like this because I learn something all the time,¨ said Scellick, who loves history and has lived in Ephrata all of his life. ¨In fact I just learned something today from Helen Fancher, who identified people on one of the pictures. Some of the old-timers come in and they always have input. There’s a guy in there right now that was one of the guys at the Bureau of Reclamation. He might share some stories. He’s visited this house many times, so I always learn something. I always preface myself by saying by the time we leave this place, somebody’s going to tell me a story I have not heard.¨

When the student is ready, the teacher will appear and Scellick is always on the lookout for new information.

Helen Fancher was first elected to the Washington House of Representatives in 1976 where she served with Sen. Nat Washington. She made her way through the Washington House with quiet dignity, studying the photos on the wall. Some were of the first Washington family to move to the state. The portrait of Bushrod was the dominant piece of the interior.

¨The original of that portrait is hanging in the Smithsonian (Institution of National History),¨ Scellick said as a group of interested people gathered around. Fancher, who represented the 7th District until 1982, was happy to see the gathering and the memorabilia all in one place.

¨If the walls could talk ... I’m just thrilled it’s being taken care of the way it is, because it’s a historic house,¨ said Fancher, who was the first Republican woman elected to the 7th District. ¨Relatives of the first president of the United States lived right here in this house. I had no idea that Mike had that much memorabilia. That was what drew me to come today. Places like this certainly have a place in this world.¨

The Jensens come from Danish stock and have been living near Soda Lake since 1963. A lot has changed over the decades, but preserving past ties to present lives is important Francis said.

¨I think it’s important because Nat Washington was instrumental in the building the Grand Coulee Dam and other projects in the area,¨ said Jensen, who ran the water system from the Grand Coulee Dam all the way to the Tri-Cities. ¨I knew Nat and I think he had a significant influence with several projects. I’ve been in the house before, but it’s special and I’m pleased (Mike’s) doing this for the community.”

If the walls could talk at the Nat Washington Inn, we can only imagine what they would say. But the steady stream of people coming and going on Monday on Washington’s birthday were in the hands of a great storyteller and Scellick managed to come away with a few new stories to pass along to the next visitor looking to take a bite out of central Washington history.