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. The program’s ultimate
goal is to “save”
a landmark in each of the 50 states by the end of 2010.
The 2008 Hampton Hotels Save-A-Landmark campaign is dedicated to
preserving the historical sites of “Landmark
Legends,” honoring those that have made a
positive impact on American history. “Landmark
Legends” was launched in early 2008 with the
restoration of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tenn.,
honoring the 40th anniversary of Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.’s untimely passing. The
program has also celebrated historic Americans such as pioneer author
Laura Ingalls Wilder and aviator Amelia Earhart, and will be remembering
showman PT Barnum with the refurbishment of the Barnum
Museum as well as Edgar Poe and the Poe
Museum this fall.
The 2008 landmark locations were generated from a nationwide survey,
conducted by Hampton Hotels, to celebrate the accomplishments of those
Americans who have inspired change, overcome adversity and made a
difference. Those looking to discover other locations devoted to
historic individuals – or to possibly
nominate their own “Landmark Legend”
– can visit the Save-A-Landmark site at www.hamptonlandmarks.com
and click on “submit a landmark”
to enter a nomination for a legendary landmark or mail recommendations
to: c/o Save-A-Landmark, 8730 Sunset Blvd., 5th
Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90069. Below is just a sample of “heroic”
landmarks already included in the program’s
online database.
-
Jesse Owens Memorial Park, Danville, Ala.: This park honors
Olympic great Jesse
Owens, an Oakville native who won four gold medals in the 1936
Berlin Olympic Games, the first American and the second athlete in
history to win four gold medals.
-
Jackie Robinson Birthplace, Cairo, Ga.: Born here on January
31, 1919, to sharecroppers and enslaved grandparents on what was once
a plantation, Jackie
Robinson – the first African-American
major league baseball player – was just two
years old when his mother packed up Jackie and his four siblings,
hopped on a train and headed to California.
-
Hellen Keller Birthplace, Tuscumbia, Ala.: This small
birthplace cottage was the site of the remarkable story of Helen
Keller, the woman who was struck blind and deaf after becoming ill
around the age of two. The home, called Ivy Green, eventually became
the living quarters for Helen and her teacher, Anne Sullivan, whose
huge teaching strides with Helen began by simply spelling out the word “water”
in Helen’s hand as she pumped water over it.
-
Celia Cruz and Freedom Tower, Miami, Fla.: The Cuban songstress Celia
Cruz, “the Queen of Salsa,”
performed at Freedom Tower during a 2001 fundraiser to turn the site
into a museum, and was later brought to the tower after her death so
tens of thousands of mourners could pay their last respects to the
legendary singer. Known as the Ellis Island of the Cuban community,
Freedom Tower is where immigration officials processed more than
500,000 Cubans who fled the country in the 1960s.
Hampton’s Save-A-Landmark program is
continuing its ninth year preserving historical, fun and cultural
landmarks, from the Carousel
Gardens in New Orleans, La. to the historical National
Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, Mass. During this time, the
program has helped research landmarks in need, promoted landmark sites
and their importance, facilitated thousands of volunteer hours, donated
several tons of supplies and worked with matching grants —
all at an investment of more than $2.5 million. Uniting its hotels
together in the communities they serve, Hampton employee-volunteers work
hand-in-hand on the landmarks while Hampton provides the financial
support to refurbish selected sites.
About Hampton Hotels
Hampton, which includes Hampton Inn, Hampton by Hilton and Hampton Inn &
Suites hotels, is a mid-priced leader in the lodging segment. Hampton is
part of Hilton Hotels Corporation, a leading global hospitality company,
with more than 3,000 hotels and 500,000 rooms in 74 countries and
territories, with more than 135,000 team members worldwide. The company
owns, manages or franchises some of the best known and highly regarded
hotel brands including Hilton®,
Conrad® Hotels &
Resorts, Doubletree®,
Embassy Suites Hotels®,
Hampton Inn®,
Hampton Inn & Suites®,
Hilton Garden Inn®,
Hilton Grand Vacations™, Homewood Suites by
Hilton® and The
Waldorf=Astoria Collection™.
Hilton Hotels Corporation is an Official Sponsor of the U.S. Olympic
Team, which will extend through the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter
Games in Vancouver, the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London, the
2010/2012 U.S. Paralympic Team and the 2011 U.S. Pan American Team.
The Hilton Family of Hotels adheres to founder Conrad Hilton’s
philosophy that, “It has been, and continues
to be, our responsibility to fill the earth with the light and warmth of
hospitality.” The company put a name to its
unique brand of service that has made it the best known and most highly
regarded hotel company: be hospitable®.
The philosophy is shared by all brands in the Hilton Family of Hotels,
and is the inspiration for its overarching message of kindness and
generosity.
For more information about Hampton Hotels, please visit www.hampton.com/pressandmedia.
Hampton Brand Communications
Charmaine Easie-Samuels, 901-374-6462
Charmaine.Easie-Samuels@hilton.com
or
Cohn
& Wolfe
Esther Rawlings, 310-967-2953
Esther.Rawlings@cohnwolfe.com
