Podcast Episodes
In this podcast we explore lost stories of marginalized people, hidden histories of forgotten places, and generally unearth some cool, creepy and hopefully meaningful connections for people living and working in the Seattle area and beyond.
We are always looking for “invisible histories” of the Pacific Northwest so if you have a good story idea please reach out.
If you are able, please support our podcast with a Tip through Ko-Fi.com
Season 04: Episode 02
Cynthia Brothers & Vanishing Seattle: Bringing Light to Seattle’s Underground Scenes
Welcome to our February episode!
It is time to dive into our own invisible histories! Alongside Cynthia Brothers, the founder of Vanishing Seattle, we discuss the existence of venues, clubs, and other businesses that were, and still are, beacons of creativity and self-expression.
As more and more spaces for social connection undergo closure and demolition, how can we hold onto the culture associated with these spaces? We discuss with Cynthia the implications of the increased price of existing in the modern city, as well as what Vanishing Seattle is doing to preserve the histories of the city, and ourselves.
Vanishing Seattle has developed into a movement that documents and explores businesses that are, quite literally, vanishing before us. As the tireless work of Vanishing Seattle and other organizations carries on, major questions are posed: Who is going to hold the physical and digital archives of a city that is constantly shedding its previous renditions? Who are the entities and organizations that are able and willing to hold and display these archives, to preserve and freely share the ephemera so easily lost to the landfill?
Join us as we discuss how communities today are countering the closure notices of many iconic Seattle businesses.
Show Notes:
Book: Signs of Vanishing Seattle
Reunion show! Donald Glaude at NAF: March 8th 10pm-6am
Independent Venue Week: Cari Simson Remembers The Chophouse
Subscribe, share, give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
You can support our work through Ko-fi.com.
Our Instagram account will share images from each episode, @invisiblehistoriespnw
If you have a good story idea please reach out at invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com
Invisible Histories is part of the Umbrella Podcast Collective: www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/umbrella #UmbrellaPodcastCollective
Credits:
Recorded at Equinox Studios in Georgetown, and Works Progress Cooperative in Seattle WA www.worksprogress.coop
Audio edited by Elke Hautala
Production Coordinator and Researcher: Jacob Neville.
Cover image: Photo of Cynthia Brothers: Cari Simson; historic photo from Cynthia Brothers' NAF Studios archive overlay design by Cari Simson.
Music:
Music: Restless by Audra Richardson & Richard Sidereus
Season 04: Episode 01
Rebroadcast: Our interview on "The Bridge"with Jean Godden
Welcome to our January episode!
Happy 2025, and one year of Invisible Histories!
The new year is kicking off with several upcoming public events in January-March - we hope to see you there!
For January, we are rebroadcasting our lively visit with Jean Godden and Julianna Ross of the radio show, The Bridge, on KMGP. On the show, we share our origin stories, how we met and formed Invisible Histories, some Lou Graham and Lake Ballinger stories, and some teasers from the “Lost” Potter’s Field. Thank you, Jean for such an in-depth interview. We know where the stories are buried!
Hosts: Jean Godden, former Seattle City Councilmember, and Julianna Ross, station founder. Jean is a tireless writer, journalist, and a former three-term Seattle City Councilmember, and who is still active in civic endeavors.
Listen to: Authors, elected officials, non-profit leaders, artists, journalists, and community champions.
Where: Broadcasts live from Magnuson Park, SPACE 101.1 KMGP-LP, which is a hyper-local low-power radio station broadcasting to a potential listenership of over 200,000, and streams worldwide at space101fm.org.
Show Notes:
Jean Godden's webpage and blog, Post Alley
Subscribe, share, give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
You can support our work through Ko-fi.com.
Check out our landing page at www.invisible-histories.com
Our Instagram account will share images from each episode, @invisiblehistoriespnw
If you have a good story idea please reach out at invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com
Invisible Histories is part of the Umbrella Podcast Collective: www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/umbrella #UmbrellaPodcastCollective
Credits:
Recorded at Space 101.1 on July 26, 2024 at Magnuson Park, and Works Progress Cooperative in Seattle WA - Seattle’s only cooperatively run coworking space - www.worksprogress.coop
Audio edited by Elke Hautala
Music:
Strangers in the Night, Acapella
License code: DHFIKQF9LQYJYEPU
Season 03: Episode 04
Unveiling Seattle's Street Trees: A Journey through Time in our Urban Forest
Welcome to our December episode!
