Ghosts of Leavenworth and the Cascade Foothills

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INTRODUCTION

The miracle town of Leavenworth, Washington, is known for its beautiful Bavarian theme, wonderful shopping and restaurants, friendly people and redesigned historical buildings. Old architectural designs from the early 1900s nestled in between a few modern ones are packed tight on Front Street, and those that survived the tragic fires remain almost frozen in time. When Leavenworth had to reinvent itself or else become another ghost town, the townspeople opted to undergo the daunting task and make the switch to a Bavarian theme to create a unique, one-of-a-kind town.

People visit from all over to enjoy a bustling day of shopping, great food, fabulous boutiques, live music and local art, as well as partaking in the many festivals, events and parades. For a small town, it holds its own when it comes to creating a unique and thriving atmosphere for millions of visitors to enjoy year-round.

When strolling the sidewalks today, moving in and out of the wonderful shops, please imagine what life must have been like back then—the old times of horse carriages, hardworking hotel and restaurant proprietors, muddy dirt streets, the building of the railroads and the mining of gold.

In 1901, the population of Leavenworth was approximately 450 people; it bumped up to around 1,400 in 1908. Automobiles were a rare luxury in Leavenworth at the time. In 1910, there was only one noted auto owned and operated in town. In 1912, a whopping five people had their own cars. Later, in 1914, over forty cars cruised the streets of Leavenworth.

Good roads were a huge problem to residents, and in 1914, the Washington State Automobile Association was formed to promote the development of good roads for the public. Courtesy of Washington State Digital Archives, 1927, Autos on the road to Bothell, State Library Photograph Collection, item # AR-07809001-ph000092.

When they say Leavenworth is a miracle town, one often thinks of the town’s transformation to save itself in the ’60s from a near extinction to the infamous Bavarian village everyone loves and enjoys today. This particular transformation has been very well documented by several authors.

Yet another sometimes overlooked miracle is how many times in the early years the town suffered substantial loss from fires and continued to rebuild itself. How these citizens rebuilt their town over and over again without falter or succumbing to discouragement is truly miraculous—what a fantastic and adventurous group of people.

Early Leavenworth was quite progressive. In the 1900s, two of the biggest employers were the Great Northern Railroad and Lamb-Davis Lumber Company. Great Northern employed about three hundred to four hundred men at a time with a payroll of about $30,000 per month. Lamb-Davis employed around two to three hundred, and its payroll was typically around $18,000 a month. The oldest gold mine was in Blewett, and in 1908, its yield in gold had already totaled a whopping $1.5 million. Ambitious farmers had already planted over 165,000 fruit trees in the small radius of just four square miles and had plans to plant more. One of the first white settlers in Wenatchee, Philip Miller, planted numerous apple trees there in 1872. Currently, Washington State grows 125 million boxes of apples per year. At 40 pounds per box, it comes to 2.5 million tons of apples per year. Miller had no idea he had started something that would become so big.

This hard-to-find Sanborn Insurance map shows early Leavenworth in 1909. From left to right: hotel, Japanese hotel, saloon, theater, bowling alley, Japanese restaurant, lodge hall, confections and cigars, cigars and billiards, hotel, saloon and restaurant, saloon, barbershop with an oven and bakery in the back. Near the tracks are the Great Northern Railroad Telegraph Office buildings, as well as the depot and restaurant. Courtesy of Library of Congress.

Ghost stories, urban legends and folklore exist in any town, big or small, new or old—human beings are fascinated with the afterlife and are eager to capture proof of the spirit world. Apparitions or odors are the most common forms of paranormal activity. When an animal or a person keeps reappearing at a location over and over again, it is classified as an actual haunting.

An important characteristic of a classic haunting is noises. These noises imitate the sounds of human, environmental and animal activities such as crying, chairs moving, dishes breaking and even barking.

Another form of activity is called the crisis apparition. These are single events that typically occur when the living person undergoes a personal crisis and a loved one’s apparition appears to offer them comfort in their time of need. These crisis apparitions are commonly shrugged off as daydreams or ignored and labeled as strange flukes caused by stress. The amount of energy it takes to manifest from the other side is extreme, so it is very important that any effort executed from the spirit be acknowledged and the ghost be given words of thanks.

