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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1920s-1930s - Heppenstall's Grocery Store Next to Foster Point BridgeIli reporter A Day in History Heppenstall's Grocery Store, as seen in this 1920s photo from the Tukwila Historical Society. Ed Heppenstall, proprietor, can be seen in the doorway. Located across from the Foster Station, the store enjoyed brisk trade throughout the 1920s and '30s. Contributed from the collection of Elsie Rinehart Tuesday, September 14, 2010 1:51 pm ia/ ,i�Ylll/////O%/%firs/%i�/////r%%�, ' r l i u Vld l lI rlll 10404 ,,�,, / 1l�N;,, � �fdi .� �wr�✓�,v c/u,�// N /, / I���„ I� I��� �%� ��O/���� ii�, �� , ��. ,,; r� -; , i s /G /0 pry /,� �r�n � i,,,, iU��I � f���ii�G/cy ��/%0/%r/%S/„�,...; Proprietor Ed Heppenstall stands in the doorway of Heppenstall Grocery, across from Foster Station on the Interurban Electric Railway. The store enjoyed brisk trade in the 192os and 193os. COURTESY PHOTO Heppenstall's Grocery Store, as seen in this 1920s photo from the Tukwila Historical Society. Ed Heppenstall, proprietor, can be seen in the doorway. Located across from the Foster Station, the store enjoyed brisk trade throughout the 1920s and '30s. Contributed from the collection of Elsie Rinehart The history of Heppenstall I Tukwila's Story Long before the mall and other retail began to form a shopping mecca along Southcenter Parkway, small stores thrived along the Interurban corridor in the first half of the 20th century. • Friday, July 21, 2017 1:03pm • By Pat Brodin Tukwila Historical Society Long before the mall and other retail began to form a shopping mecca along Southcenter Parkway, small stores thrived along the Interurban corridor in the first half of the 20th century. These businesses were generally at a railway stop or riverboat landing. One such place was Heppenstall Grocery at the corner of Interurban Avenue and 56th Avenue near where the Metro Park and Ride sits today. Edward Heppenstall went to the Yukon area of Alaska during the gold rush in 1897. After 24 years, he moved from Wiseman, Alaska, to the lower Foster neighborhood, joining his five brothers who lived in the area. With six Heppenstall brothers and their growing families around Foster, they would joke about changing the name to Heppenstallville. When Heppenstall arrived in 1921, he planned to start a business. He decided to build a grocery store and constructed a two-story, wood -framed building. For the next 16 years, the building was a business and a home for Heppenstall and his family. Members of the family delivered orders to customers who used the 10-party telephone line to request items. The store was well stocked with groceries like flour, sugar, beans and dried peas in 100-pound sacks. Cookies came in large boxes but were displayed on racks and sold in amounts the customer requested. Buckets, coal scuttles and lanterns hung from the ceiling. A kerosene drum and chickenfeed sat in the in the back storage room. Ho la IulHIi' �ru'ilttiti'il 'wool � i�WNuWud'Mll'� iftlaikva ii'YI"Yll' d1U �h� �nl�9�f iInI�BVM'il1 eNl 11 uuoi i I u uuuuu �4'd1"v� 'i�'N�tiI�rIM+ �P�WrVI �Jniro",�9R�IIY�y Vaaillag Heppenstall kept his entrepreneurial insights keenly focused through the years. After Prohibition ended in 1933, he built a tavern on the north side of the store and called it the 19th Hole for its proximity to the golf course. Excerpts for this article come from the book "Tukwila — Community at the Crossroads" by Dr. Kay F. Reinartz. Pat Brodin is past president of the Tukwila Historical Society. Photo from Tukwila City Clerk's Office. 4 ( NOVEMBER 2015 « www.TUKWILAREPORTER.com Ever -changed Duwamish still fulfills mighty role BY LOUISE JONES-BROWN PRESIDENT, TUKWILA HISTORICAL SOCIETY The photograph featured this month is a view of the bridge built in 1939 to allow vehicle access to the area called Foster Point. This view was in danger of being erased within a couple of decades. The first pioneer settlers, Luther Collins along with Jacob and Samuel Maple in 1851, established their land claims with access to the Duwamish River. The Duwamish people had been using it for thousands of years with villages and food sources locat- ed along the river banks. Industries began to change the river in the late 1800s and by 1909 plans were made to shorten the Duwamish's original 13 1/2 miles to a mere 4 1/2 miles. Dredging the new waterway began in 1913 and with the lowering of The bridge near Heppenstall's store crossed over the Du- wamish River at Foster Point. Tukwila HistoricalSociety Lake Washington at the same time, the Black River was totally erased from existence. In the 1940s, the Port of Seattle revealed plans to straighten the re- mainder of the existing Duwamish all the way to the Renton Junction to establish a cargo terminal in the Val- ley. This project was met with a law- suit filed by local landowners in the state Supreme Court as well as the site becoming the latest annexation by the City of Tukwila. Once the lawsuit was settled and the dredg- ing was avoided, the plans were set for the new development which be- came known as Southcenter. The present-day Duwamish River has seen more than 160 years of changes to the land surround- ing the wandering course through Tukwila and is still at the "Cross- roads" of the past, present and fu- ture. Louise Jones -Brown is president of the Tukwila Historical Society. The society operates the Tukwila Heri- tage and Cultural Center, 14475 59th Ave. S., Tukwila. Reach the center by phone at 206-244-HIST (4478) or via email at tukwilaher- itagectr@tukwilahistoryorg CALENDAR OF EVENTS Here is the calender for the Tukwila Historical Society for the rest of the year: • Nov.19, 7 p.m.: Reg- ular monthly member at the Tukwila Heritage and Cultural Center, 14475 59th Ave. S., Tukwila. • Dec. 17, 7 p.m.: An- nual holiday meeting at the Nelsen family residence, built in 1905, 15643 West Valley High- way, Tukwila. RSVP by calling the Tukwila His- torical Society at 206/- 244-HIST (4478) as food and beverages will be provided. Heppenstall Grocery on Interurban Avenue South, across from the 56th Avenue South Bridge and Foster Station. A white building to the right is the field office of King County Engineering Department. "In 1921, Edward Heppenstall moved to Foster to join his five brothers, who lived in the area. He decided to build a grocery store and put a two-story wood frame building. For the next 16 years the building was both business and home for the Heppenstall family. Orders were phoned in on the 10- party telephone line and delivered to customers twice daily by family members." "With the six brothers, their wives, and more than a dozen children, there were so many Heppenstalls around Foster that they used to joke about changing the name to "Heppenstallvile." Excerpt from Tukwila Community at the Crossroads by Kay F. Reinarts. © 1991 by the City of Tukwila. All rights reserved. 111 u1rNi Im mol utluVllVummm" '111 lild III iG��ml� ,ORTIIIME°* 'STATION S ;W+mmikept*. C i..waallk 1,41loatott p t Tho (howdu0) p"levf ""W, CMVM, laorktM IC* Milk LIMO VIACT 11104 Ip nu,k'��m��w im }� br'��� "; ,�`a„Y4nnnna�Jp ' iP � r 1,111 ��ipll �l`illl'`��6° I it �lotie�°hllrl1hr I, F r sire H ii�i. Mill p. fi impogo tVISYMACC OS