Step into the world of Seattle's street trees with our latest episode featuring Taha Ebrahimi, author of the book, Street Trees of Seattle. Discover how these urban giants connect us to the city's past and enrich our present. Taha shares her journey from a curious walker to a published author, revealing the hidden stories of Seattle's diverse tree canopy. Learn about the ecological and historical significance of street trees and their role in fostering community connections. Taha takes us by some of her favorite trees in the Georgetown area, and we share a couple special trees with her that are associated with the Potter's Field and the old path of the Duwamish River.
Don't miss this enlightening conversation that will change the way you see Seattle's streets.
Georgetown is one of the areas of Seattle with the lowest tree canopy compared to all other neighborhoods in Seattle. Today, there are acres of concrete and giant roofs that replaced once-thriving forested wetlands, tideflats, salt marshes and meadows stretching for 5300 acres from what we know as West Seattle to Beacon Hill. Lower tree canopy in cities means less rainwater is absorbed in the ground, and less shade, less wildlife habitat, and most importantly, worse air quality, which cause cumulative health impacts for people living and working in the Duwamish Valley.
Georgetown also has some very interesting street trees!
Taha takes us by some of her favorite trees in the Georgetown area, and we share a couple special trees with her that are associated with the Potter's Field and the old path of the Duwamish River.
Whether you're a tree enthusiast or simply curious about Seattle's green spaces, this episode offers a fresh perspective on the city's landscape and the importance of preserving its natural heritage.
Save the Date: January 15, 2024 from 6:30-8:00 p.m.
History Café: Uncovering Seattle’s “Lost” Cemetery”
Don't miss our upcoming History Cafe at MOHAI on January 15th. It's free and open to the public, and will also be streamed on MOHAI's YouTube channel. Visit mohai.org for more details and to register.
Show Notes:
Taha Ebrahimi - Check out Taha's book, Street Trees of Seattle
Tableau Public - learn more about data visualization tools available to the public
The Last 6000 - Get involved with tree preservation advocay in Seattle
Volunteer planting trees in Seattle and our region.
The Last 6000 - Get involved with tree preservation advocay in Seattle
Volunteer planting trees in Seattle and our region
Subscribe, share, give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
You can support our work through Ko-fi.com.
Check out our landing page at www.invisible-histories.com
Our Instagram account will share images from each episode, @invisiblehistoriespnw
If you have a good story idea please reach out at invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com
Invisible Histories is part of the Umbrella Podcast Collective: www.rainydayrabbitholes.com/umbrella #UmbrellaPodcastCollective
Credits:
Recorded at Equinox Studios in Georgetown, and Works Progress Cooperative in Seattle WA - Seattle’s only cooperatively run coworking space - www.worksprogress.coop
Audio edited by Elke Hautala
Music:
Is there still room for me 'neath the old apple tree? Victor Records 1915
Season 03: Episode 03
Cemetery Mysteries in North Seattle:
Greenwood Cemetery and Crown Hill Cemetery
Welcome to our November episode, devoted to the beautiful and mysterious Crown Hill Cemetery, located on the hill north of Ballard and west of Greenwood in Seattle, Washington. And prior to that, we explore the mysterious history of the original Greenwood Cemetery, originally called Woodland, which was at the corner of North 85th Street and Greenwood Avenue North from 1871 until 1907.
A few months ago, we were intrigued to see an article on King 5, Seattle Medium, and Seattle Times about how the historic Crown Hill Cemetery was for sale.
Curious minds want to know, who wants to buy a cemetery?
The property was originally listed for $1.5 Million dollars, according to local news sources. Today, the Redfin listing is much less, with only the caretaker’s cottage and side yard, without any burial sites included in the prospective sale. According to the State-appointed receiver, Sid Constantinescou, the burial areas need to be sold to a licensed cemetery in Washington State and that land cannot be redeveloped into housing. Cemetery land without burials can be sold and redeveloped.
