Borst Historical Homestead and Gardens:
Today we head back to Puyallup so we can wake up near the fair in the morning. Since it was too early to head straight to Puyallup we stopped at a historic point in Borst Park before we left Chehalis. I wish the home and schoolhouse had been open for touring. We got to tour the outside and learn a little about the Borst Family who settled in the area along with one other family (the Ford family) in 1846 (I hope that year is right). The date on the house is the date this home was erected. 
One room schoolhouse. I thought it was appropriate to take the kids picture here since it was kind of like they were at school. :)
Some views of the Borst home.
Sadly, a small cemetery where the Borsts buried 5 of their children.
I would not have taken photos here except that the children no longer rest here. Their remains were moved to another cemetery in town when the grounds became open to the public.
It was hard to stand here and imagine the heartache of losing 5 children in 8 years.
The site is also recognized as an Oregon Trail stop since the area became an ending point for Oregon trail pioneers.
They also had a peaceful garden planted here.
I found the most unusual flower. These were the seeds. Unfortunately the picture of the flower itself didn't turn out and I lost the seeds on the journey home so I may never find out what it was.
This was a flower Anna found on the ground. She didn't pick it. But when she looked down and saw it she noticed it matched her dress.
We had a nice time here. It was a good pace for the day before the Fair.
Next we headed to our hotel in Puyallup and got some really nice adjoining rooms at the Holiday Inn near the fair grounds. FYI this hotel is really nice to large families, has a great pool and hot tub and free, unlimited dvd rentals from the front desk. We have stayed here for the last 3 years when we went to the fair.
Photo Credit to Holiday InnWhen you travel with 8 people you need to stay organized. I loved this picture of our bags all carried in and stacked up.
Time to call it a day and get some rest so we can hit the fair when it opens.
I love visiting old homes. What a beautiful looking home that was. It is funny, I lived in Puyallup for several years growing up and never heard about this family or the home. We always visited Meeker mansion. It looked like the girls were having lots of fun. I especially like the photo of all of the children in front of the one room school house.
ReplyDeleteLanita, I wasn't clear in the original post so I fixed it. We were still in Chehalis when we toured the Borst home. It was one of my favorite stops on the trip. It reminded me of the day our families toured the home and Museum above Lake Roosevelt.
ReplyDeleteIf I hadn't rushed through reading, I would have noticed that you said, before you left Chehalis. I remember that great vacation at Lake Roosevelt. We had so much fun with your family. I think my favorite part was around the campfire.
ReplyDelete