07/ 10, 2008	Contact:	Patricia Cosgrove, Museum Director
For Immediate Release		(253) 288-7437

MARY OLSON FARM NEED VOLUNTEER TOUR GUIDES

Restoration Efforts of King County Landmark Continue; Call for Historic Documents, Help Naming Chicks

AUBURN, Wash. – Auburn Rotary recently awarded White River Valley Museum with a $7,000 grant to fund a pilot school field trip program to Mary Olson Farm starting mid September and running through November. More than 2,000 first and sixth grade students from Auburn School District will participate. First grade students will explore where our food comes from and the sixth graders will study stream ecology while salmon are spawning in Olson Creek. Auburn Rotary earns funds for community charity programs such as this through their golf tournament.

Volunteer tour guides are needed at Mary Olson Farm to help with the school field trips. Guides receive training to learn about one tour station and presentation per age level. An application process that includes a background check is required to volunteer. For more information, call the White River Valley Museum at 253-288-7433.

The White River Valley Museum is working with the City of Auburn to restore Mary Olson Farm, the most intact 1880s family farm in King County. It opens in 2009 as a living history and environmental learning site. The farm is a King County Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. Significant features include an 1897 barn, a 1902 farmhouse and two salmon runs in Olson Creek.

FARM RESTORATION NEARS COMPLETION WITH SUMMER PROJECTS
Restoration efforts will continue this summer to prepare for the public opening in late 2009, including working with King County using wetlands mitigation funds to reshape and rehabilitate the north bank of Olson Creek that runs through the farm adjacent to Green River Road. The bank is currently undercut and will fall into the stream without this work.

External restoration to the 1902 farmhouse will continue with refurbishing the doors, replacing the foundation skirting and washing, priming and painting the exterior for the first time in decades. All of the farmhouse windows were recently restored.

Other summer projects include development of plans for restoring the farmhouse interior, landscaping around the farmhouse, and designing the parking lot and restrooms.

CALL FOR HISTORIC FARM DOCUMENTS
Mary Olson Farm recently received a contribution of significant historical documents pertaining to the Olson family from the estate of Doris Ramstead. Historic documents and photos help the architects make accurate restoration plans. Members of the community with historic photos and other information about the Olson family and Mary Olson Farm are encouraged to contact Patricia Cosgrove, director of the White River Valley Museum and Mary Olson Farm at 253-288-7437 or pcosgrove@auburnwa.gov.

LEGHORN CHICKS NEED NAMES
Kristen Bruhahn, administrative assistant and bookkeeper for the City of Auburn, has been dubbed Curator of Poultry for Mary Olson Farm. Bruhahn lovingly raised 11 fluffy white chicks that now reside in the farm’s historic chicken house. The chicks are Leghorns, the same breed seen in historic farm photographs.

The White River Valley Museum and Mary Olson Farm hope to name each chick and need your help. The names should stay true to the chicks’ fluffy white nature. Contact Bruhahn with suggestions at 253-288-7445 or kbruhahn@auburnwa.gov.


ABOUT THE WHITE RIVER VALLEY MUSEUM
The White River Valley Museum is a partnership with the City of Auburn and combines history and culture to create an exciting and educational experience for visitors. Museum collections focus on local Puget Sound history, Northwest Indian culture, Japanese immigration and the Northern Pacific Railroad.

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday and is located at 918 H St. SE in Auburn. Regular hours are noon – 4 p.m. Admission is free on Wednesdays. Call 253-288-7433 for event information.