Today we focus on the history of the cemetery, who is buried there, and how the Crown Hill Cemetery provides the community with compassionate death care, as well as much-needed open space in the neighborhood. We interview Phillip Howe, the General Manager of the Crown Hill Cemetery, about the cemetery's origins and notable people buried there.
Show Notes:
Find a Grave - Crown Hill Cemetery - Abigail Bridges
Find a Grave - Crown Hill Cemetery - Sarah Heskett
Newcastle History - Crown Hill Cemetery
Cipher in Room 214 - "Why's this so good?" No. 73: Carol Smith and the cipher in Room 214
Subscribe, share, give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
You can support our work through Ko-fi.com.
Check out our landing page at www.invisible-histories.com
Our Instagram account will share images from each episode, @invisiblehistoriespnw
We are always looking for “invisible histories” of the Pacific NW so if you have a good story idea please reach out at invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com
Credits:
Recorded 11/7/24 at Crown Hill Cemetery and Works Progress Cooperative in Seattle WA - Seattle’s only cooperatively run coworking space - www.worksprogress.coop
Audio edited by Elke Hautala
Music:
Season 03: Episode 02
Welcome to Invisible Histories Season 3 Episode 2!
When you hear “The Roadhouse,” this might evoke thoughts of a glistening Patrick Swayze doing his own stunts while taming the Double Deuce in the 1989 cult movie of the same name, but roadhouses also have a diverse and storied past here in the Seattle area. From Aurora Avenue North and the Bothell Highway, to Seattle’s Central District and Jackson Street, to Georgetown and the Pacific Highway South, these places became the areas where people were pushed as redlining and the Temperance movement grew and eventually took hold in Seattle in the 1910s. Prohibition in Washington began in 1916 and went until 1933, pushing vice underground or further out of ‘respectable Seattle’ through speakeasies, bottle clubs and destinations for groundbreaking jazz, big band, and the late 50’s rock n’ roll Pacific Northwest scene.
In this episode, we explore the history of Roadhouses in the Seattle area with author, historian, and finder of Old Things, Brad Holden. When not out searching for local historical artifacts, Brad Holden enjoys writing about the more illicit side of Seattle’s past. You can reach Brad at @seattleartifacts on Instagram, and at www.Bradholden.org
We also connected with Eduardo Mendonça of The Roadhouse, a new performance space located at the Angle Lake Light Rail Station. He shares his journey from growing up in Brazil, to founding the first performance arts space in the United States housed in a transit hub, and paid for through municipal arts funding. The Roadhouse showcases music, art, and performances that reflect the fantastic cultural diversity of South King County. The Roadhouse, located on the Angle Lake Light Rail station plaza, is celebrating its first year on Saturday, October 19th from 4-6pm - all are welcome! You can learn about The Roadhouse performance space on Instagram at @roadhouseanglelakestation, and at www.theroadhouse.art
Show Notes:
The Spanish Castle episode cover art courtesy of Ron Edge
Brad Holden: Author. Historian. Finder of Old Things. When not out searching for local historical artifacts, Brad Holden enjoys writing about the more illicit side of Seattle’s past.
Decadent and Debaucherous Looking Back at Edmonds’ lost roadhouses
The Wailers Live at the Spanish Castle
Eduardo and Ana Paula Mendonça: Brazilian traditional and contemporary music
The Roadhouse at Angle Lake Light Rail Station
Sound Transit Blog about The Roadhouse
Sound Transit Arts Program (STArts)
You can support our work through Ko-fi.com.
Subscribe, share, give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
Check out our landing page at www.invisible-histories.com
Read our latest newsletter and subscribe
Check out our Instagram for images related to this episode.
We are always looking for “invisible histories” of the Pacific NW so if you have a good story idea please reach out at invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com
Thank you again to Brad Holden and Eduardo Mendonça for sharing your stories with us!
Credits:
The Spanish Castle episode cover art courtesy of Ron Edge
Recorded at Angle Lake Light Rail Station and Works Progress Cooperative in Seattle WA 2024 - Seattle’s only cooperatively run coworking space - www.worksprogress.coop
Audio edited by Elke Hautala
Music:
Vintage Camera Sound FX by Werra FreeSound.org
Evil Minded Blues by Virginia Liston 1926
Khu.éex' promo by Heartstone Studios -- Featuring Clarissa Rizal and Music by Khu.éex'
Season 03: Episode 01
Welcome to Invisible Histories Season 3 Episode 1!
