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closeKey Peninsula Historical Society marvels at one of few original homes remaining
Mills family lives on 19 acres on Vaughn Bay
Hugh McMillan
Special to the Gateway
A clear sun-bathed day welcomed the annual Key Peninsula Historical Society Pioneer Picnic last month. Friendly historians, several of whom helped make the Key’s history, gathered on Vaughn Bay’s shore at the historic Mills home built in 1914 on the site of Mr. William Vaughn’s original homestead.
The multi-generation Mills family still occupies some 19 acres of the land, with the fifth generation living in the house. It is one of the few original homes left on Vaughn Bay.
The event was hosted by Don, Judy, Lisa, Kelson, Mackenzie, Robin, Ruby and Bailey Mills.
Don Mills entertained guests with anecdotes of the family’s past, including his volunteer work with the Key Peninsula Fire Department, for which he ultimately became volunteer chief.
Mills described how Dominic and Helen Mills arrived in Vaughn in 1908 to purchase 50 acres on the south side of the bay for $3,200, and that the deal also included a cow and a row boat.
There, they raised one daughter, Mary, and two sons, Theodore and George. They farmed the land and raised chickens for eggs, which they sent via Mosquito Fleet boats to markets in Olympia and Tacoma.
The original home, built in 1908, was torn down while they built their new, larger dwelling.
“They lived in the old, log cabin Mr. Vaughn had built during his short stay,” Mills said. “A broken leg forced him to move to Steilacoom for recovery, and he never returned to live at Vaughn,” the city that bears his name.
Key Peninsula Historical Society members shared many memories of local history, discussing school days, picnicking in the area, using the light of the moon to cross the bay for meetings, growing plants and flowers that are still in neighbors’ gardens, shopping at the old stores and attending the quaint Vaughn community church, which has since been replaced with a private home.
Some of the attending members who represented early families included Dulcie (Van Slyke) Schillinger, Joyce (Olson) Niemann, Colleen (O’Hara) Slater, Evelyn (Dadisman) Evans, Don and Shirley (Rickert) Olson, Marge (Rickert) Radonich, Jane (Bradley) Van Slyke, Linda (Jopp) Armour and Gloria Strittmatter.
Members said the historical society has a wealth of materials covering the whole Key Peninsula, from Longbranch to Purdy. The artifacts and printed materials are housed at the society’s museum in the Key Peninsula Civic Center in Vaughn.
The museum is open Thursdays and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. There is no admission fee.
“Historical society membership is open to anyone interested in preserving our valuable heritage and entitles members to attend quarterly potluck meetings with a large variety of interesting topics and delicious, homemade food,” Judy Mills said.
Members are encouraged to volunteer for a variety of museum projects and to act as docents for visitors. Board meetings are held on the first Thursdays of each month at the museum during open hours.
For more information, call Joyce Niemann at 253-884-3702.