Walla Walla 2020 website treasure trove of historical sites

Walla Walla Union Bulletin : By Annie Charnley Eveland : As of Saturday, January 31, 2015

As temperatures hover near some semblance of warmth and the weather hints at improving, consider checking out the historic homes and buildings in this area by bike, on foot or on four wheels. You may live in one of these places — or next door to one.

They can be found via the Walla Walla 2020’s Historic Research & Plaque Project interactive map. It includes more than 250 historic structures Walla Walla 2020 has researched, most which received an identifying plaque.

Dan Clark with 2020 said the website features photos of the buildings and full copies of the research reports that list residents and ownership. Users can click on the photos and access a database searchable by the year the structure was built and other criteria.

“This is a tremendous community resource,” he said. Chief researchers Mary Meeker, Walla Walla 2020 webmaster Chris Baird and Steve Wilen contributed to the project.

Organizers started Walla Walla 2020 in 1988. Its goal is to “protect and enhance the quality of life in the Walla Walla Valley and promote a more sustainable and healthy community conducive to living, working, creating and raising a family.”

Volunteers have planted trees in parks and waysides, created bike lanes throughout town, encouraged public art and supported the farmers market.

Current officers are Barbara Clark, president; Bob Carson, vice president; Linda Herbert, secretary; and Sandy Shelin, treasurer.

Directors include the officers and Daniel, Mary, Chris and Sandra Cannon, Jon Cole, Stanley Green, Chris Howard, Kathy Howard, Lynn Knapp, Jeanne McMenemy, Douglas Morton and Andy Pryor. For more details, write to Walla Walla 2020, P.O. Box 1222, Walla Walla, WA 99362; see the website; or email ww2020@charter.net.

Etcetera appears in daily and Sunday editions. Annie Charnley Eveland can be reached at annieeveland@wwub.com or afternoons at 526-8313.