Our "back to school" September episode is all about Nikola Tesla. Today we have the pleasure to talk with Jeff Behary about his work, and specifically as the official historian for the Nikola Tesla family.
As part of our research about Nikola Tesla, we met Jeff through his connections to the Spark Museum of Electrical Invention in Bellingham Washington. Our research is leading towards a theater production about Nikola Tesla, which we are launching at the Georgetown Steam Plant Science Fair, happening this month on September 21-22nd.
The Steam Plant Science Fair is free and family-friendly. Our "Tesla's Scintillating Salon" will premier on 9/21 at 5pm and 9/22 at 4pm. Come see our show premier and be part of future history! You can support our work through Ko-fi.com.
Subscribe, share, give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
Check out our landing page at www.invisible-histories.com
Read our latest newsletter and subscribe
Check out our Instagram for images related to this episode.
We are always looking for “invisible histories” of the Pacific NW so if you have a good story idea please reach out at invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com
Thank you again to Jeff Behary and his Electrotherapy Museum!
Show Notes:
Jeff Behary's Electrotherapy Museum in Riviera beach, Florida
Jeff's archive about Nikola Tesla
Georgetown Steam Plant Science Fair
“The Transmission of Electrical Energy Without Wires As a Means for Furthering Peace," from Electrical World and Engineer, January 7, 1905).
The Problem Of Increasing Human Energy — With Special References to the Harnessing of the Sun's Energy.
Nikola Tesla: Free Unlimited Wireless Energy Speech
Nikola Tesla's hometown in Smiljan Croatia
Credits:
Recorded at Works Progress Cooperative in Seattle WA 2024 - Seattle’s only cooperatively run coworking space - www.worksprogress.coop
Audio edited by Elke Hautala
Zoom recording 9/5/24
Music: Operatic Rag from the Library of Congress 1910
Season 02: Episode 05
Welcome to Invisible Histories!
This month both Elke and Cari were on their respective vacations, visiting places near and far.
In this episode, Elke shares her history with the Gen Con Tabletop Gaming Conference, which she's been directly involved with for over 11 years. This year she went with her oldest son Chance, and had a blast working and playing with the over 71,000 guests at the event!
Cari and her daughter went to Scotland, with a stay in Balintore Castle in the moorlands above Balintore village, a few miles north of the Loch of Lintrathen, near Kirriemuir, Angus. Balintore Castle is a stunning Victorian shooting lodge, built in 1860 surrounded by incredible highland scenery. The architect William Burn designed the castle in 1859. The Kirriemuir stonemasonry firm of George Watson worked on Balintore Castle in 1860. Links to the architectural drawings are below. There has been a castle in this location since the Middle Ages, in what was called Balintor in the 16th Century.
David Johnston bought the A-listed Balintore Castle property in 2007, after years of searching for a castle to restore. His ongoing labors of love have brought the castle back from abandonment and ruin, and guests can once again be hosted in great style and comfort. His dream is to continue the parties and great fun hosted by Lady Langman, the last owner in the mid-20th century.
Listen in on David and Cari’s conversation in the castle’s servants’ kitchen!
Subscribe, share, give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
Read our latest newsletter and subscribe
Check out our Instagram for images related to this episode.
We are always looking for “invisible histories” of the Pacific NW so if you have a good story idea please reach out at invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com
Show Notes:
-
David's blog about restoring the castle
-
David's Gofundme page for the restoration of the Balintore Castle Great Hall
-
The Canmore.org.uk page for Balintore Castle, with historic photos from the 1960s and 1970s, and the original architectural drawings from 1859.
-
Buildings at Risk Register in Scotland, to find your own castle!
Credits:
Music: Vale of Atholl Junior Pipeband; Pitlochry 2008; Recorded by Inchadney and posted on Freesound.org
Image: Cari Simson; Balintore Castle in 2024
Audio edited by Elke Hautala
Season 02: Episode 04
Welcome to Invisible Histories!
Since it’s a beautiful, warm summer day here in Seattle, this month’s episode features a short history of a beautiful lake with a mysterious island on the southwestern corner of Snohomish County, on the edge of Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace, just north of Shoreline, Washington.
