Issaquah History Museums

06/03/2026

On Sat, June 13, you're invited to a Veterans Town Hall at the Issaquah Train Depot. Veterans and their families are welcome to share their experiences. It is honest, unfiltered, deeply human, and all are welcome.

The event runs from 1:30p to 3:30p and is hosted by Everyone for Veterans. Admission is free, but seating is limited and registration is required: www.givebutter.com/vettownhall2026

06/01/2026

Just a few tickets still available... and we think they might be YOURS!

Issaquah on Tap is back—the walking tour that mixes local lore with local pours. We’re serving up a spirited walk through Issaquah’s past: logging, mining, saloons, and colorful characters who shaped this town.

We’ll kick things off at the historic Train Depot, then make our way through downtown with storytelling, bites, and beverages at each venue stop—the Rollin Log, Stan’s Bar-B-Q, and El 42 Cantina—before wrapping up at the Hailstone Feed Store (Historic Shell Station).

Grab your friends. Hit the stops. Hear the stories right where they happened.

Tue, June 9 • 6:00-8:00 PM
$65 per person
Tickets: https://www.issaquahhistorymuseums.com/event-details/issaquah-on-tap-a-spirited-walk-through-history-2

This walking event (with ADA-accessible accommodations) is brought to you by the Downtown Issaquah Association and Issaquah History Museums. Ages 21+ only.

05/28/2026

By 1947, Hepler Motors was 28 years old and automobiles were no longer just for the wealthy. But in 1920—when most were only dreaming—Lee Hepler tried to accommodate them by taking horses, chickens, cattle, and even geese and ducks as trade-ins. In an interview for the Issaquah Press in 1979, Lee laughed recalling "When my salesman wasn't selling cars, it was ducks and geese!"

In that article, Lee pointed out that you didn't just sell a car, you had to teach them how to drive as well and explain to the new owners that they were working with a machine that had to be mastered. He sold his first Model T for $365 to a valley farmer.

Lee Helper went all out for the company's 28th birthday—offering free gifts for children accompanied by their parents and a free lubrication job to every car (any model) whose owner registered at the door. Known for his celebratory events, Ford's new 1947 models were also introduced: a convertible V-8 coupe, six cylinder sedan coupe, a V-8 Tudor Sedan, and a V-8 truck. Floral displays and banners that read: "There's a finer Ford in your future," "Liveliest Performance," and "Tw-Tone Interior" were all part of the fanfare.

Hepler Motor Company opened on the southeast corner of Front Street and Sunset Way (current home of the Shell Station) in 1919 and continued to grow until an earthquake damaged the building in the mid-1950s.

[Hepler Motors 28th gala birthday party with Lee Hepler in the center between the cars, May 23, 1947 / IHM: 2004.011.076]

05/25/2026

In gratitude, we honor those who served this country and gave their all.

This photo was taken at Hillside Cemetery after twelve members of Issaquah’s Albert Larson Veterans of Foreign War Post 3436 placed flags and crosses for Memorial Day (c. 1990). The donor listed the volunteers as: Jack Chalfa, Al Arndt, Chester Lindquist, Ernest Nyberg, Buford (Bud) Ambrose, Jack Barker, Dave Chevalier, Frank Engle. Tauno Erickson, Wayne Busby, Louie Boni, and Norman McLean.

This weekend, veterans' headstones at Lower Hillside Cemetery were again decorated. And today (10:00-11:00 AM), the community gathers at the Issaquah Senior Center for a ceremony honoring veterans’ service and sacrifice.

[local VFW Post 3436 c.1990 / IHM: 2009.027.001]

05/23/2026

Volunteers are our heartbeat. If you've ever wondered what it's like to docent, help with the trolley, or support community events, stop by our open house on Tuesday, June 2 at the old Gilman Town Hall. No commitment—just a chance to learn more and say hello. Come see how you can make a difference.

RSVP at: https://www.issaquahhistorymuseums.com/event-details/volunteering-open-house-2

05/20/2026

Issaquah on Tap is back—the walking tour that mixes local lore with local pours. We’re serving up a spirited walk through Issaquah’s past: logging, mining, saloons, and colorful characters who shaped this town.

We’ll kick things off at the historic Train Depot, then make our way through downtown with storytelling, bites, and beverages at each venue stop—the Rollin Log, Stan’s Bar-B-Q, and El 42 Cantina—before wrapping up at the Hailstone Feed Store (Historic Shell Station).

