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 a long time ago. You can find it near Auburn, in a place called Lake Morton-Berrydale, Washington. This special house is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington State Heritage Register. This means it's an important part of history!
For many years, from the 1950s to the 1970s, the mansion started to fall apart. But then, people in the community decided to save it. They worked hard to fix it up and bring it back to its original look. During the early days of restoration, the house was even used as a fun haunted house by students from Auburn High School! Today, a group of volunteers owns and cares for the mansion.
Contents
What Does the Mansion Look Like?
The Neely Mansion is a two-story house with a square shape. It has a type of siding called clapboard. The front door is right in the middle, with two windows on each side. The other three sides of the house also have three windows each. All the windows have fancy decorations around them.
There's a cool decorative border between the first and second floors. On the ground level, there are porches on the sides that stretch along the house. The front porch has a balcony on the second floor, covered by a small roof called a gable. This gable has diamond-shaped 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 rooms. The first floor has a kitchen, dining room, a formal living room called a parlor, and the main bedroom. Upstairs, you'll find more bedrooms.
The bottom five feet of the walls in the house are covered with pretty maple wood panels. The top part of the walls is smooth white plaster. When the house was first built, it was lit by candles and oil lamps. These lamps hung from the ceiling and could be moved up and down by hand. Later, before World War II, electricity was added to the house. In 1948, the roof was re-shingled, and the front porch got a new concrete base.
The Neely Family Story
The Neely family was one of the first families to settle in Washington's Green River Valley. They made a long and dangerous journey from Tennessee in 1853. After crossing the Naches Pass, they arrived near Enumclaw. David Neely, the father, settled in Kent. His family was safe during attacks by 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, Aaron moved to the spot where the Neely Mansion now stands. He and some workers built the mansion in 1894.
The Neely Mansion was a lively place! The family often hosted big parties for their friends and neighbors. People would sometimes stay overnight after shopping trips to Auburn. During these parties, all the doors on the first floor would be opened. Guests would dance from room to room to music played by local fiddlers.
The Neely family owned the mansion until the mid-1970s. In 1984, a group of volunteers called the Neely Mansion Association bought the house. They have been working to restore and preserve this historic home ever since.
Why Is This House Special?
The Neely Mansion is important for a few reasons. It shows how people used ready-made wooden decorations to make a simple house plan look fancy. It also tells us about how families in areas near Seattle became more wealthy. The mansion was also a very important social spot for the Green River Valley community, where many gatherings and parties took place.