Come with us to take a dip in the cool, refreshing waters of Lake Ballinger! Learn about the development of this area in the late 1800s through 1920s, with Hugh McAleer, the Bartholomew and Ballinger families, and the role of the Interurban Streetcar line on the Seattle suburbs, as it expanded from Greenwood in Seattle up to Everett, WA in 1910. We also dip a toe into the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition of 1909, and the rise of the progressive movement's Conservation efforts led by Gifford Pinchot.
Subscribe, share, give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
Read our latest newsletter and subscribe
Check out our Instagram for images related to this episode.
We are always looking for “invisible histories” of the Pacific NW so if you have a good story idea please reach out at invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com
Show Notes:
-
Snohomish Tribe https://snohomishtribe.org/about
-
Tulalip tribes; Hibulb Center in Tulalip just north of Everett. https://www.hibulbculturalcenter.org/
-
History: The Nile Shrine Center at Lake Ballinger, Part 1 July 9, 20204 Byron Wilkes
-
Mayors of Seattle 1890-1940
-
American conservation in the 20th Century: (Ann E. Chapman for NPS)
Image: Lake Ballinger from the Interurban line, Seattle ca. 1909, Asahel Curtis, courtesy of Paul Dorpat.
Credits:
Music:
-
Lady of the Lake (1917) Victor Band and Emma Howells Burchenal
-
Song of the West: Voices of American series
Audio edited by Elke Hautala
Season 02: Episode 03
Welcome to Invisible Histories!
Today we had the pleasure to host a virtual interview with author Hanna Brooks Olsen about her recently published book, “Notoriously Bad Character: the true story of Lou Graham and the Immigrants and Sex Workers who built Seattle." The book is available through her webpage, www.hannabrooksolsen.com
Lou reigned supreme in what we now know as the Pioneer Square neighborhood of Seattle in the late 1800s. Today, on Seattle’s Underground Tour and other guided history walks, the story of Lou Graham is often full of errors and exaggerations, and so we are grateful for Hanna’s research to bring the true stories of Lou to light, and inspire other researchers to try and find out more.
So grab your favorite beverage, sink into your comfy chaise lounge and transport yourself to when the mysterious German immigrant Dorothea Ohben had just arrived in Seattle.
Subscribe, share, give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
Read our latest newsletter and subscribe
Check out our Instagram for images related to this episode.
We are always looking for “invisible histories” of the Pacific NW so if you have a good story idea please reach out at invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com
Show Notes:
Hanna Brooks Olsen's webpage: hannabrooksolsen.com
LGBTQIA+ Archives about Lou Graham
Hanna's research for HistoryLink Tours: HistoryLink Tours — Union Gospel Mission/Former location of Lou Graham’s
Hanna's Seattle Met article about Lou Graham
Madam Lou Graham arrives in Seattle in February 1888
Image: Purported sex workers, Seattle ca. 1900, courtesy of Paul Dorpat.
Credits:
Music from Library of Congress:
Wohlauf noch getrunken (To Wake Up Still Drunk) 1904
Audio edited by Elke Hautala
Season 02: Episode 02
A Return to the Potter's Field
Exploring the liminal spaces on haunted and contested land along the Duwamish River
Welcome to Invisible Histories!
We bring you a special show like no other. If you've listened to the first three episodes -- and if not, look below for previous episodes -- we come to this podcast with a deep curiosity about the people who lived in this time period, how they died, and how they ended up being buried in the Potter’s Field between 1876-1912.
Elke and I wanted to transport you to where the Potter’s Field used to be, on a windy point of land in what is known today as the neighborhood of Georgetown in Seattle, WA.
We took a little field trip to 500 South Myrtle Street, deep in the side streets of Georgetown’s industrial area. We thought maybe by visiting in person, on a quiet full moon night, we perhaps could feel something there, and get some answers? ...We were definitely not trying to open a portal …..!
Listen now to hear the spirits of Madame Victoria, Coroner Charles E. Hoye, Thomas Hamilton Blanck, Mary Dugan, Millie Schiller, Lewis Jones, Fred Boalt, Joseph Miller, and Effie Lassen.
Subscribe, share, give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
Read our latest newsletter and subscribe
Check out our Instagram for images related to this episode.
