Neely Mansion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Aaron Neely, Sr. Mansion
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Neely Mansion, Spring of 2006
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 Location in Washington (state)
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| Location | Highway 18 near Auburn, Washington |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1894 |
| Architectural style | Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001955 |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1974 |
The Neely Mansion is a beautiful old house built in 1894. It's designed in the Victorian style, which was popular during the time of Queen Victoria. You can find it near Auburn, in a place called Lake Morton-Berrydale, Washington.
This mansion is very special! It's listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington State Heritage Register. These lists are like special honors for buildings that are important to history.
For many years, from the 1950s to the 1970s, the house started to fall apart. But then, people in the local community decided to save it! They worked hard to fix it up. For a short time, while it was being restored, the house was even used as a haunted house by students from Auburn High School. Luckily, that stopped once the mansion started looking like its old self again. Today, a group of volunteers who love history own and take care of the Neely Mansion.
Contents
What Does It Look Like?
The Neely Mansion is a two-story house made of wood planks called clapboard. It has a square shape. The front door is right in the middle, with two windows on either side. The other three sides of the house each have three windows. All the windows have fancy frames and decorations above them. You can also see cool wooden carvings, called scrollwork, under each window ledge.
A decorative band, like a fancy border, separates the first floor from the second floor. There are porches on the sides of the house on the ground level. The front porch has a balcony on the second floor, covered by a small roof. This roof has a triangular shape, and inside it, you'll find diamond-shaped wooden shingles and a round window in the center.
Inside the Mansion
Step inside the Neely Mansion, and you'll notice the high ceilings and large, open rooms. On the first floor, you'll find the kitchen, dining room, a sitting room (called a parlor back then), and the main bedroom. The second floor has more bedrooms.
The bottom five feet of the walls in the house are covered with beautiful maple wood panels. The top part of the walls is smooth white plaster. When the house was first built, there was no electricity! People used candles and oil lamps that hung from the ceiling. You could even raise and lower these lamps by hand.
Later, before World War II, electricity was finally added to the house. In 1948, the roof got new shingles, and the house received a new foundation. The front porch also got a strong concrete base.
The Neely Family Story
The Neely family was one of the very first families to settle in Washington's Green River Valley. David Neely and his family made a long, tough journey from Tennessee in 1853. They crossed a mountain pass called Naches Pass and arrived near Enumclaw in what was then Washington territory. David Neely later settled in Kent. He and his family were safe during some conflicts with Native Americans in 1855.
David Neely's son, Aaron, later moved to Auburn. He got married, and his daughter Lenore was born in 1879. Soon after Lenore was born, Aaron moved to the spot where the Neely Mansion now stands. He and a few workers built the mansion in 1894.
The Neely Mansion was a lively place! Many fun parties were held there for friends and neighbors. People would often spend the night at the house, especially when they came to Auburn for shopping trips. During these parties, all the doors on the first floor would be opened wide. Guests would dance and swirl from room to room, enjoying music played by local fiddlers.
The Neely family owned the mansion until the mid-1970s. Then, in 1984, a group of volunteers called the Neely Mansion Association bought the building. They have been working hard ever since to restore and preserve this historic home.
Why Is This House Important?
The Neely Mansion is important for a few reasons. First, it's a great example of how houses were built back then. It shows how easy it became to use ready-made wooden decorations on a simple house design.
Second, the mansion also shows that families in areas near Seattle were becoming more wealthy. It was a sign of growing prosperity in the region.
Finally, the Neely Mansion was a very important social center for the entire Green River Valley. It was a place where people gathered, celebrated, and built community.
