Progress Report: "The Big Brown History
Book is Moving Forward
Slowly but Surely;
Advance Copies Still Available.
The histories of the historical towns of Port Blakeley
(top photo), Silverdale, Olalla, Port Orchard and hundreds of other communities
are chronicled in the Big Brown Book, currently undergoing a reprint. Schools, libraries, governments and Native American subjects are included, too.
A third printing
of "Kitsap County: A History" ison sale now for
the remarkable pre-publication price of $50 plus applicable sales tax.
Purchasing it early serves several purposes: First, it helps the
Historical Society pay for the pre-press costs; second, it assures you
that a personal copy will be reserved in your name; and third, you will be
saving a significant amount off of the cover price.
The book can be
purchased through the Museum Gift Store or by calling the society offices.This volume
is historical in itself, and there are few communities in the Pacific
Northwest -- or, in all of the United States, for that matter -- that can
boast such an extensive collection of local histories, letters, public
records and photographs in a single volume. Nearly
every community in the county -- even some that have since vanished -- are
documented. The histories of their founders, homesteads, businesses,
and colorful personalities have been included, as well as the everyday people who laid
the groundwork for modern life here. Much of the information is in the
form of actual letters and diaries written by the settlers themselves. The most recent
printing has proven to be a tremendous task, because many of the
photographs have been misplaced or are difficult to replicate. The revised
volume was originally
scheduled to be printed by the end of
2008, but the complexity of the task at hand and the conversion of the contents from
1974 technology to what is used today has been time-consuming.
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