On August 16, 1967, the Maple Valley Library Guild holds an open house and tour of the old Olson Mansion to benefit the sustaining fund for the Maple Valley Library. The fund will help support operations in the library's new building, which will open the following July. Construction of the 4,000 square-foot structure at 23730 Maple Valley-Black Diamond Rd. SE, the Maple Valley's fifth location since its establishment in the 1940s, is funded by a King County Library System (KCLS) bond issue and matching federal funds. It will house the library for more than three decades before a new building is opened in 2000.
The newly formed King County Library System began providing bookmobile service to Maple Valley in southeast King County in 1946. The next year, the first Maple Valley Library opened in the community's historic Cedar Grange Hall. After a decade in the Grange Hall the library briefly shared space first with a real-estate company and then with the local telephone company before moving into its own small building in 1959. By the mid-1960s, the Maple Valley Library needed a much larger space, and the community was one of three "atop the priority list" for new libraries funded by a $6 million KCLS bond measure approved by county voters in November 1966 ("Maple Valley Among First ...").
The Olson Mansion
While construction was funded by the bond issue and federal matching funds, the Maple Valley Library Guild, which had long supported the library's operations, worked to raise money for the library's sustaining fund. In conjunction with plans for the new building, in the summer of 1967 the guild organized a major fundraising event at Maple Valley's historic Olson Mansion, then owned by Frederic and Laura Brunton. Known for years as the "Olson Mansion" and "Alder Heights," the large concrete structure stood at the end of a lane off the main road from Maple Valley to Hobart.
The uniquely constructed house was built between 1905 and 1907 by Olof (1867-1924) and Mathilda (1871-1954) Olson, who had bought an 80-acre homestead from the Koch family. The Olson family occupied the home continuously until about 1960. The house was built of solid concrete, all mixed and poured by hand. Olof Olson was accustomed to this type of construction in his work as a railroad contractor. He built three of the large tunnels on the Canadian Railway, and was a subcontractor on the narrow-gauge railway to the Monte Cristo mines in Snohomish County.
The great square house had four floors with approximately 2,200 square feet on each floor, 67 windows, and originally 10 bedrooms. Later, the old master bedroom on the first floor was turned into a den and the nursery beside it into an office. The exterior walls were cleaned, repaired, and painted. New lawns, flower beds, and parking surrounded the house. The Maple Valley Library fundraiser gave those interested an opportunity to view the results of the restoration and refurnishing of the historic home.
Open House
Louise Honeysuckle (1931-2000) was general chairman for the Library Guild's open house and tour held at the mansion on the afternoon of August 16, 1967. Mrs. Albert Wedekind was in charge of collecting old-time costumes for the hostesses to wear. Anyone having women's or girls' clothing and hats from 50 or 60 years earlier was encouraged to loan or donate them by leaving such articles at the Maple Valley Library for use during the open house. Georgina Flynn (1917-2013) and Margaret Sequin were in charge of serving refreshments throughout the afternoon.
The open house began at 12 noon and lasted until 4 p.m. A donation of $1 to the library fund was the price of admission, and the guild raised additional money through sales at the event. Marion Short (1915-2012), stationed at table on the porch, was in charge of sales. Among the items on offer were maps of the valley from more than 40 years earlier showing former coal-railroad lines and coal-mining towns, which were furnished by the Palmer Coal and Coking Company. Notepaper featuring pencil sketches of typical valley scenes designed and developed by 84-year-old artist and Maple Valley resident Wallace Henry Piggott (1883-1975) was also available.
Mrs. Walter James Read chaired a committee that arranged an exhibit of photos of early Maple Valley and surrounding areas on the walls of the second floor. Donations of photos and other historical information were greatly appreciated. Mrs. Gary Jensen supervised a collectors' sale during the afternoon of the tour, with a variety of old books, vases, china, and bric-a-brac on offer.
Six of Olof and Mathilda Olson's eight children, and 12 grandchildren, were still living in the Puget Sound area. Three Olson daughters and two sons attended the opening and tour. Olga, Adeline, Anne Marie, Ted, and Olaf Jr. expressed pleasure that the old home was going to live on and not be torn down.
New Library
Less than a year after the successful fundraiser, the new Maple Valley Library opened on July 14, 1968. At 4,000 square feet it was nearly eight times the size of the previous library, and could hold some 25,000 books and other materials. At the opening, library supporters Joe Flynn -- who with his wife Georgina was among those who donated land for the new library -- and Lee David presented an American flag to the library, which was brought in by an honor guard from Boy Scout Troop 486.
As at the open house the previous year, there were sales to benefit the library fund. Stationery was again available featuring Wallace Piggott's pencil drawings of local views including the Black Diamond Bakery, the Peacock farm near Hobart, the Wilderness Village shopping center, a view of Maple Valley, the old Milwaukee Hotel, the Berry Patch, Mount Rainier, and the Olson Mansion. Local author Morda C. Slauson (1896-1977) was present selling her book One Hundred Years on the Cedar.
The building that opened in 1968 served the community until 2000, when KCLS opened a new 12,000-square-foot Maple Valley Library. As of 2016, the old library building is occupied by Dance Expressions.