We are always looking for “invisible histories” of the Pacific NW so if you have a good story idea please reach out at invisiblehistoriespnw@gmail.com
Show Notes:
HistoryLink page about the Potter's Field
The Meadows, Seattle's first great racetrack
"No Rest for The Unwept Dead" The Seattle Times, June 15, 1904, p. 9
Credits:
Sound FX from FreeSound.org
Including USC Cinema Archival Sound FX from 1930s-1960s (Craig Smith)
Juskiddink_waves-caves2
Bennstir_door-slam-1
Yin_Yang_Jake007_water-splash
Theknave_coins-into-tin-cup-2
Cueckermann_womans-harmonics-gasps
AlesiaDavina_a-sirens-song
Timbre_stretched-theremin-01
zabuhailo__hippodromewarm-up-horses
aarrnnoo__woman-crying
martina_leitschuh__people_laughing_outdoors_002
robertcrosley__elbow-river-rivulet-220602-t020
Music from FreeSound.org 1906 Marvel Player Piano from San Francisco
rtb45__mm-project-3-old-marvel-player-piano
Characters played by Elke Hautala, Clayton Ballard, Brian Dougherty, Patti Amundson, Sarah Sherman, Pat Dolan, and Andy Bookwalter. Interviews by Cari Simson. Based on actual historical research with touches of speculative fiction here and there!
Recorded at Works Progress Cooperative in Seattle WA - Seattle’s only cooperatively run coworking space - www.worksprogress.coop
Audio edited by Elke Hautala
April 2024
Season 02: Episode 01
How Can the Rolland Denny Mansion be Saved?
A Conversation with Jean Sherrard and Clay Eals about Paul Dorpat, historic preservation and Seattle Now & Then.

March 2024 was wild! We suffered technical issues in the form of a broken computer, which prevented us from getting this episode out in a timely manner. Thank goodness we are up and running again!
Thank you to our listeners, the dedicated hundreds! Subscribe, share, give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
Read our latest newsletter and subscribe
Check out our Instagram for images related to this episode.
Today, we interviewed Jean Sherrard and Clay Eals, and explored their work with Paul Dorpat and the “Now and Then” column in the Seattle Times, the pending Rolland Denny Mansion sale, historic preservation, and zooming in on old timey large format photographs.
People can learn more about the Rolland Denny mansion at www.lochkelden.com
Rolland Denny mansion address: 6601 NE Windermere Rd. Please respect neighbors and the current residents who live there.
Please contact info@historicseattle.org to let them know your ideas for how the Rolland Denny mansion could be saved.
Stay tuned for our theatrical episode about the Potter’s Field - Featuring: Clayton Ballard, Patti Amondsen, Pat Dolan, Andy Bookwalter, Brian Dougherty, and Sarah Sherman
Get out there and make some history!
Show Notes:
Rolland Denny mansion: www.lochkelden.org
Rolland Denny mansion Redfin listing (interior pics!): https://redf.in/SRTD5v
Paul Dorpat: https://pauldorpat.com/.
Now & Then Historic Hundred columns
Link to Paul's collection at Seattle Public Library:
The Helix: Seattle's first alternative newspaper
Ron Edge's work and expertise on the Paul Dorpat blog
Clay Eals' historic preservation examples: two brief TV news stories from Jan. 29, 1989, featuring Paul when the community first picketed the Admiral’s closing, leading to the landmarking of it that summer:
Music:
Little Gray Home in the West: 2-10-1916
https://www.loc.gov/item/jukebox-16428
Recorded at Works Progress Cooperative
Edited by Elke Hautala
March 2024
In our first three-part series launched in January 2024, we explore the ‘lost’ Potter’s Field, also known as the Duwamish Cemetery established in 1876 on land next to the King County Poor Farm and Hospital in what is now the Georgetown neighborhood. In just over 30 years over 3,260 people were buried there; people who due to lack of money, family or other connections had nowhere else to go when they died. In 1912 the Army Corps of Engineers embarked on the ambitious “Duwamish Canal,” turning the river’s meandering curves into a 5-mile shipping channel and turning “useless mudflats” into industrial land. The Duwamish Cemetery aka “Potter’s Field” was erased from maps and memories, all 3260 human remains were exhumed and cremated, and covered with industrial businesses .
