5/30/2007 7:32:00 AM Winona Prill writes Quilcene heritage history book
Winona Prill has produced the 374-page book Quilcene’s Heritage, Looking Back, which is the most extensive published collection of Quilcene history to date. Photo by Mari McGrady
How does one single-handedly compile a regional nonfiction book of 374 pages? Winona Prill, in her straight-ahead way, has a straightforward answer.
"The [Quilcene Historical] museum has had interest from visitors looking for information on their ancestors and also any books we might have on the history of Quilcene," said Prill. In 2002, she explained, George Green, the grandson of Walter Green who owned Green's Shingle Mill, and some of his family came to the museum "all the way from Maryland looking for information on the mill, and we really didn't have much to show them. It seemed like it was time to do some research."
When the museum closed for the winter that year, Prill began the research. What began as a fact-finding mission became a three-year project, with one or two trips each week to the Jefferson County Historical Society Research Center. She made copies of articles and brought them home, storing dates and headlines on Excel, retyping everything, and compiling museum photos to correspond with her research material.
Prill compiled Quilcene's history dating back to the pre-1900s by going through rolls of microfilm of the Port Townsend Leader, the Quilcene Queen, a few old Megaphones and other old newspapers of early times. Many people donated photos, which enriched the visualization of Quilcene of many years ago.
And yes, Green's Shingle Mill was a big part of Quilcene's history, circa 1910, and is included in her book.
In the course of her research, Prill discovered that Quilcene had many dreams that never materialized. One such dream was that Quilcene would become a metropolis along the railroad connecting Olympia to the terminus in Port Townsend. Another was that mining, mainly the Tubal Cain Mine, would bring greater prosperity to the area.
Yet some dreams have come true. An oyster business in Quilcene Bay still exists, contributing to the local economy. In 1891, Quilcene leaders wanted to develop a community water system; it was accomplished in 2006.
The project's most difficult part?
"After the completion of the book, I had it sent off for printing. The first draft came back with lines missing, words absent, and words in new places and disappearances of whole portions. I had to rework everything - several times, in fact."
The most fun part?
"I was interested in what I was doing, and I never knew what bit of information would come up next."
Advice for others thinking of undertaking a major project?
"You're never too old to take on a new project and learn something new. Keep interested in life."
An area of local history that deserves still more research?
"Someone ought to do the history of the railroad for the Olympic Peninsula."
Copies of Quilcene's Heritage, Looking Back are available at Quilcene Historical Museum, just off Center Road in Quilcene. Cost is $27.50 (plus $5 postage, if mailed). The museum is open 1-5 p.m. Friday through Monday until Sept. 23. Call the museum at 765-4848, or reach it at P.O. Box 574, Quilcene, WA 98376.
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