Grab your friends. Hit the stops. Hear the stories right where they happened.

Tue, June 9 • 6:00-8:00 PM
$65 per person
Tickets: https://www.issaquahhistorymuseums.com/event-details/issaquah-on-tap-a-spirited-walk-through-history-2

This walking event (with ADA-accessible accommodations) is brought to you by the Downtown Issaquah Association and Issaquah History Museums. Ages 21+ only.

05/19/2026

Come fiddle around with us this Thursday evening! Truly—come hear folk tunes played on a 1918 violin crafted right here in Issaquah by local resident Jacob W. Wilfong, and explore his photographic work at the same time.

Wilfong arrived in Issaquah in 1908 and opened a watch repair and jewelry shop on Front Street, with a photography studio tucked into the back. In his spare time, he turned to woodworking and violin-making—hobbies that revealed real talent. His handcrafted instruments won him prizes and admiration alike.

This week, local luthier Andrew Haines—who discovered and restored Wilfong's violin—will demonstrate this remarkable instrument, accompanied by Elizabeth Hill.

And in a gesture that means so much to our community, Andrew is donating the violin to Issaquah History Museums' collection, ensuring Wilfong's craftmanship stays rooted in the place where it began. Thank you, Andrew.

History. Art. Community. We'd love to share this evening with you.

WHEN: Thursday, May 21 (7:00-8:30 PM)
WHERE: Issaquah Train Depot
COST: Free (donations always welcome)
RSVP: https://www.issaquahhistorymuseums.com/event-details/sounds-of-another-century-j-w-wilfong-violin-demonstration-2

05/18/2026

Meet Rose Reppe and her pet canary. Handwritten on the back of this photo, it reads: "... She has her little canary bird sitting on her finger. She always takes it out and it never attempts to escape. It is mama's old bird and Sena trained it several years ago. I didn't have time to care for it, so gave it to Rose. Some Indians gave it to Mama. Rose started in the High School last week."

Rose Reppe was born in Issaquah on July 10, 1897, she died December 17, 1954 and is buried in the Issaquah's Hillside Cemetery.

[Rose Reppe and her pet canary c.1910 / IHM: 2010.010.019]

05/16/2026

Literary Nights at the Issaquah Train Depot is just around the corner and this time... they've teamed up with Horror Writers Association - Seattle Chapter for an evening of speculative lit: the fabulist, the eerie, the fantastic.

Four featured writers bend your mind and welcome you to the other side, where everything seems uncanny valley. Q&A, open mic, and light refreshments.

Date: Monday, May 18, 2026
Time: 6:00 PM-9:00 PM
Place: Historical Issaquah Train Depot

This free event is open to all. Anyone interested in reading can sign up at: literarynights.com

05/14/2026

Would you believe that four Cowell siblings were all born in the same house… but in different towns? And the house never moved! It’s true—and this peculiar fact was even published by Ripley’s Believe It or Not!.

Oliver was born in Squak, WA in October 1887.
Pearl was born in Olney, WA in July 1890.
Ruby was born in Gilman, WA in December 1893.
Henry was born in Issaquah, WA in September 1898.

According to Minnie Wilson Schomber's 1993 Oral History, the Cowell house was located on 2nd Avenue SE on the way to the (current) high school—and we tracked it down. But if you’re familiar with Issaquah’s penchant for changing names, the puzzle starts to make sense.

When early Euro-American settlers arrived between the 1860s and late-1880s, the area was known as Squak. Then in 1889, when the Seattle Lake Shore & Eastern Railway came to town, the station was named Gilman, and the town was expected to follow suit. But at the time, the US Post Office had other ideas and named the local post office Olney. Why Olney? No one really knows—but that’s where mail delivered to the area had to be addressed.

In April 1992, the town was officially incorporated as Gilman, named after railroad's president. The railroad went bust a few years later, and in April 1896 it was sold in foreclosure and renamed. SLS&E was no more, and the Gilman name fell out of favor. Many locals still held a fondness for its original name and a vote was held to rename the town Issaquah—an Anglicization of sqʷawx̌, the Lushootseed name for the area. The new/old name was made official by the State of Washington in February 1899.

And there you have it!

One note on the Ripley’s version: their printed panel lists Ruby as being born December 1894, but the 1900 US Federal Census gives her a very clear birthdate of December 1893.

[Ripley's Believe It or Not! published story capture, c.unkn; Cowell house capture from IHM's David J. Horrocks Research Center, Historic Property Inventory Reports]