Season 01: Episode 01
Unearthing the "Lost" Potter's Field

In Episode #1, Elke and Cari share their research experiences, and why this story of finding the lost cemetery is connected to so many aspects of Seattle's growth and development.
Our podcast music is from Samuel Coleridge Taylor's (1875 - 1912) Funeral March, Op. 79 Nº 3 (from Othello, Incidental Music)
Resources:
Friends of Georgetown History: www.foghi.org
HistoryLink article about Georgetown
King5 Evening's coverage of the "lost" Potter's Field
Recorded at Works Progress Cooperative
Edited by Elke Hautala
December 2023
Funded from a 4Culture Heritage grant, and a 2023 ArtsFund grant.
In this episode we go way back in time, to share the perspective of a character that rarely gets to tell its story — the land itself — how the cemetery removal was an example of forced industrialization and this progress at all costs mentality; contextualizing the land in Georgetown, and the existing death and burial practices of the time, as well as how there was an evolution of infrastructure as Seattle became what we like to think of as modern city in the early 1900s.
Unearth the history of the land around the Potter’s Field with us and explore a glimpse of the old Seattle. This formerly out-of-the-way place that held the dead from the early days of Washington Territory up through Statehood in 1887, was erased from maps and memories as Seattle entered the Modern era.
Featuring Elizabeth Davis PhD and music by Kevin MacLeod in a special introduction.
Resources:
(1875 - 1912) Funeral March, Op. 79 Nº 3 (from Othello, Incidental Music)
R.H. Thompson
King County Indigent Remains program
King County Medical Examiner's Office - Unidentified remains
Recorded at Works Progress Cooperative
Edited by Elke Hautala
December 2023
Season 01: Episode 02
Lay of the Land

Season 01: Episode 03

Marginalized voices from the Potter's Field
In this episode, we share some important cultural information regarding Indigenous death practices of the Coast Salish people, to answer the question, 'could the Potter's Field have previously been an 'Indian Burial Ground' as described on Findagrave.com? We include interviews from Johnny Moses and Pamela Bond Seamonster who each share the Coast Salish cultural practices of their families.
We also explore how someone would end up in the Potter's Field in the early 1900s, and more information about the King County Hospital and Poor Farm, which was also host to a Tuberculosis sanitorium through 1911. We also share the stories of over 10 individuals whose remains were interred at the Duwamish Cemetery, aka the Potter's Field, including Ingo Singh, Mary Lake, James Carter, Thomas Hamilton Blanck, and a sad story of an infant secretly buried by her parents in the dead of night.
Resources:
Asahel Curtis photos collection
Find a Grave - Duwamish Cemetery
Recorded at Works Progress Cooperative
Edited by Elke Hautala
December 2023
Season 01: Episode 04
Mini Episode: Friday 2/9/24
After a whirlwind January 2024, the Invisible Histories ladies regroup and try to tidy up the place, and catch up on what happened over the last month.
Thank you to our listeners, the dedicated hundreds! Subscribe, share, give us a review wherever you listen to podcasts!
Read our latest newsletter and subscribe
Check out our Instagram for images related to this episode.
We toured the Recompose facility in Georgetown, and learned about composting as an option for death care.
We visited the Black Heritage Society's archives in Georgetown, and learned about Black Rosie the Riveters at Boeing during WWII, including Josie Dunn, and Florice Spearman who was the first Black stenographer hired by the Boeing Company.
Coming up:
-
Rolland Denny mansion visit postponed! www.lochkelden.org
-
David Williams, author of Seattle Walks and Too High Too Steep, toured Georgetown to include neighborhood highlights in his upcoming book.
-
Future episode about Culturally Modified Trees (CMTs) as mentioned in episode #3 - connecting with representatives of the Duwamish Tribe and Snoqualmie Tribe.
-
History of Seattle neighborhoods of SODO and Harbor Island, and King County's sewer system history - starting research about this important and very hidden history.
Music: Junkman Rag by Fred Van Eps, an African American composer/musician.
Image: Seattle Municipal Archives; "Sanitary Fill 87_02_18_1914"
Recorded at Works Progress Cooperative
Edited by Elke Hautala
February 2024