PART I

THE GHOSTS OF LEAVENWORTH’S PAST

Ghosts in this town consist of the many hardworking and visionary pioneers who left their mark on the town from the late 1800s up through today. In the 1890s, the population of Icicle was around two hundred. Some of the original pioneers were Doctor Hoxsey, George Briskey, J.E. Schubert, Frank Losekamp, Nick Kinscherf, Charles Freytag, John Emig, Ezra Brusha, George Persinger and, of course, Captain Leavenworth. The original townwas situated near the junction of the Icicle and Wenatchee Rivers (about one mile south of current-day Leavenworth).

Leavenworth in its very early stages around 1906. The two-story brick building on the corner housed the Tumwater Bank, the Chikamin Hotel, a grocery store and the L.D. Company Store built by pioneer Loskamp. Down the street is Moore Company, Elliot and, at the end, a store boasting Suits made to order! Courtesy of Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce.

Early photograph of Main Street of downtown Leavenworth. In 1892, Captain Leavenworth bought a forty-acre tract that soon became the business district. He then went into mining in Idaho. J.D. Wheeler photo. Courtesy of Skykomish Historical Society.

In 1892, two Spokane real estate men named Samuel T. Arthur and Alonzo Murphy purchased the town. Fearing they had made a hasty purchase, they quickly sold it to a man from Portland, Oregon, named Charles Leavenworth. Captain Leavenworth bought the forty-acre parcel that was to soon become the area’s business district, strategically placed across from the tracks of the Great Northern Railroad. He wanted to make sure his name lived on. And it certainly has.

1

TUMWATER INN RESTAURANT

I feel that our bodies are a vehicle that holds our soul.

—Sandy Owens-Carmody, Tumwater Inn owner

Classified as Leavenworth’s oldest restaurant, for over one hundred years the building has been a favorite eatery and hangout for many people.

Located now at 219 Ninth Street on the corner of Commercial in downtown Leavenworth, the current owner, Sandy Owens-Carmody, has successfully run the Tumwater for almost thirty years. Many local rumors over the years from old-timers, employees and patrons consist of tales of a spirit who likes to play the piano and move glassware and objects around the bar and kitchen areas.

GHOST STORIES FROM THE CURRENT OWNER, SANDY

Many tales of ghosts linger at this Leavenworth icon. The Tumwater Inn at 219 Ninth Street is one of the oldest bars in town, and old-timers have many a ghostly tale or two about this place. Author photo.

We have two ghosts that hang around here regularly, a man and his wife. I think they are from the 1940s or ’50s. There used to be a [possibly the Yes Sir Chevrolet Garage now the Obertal Mall] car dealership across the street and while her husband worked, his wife would come here and eat lunch and wait for him every day. Locals said they were the closest couple, so much in love. After he passed away, she continued to eat lunch here every day. I think their spirits still connect here because it was such a big part of their lives. At times I can smell perfume when no one else is here.

An Old Poem

Old perfumes wander back from fields of clover

Seen in the light of suns that long have set;

Beloved ones, whose earthly toil is over,

Draw near, as if they lived among us yet.

Old voices call me, through the dusk returning,

I hear the echoes of departed feet...

—Sarah Doudney, Between the Lights, circa 1875

Another spirit we have at the Tumwater is also a friendly one. We have an old piano in the lobby built in 1871 by the NW Piano Company. For more than thirty years, during all hours of the day, that piano tends to play a soft tune when no one is at it. It could be just a lovely soul wanting to entertain guests or possibly one of the former piano players in one of the bands that used to play dance music for patrons.

One of my favorite ghost stories is the time I was here alone and was straightening up stock in the back—ketchup, mustard, napkins and things like that. I went out front to do some other things, and when I came back to the store room, all of the condiments were undone and changed round.

Are the friendly spirits of the Tumwater Inn just playing games with Sandy, or would they prefer to have the condiments shelved a different way?

Originally called the Overland Café, it opened in 1911, and the proprietor was a man named John Tabuchi. That September, Harry Osborne took over and changed the name from the Overland