Chief Seattle Honored by Hampton’s
Save-A-Landmark® Program with
Refurbishment of Old Man House Park
Chief Seattle, the legendary namesake of Seattle, Wash., was celebrated
with the refurbishment of Old Man House Park, the site of the honored
chief’s original birthplace and home. The
Suquamish Tribe worked in conjunction with Hampton Hotels’
Save-A-Landmark® program (www.hamptonlandmarks.com)
to refurbish and beautify the one-acre waterfront park grounds.
Dozens of volunteers from local Hampton Hotels and the Suquamish Tribe
spent an estimated 100 hours improving the park, which included
cleaning, pruning and landscaping the park and beach grounds, re-grading
the switchback walking trail, repairing existing signage and parking
stalls, and sanding and painting picnic tables and benches.
“The early settlers of the city of Seattle
honored Chief Seattle by naming their home for him. He was not only a
prominent figure among his people, he’s an
important part of American history,” said Judy
Christa-Cathey, vice president of brand marketing for Hampton Hotels. “We’re
excited to have the opportunity to work closely with the Suquamish Tribe
on this improvement effort, ensuring that future visitors of Old Man
House Park will continue to enjoy the brilliant landscape and learn more
about the legacy Chief Seattle has left behind.”
In 1855, Chief Seattle signed the Point Elliot Treaty which established
the Port Madison Indian Reservation for the Suquamish People. Old Man
House, a derivative of the Indian word “o-le-man,”
meaning strong man, once held an impressive longhouse built by Chief
Seattle’s father. It reportedly housed eight
great Indian Chiefs and their families and was the last active
traditional winter house utilized by the Suquamish Tribal Community.
Although no photographs exist of the structure, it was known to be the
largest cedar longhouse on the West Coast, estimated to be 600 feet long
and as wide as 60 feet in some places.
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission returned ownership
of Old Man House Park to the Suquamish Tribe in 2005. Return of the
historic site, where Chief Seattle was born and lived, to tribal
ownership was a cause for celebration, honoring Native American culture
and the legacy of Chief Seattle.
In 2008, Hampton Hotels Save-A-Landmark®
program has been devoted to honoring “Landmark
Legends,” such as Chief Seattle, who each
have instilled positive change to America and will remind the world of
the greater legacy each of these legends has left behind. The Old Man
House Park was the fourth Save-A-Landmark®
project of 2008, and the 39th in the program’s
nine-year history.
