SKANSIE NETSHED WINS!
Thank you!!
Skansie Netshed was one of 25 historic properties in the Puget Sound region chosen to compete for $1M dollars in grant money. Each person could VOTE ONCE EVERY DAY from their email account(s) for 30 days from April 15 to May 12th. The National Trust for Historic Preservation sponsored the Partners in Preservation Program thanks to a generous contribution from American Express. The top vote-getters were the Schooner Adventuress of Sound Experience and Town Hall Seattle -- They will be awarded $125,000 each.
Skansie Netshed tied in third place with Point No Point Lighthouse -- both will receive $100K in restoration funds. 7 other projects out of the original 25 candidates will receive an award ranging from $50,000 to $90,000. Go to NEWS RELEASE for the full list of awards and more details.
WHAT A CELEBRATION!
The May 1st Event drew hundreds of community residents, visitors and new voters for the Partners in Preservation competition. Century Link registered Skansie Netshed supporters on-the-spot and a birthday cake from Suzanne's Deli marked the site's 100 year birthday.
The Vela Luka's danced and the Ruze Dalmatinke Orchestra played, the Tides served chowder, the Fishermen's Club and Kiwanis flipped Chum burgers, Forza served free coffee and Il Lucano's offered pasta and sandwiches throughout the day. There were artists, t-shirts and face painting. Lucy and Luke sang, the GH-Peninsula Symphony Orchestra Clarinet Quintet performed and the Boys & Girls Club provided activities for kids. The historic doors to the Netshed were open to the public for the first time ever. It was a great day.
Croatians, Skansies and cousins of cousins were everywhere. The reoccurring theme was: preservation of Gig Harbor's colorful cultural heritage matters.
Special thanks to our community for each and every vote, and to all Open House Sponsors that made the event such a success.
SKANSIE BROTHERS NETSHED - 100 YEARS OLD
No one knows the exact date and we’re pretty sure that there wasn’t a celebration but sometime back in 1910, Andrew (probably with the help of his brothers, Mitchell, Peter and Joseph) cut the last piece of lumber and dug-in the last timber pile for the dock and shed now known as the Skansie Brothers Netshed. The iconic blue and red-roofed structure in the heart of downtown is celebrating 100 years this May. It represents one of the oldest and most recognizable sites in
Our History…
The region’s first peoples built complex cultures around canoe routes and salmon cycles, and communities were connected to the world by boat long before roads and railroads. About 25 years after Captain Wilkes discovered and named “Gig” Harbor in 1841, Samuel Jerisich arrived and settled at the entrance of the Harbor or “sandspit”. The abundance of fish and his skills as a fisherman drew others from his homeland off the coast of
As early as 1900...
Today...
some of the piling that are supposed to support the Skansie dock, have rotted and are hanging from it. Sections of the deck are failing and chunks of wood jury-rigged as shims brace cross-members as piling caps. Though not yet open to the public, the City is committed to preserving it. The netsheds are "a really rare resource," says Megan Duvall, the certified local government and survey coordinator with the Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation. "[The netsheds] are a living reminder of what built their town; a conscious, physical reminder of the roots of the city."
The Skansie netshed will open with limited access for the day of the event.
Andrew and Antone Skansie
In the winter of 1929, Mitchell Skansie informed his brother Andrew that his shipyard had a generous supply of excellent lumber. After negotiations, construction started and was complete in time for the summer fishing season. The name of the new vessel, Avalon, was the suggestion of Andrew's daughter, Jeroma.
Andrew skippered the Avalon in 1929, chartered her for herring in 1930, then ran her again until he retired after the 1934 season. He then had several people operate the boat. In 1940, Nick Mosich was scheduled to skipper the boat but at the last minute had to decline.
Mosich suggested Andrew's son, Antone. Antone had worked as a crewman on the boat and remembers well the prospect of becoming skipper:
"I didn't sleep for three nights after that. It wasn't easy to start out then: no power in the seine skiffs, no reels, no power blocks, no fathometer, no radar. Was I ready for this responsibility? I'd find out soon enough. After a few days I began feeling more confident...but I do remember when we left the harbor for fishing, my dad was standing on the dock with tears in his eyes, seeing us kids take the boat out. I knew he was worried."
Antone's brothers Vincie and Peter were with him and he soon proved to be a top-notch skipper. He continued to skipper the vessel until his brothers retired in 1987. The Skansies sold the Avalon in 1990. In 1995, it was still operating as a seiner out of
--excerpt from Harbor History Museum
Additional Information: 2009 SKANSIE HAER REPORT
More info on the EVENT and PICTURES
NEWS ARTICLES AND STORIES (The Croatian Connection and Gig Harbor's Heritage)
City Celebrates Fishing Heritage In Grand Style
Peninsula Gateway -- May 4, 2010
Gig Harbor's Skansie Net Shed Birthday Party Draws Big Crowd
Gig Harbor Life -- May 3, 2010
The Bujacich Brothers - Elders of Gig Harbor's Fishing Community
Gig Harbor Life -- April 28, 2010
Fishermen's Wives Are A Hardy Bunch
Gig Harbor Life -- April 16, 2010
Skansie Net Shed Could Be Preserved With A Little Bit Of Help From Voters
Peninsula Gateway -- April 20, 2010
Skansie Net Shed Needs Your Vote To Earn Restoration Contribution
Peninsula Gateway -- April 20, 2010
Gig Harbor Icon Remembers Early Days of Fishing
Gig Harbor Life -- April 19, 2010
Net Shed To Turn 100
Peninsula Gateway -- April 6, 2010
Net Shed A Symbol For Gig Harbor Heritage
Peninsula Gateway -- April 6, 2010
Gig Harbor's Skansie Net Shed to Hit Century Mark
Gig Harbor Life -- March 29, 2010
Vineyard Opens in Olalla
Peninsula Gateway -- September 30, 2009
Puget Sound Eyes National Maritime Heritage Designation
Peninsula Gateway -- August 12, 2009
Restoring the Commencement
Peninsula Gateway -- August 19, 2009
Puget Sound Could Become a National Martime Heritage Area
Peninsula Gateway -- May 27, 2009
Keeping the Maritime City's Legacy
Peninsula Gateway -- February 24, 2008