Nat Washington House to be recognized for historical value
Scellicks lauded for care of landmark Ephrata home.
Updated
Mike Scellick of Ephrata stands in front of the 100-year-old Nat Washington House, which will receive special recognition for its historical relevance during a ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 24. Photos by Randy Bracht
EPHRATA — A century-old Ephrata home, its link to America’s first president, and preservation efforts by its current owners will be recognized in a special ceremony Saturday, Oct. 24.
At 11:30 a.m., the Nat Washington House will host a historical marker dedication by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and a unique postmark issuance by the U.S. Postal Service. The landmark home is located at 42 C St. N.W., across from the Grant County Courthouse.
Owners Mike and Sharon Scellick purchased the “Nat House” in 2010 and have continued to care for its legacy while also having the property — recognized by the state and nationally as a place of historical significance — available for a wide range of community functions.
The original ownership dates back to 1925 and Nathaniel W. Washington Sr., a third great-grandson of Augustine Washington, brother of Founding Father and first U.S. President George Washington. Family members moved to the Grand Coulee area in the early 1900s, and Nat Sr. later settled in Ephrata where Nat Jr. grew up. Both men served as Grant County prosecuting attorneys and were staunch supporters of hydropower and irrigation development in the Columbia Basin.
Nat Jr. died in 2007 at age 93. As a 12-year-old boy, he witnessed the tragic deaths of his father and an aunt and uncle, who were all swept away in a drowning accident on the Columbia River in 1926. But he went on to become an attorney, an Army officer, a state legislator for 30 years, a state Department of Fish and Wildlife commissioner, a respected amateur archaeologist and historian, and an advocate for regional Native American tribes including the Colville and Wanapum people. Nat Washington Way in Ephrata bears his name.
Mike Scellick describes the Nat House as “a museum” that contains a trove of artifacts, documents, and memorabilia about the Washingtons’ decades of public service, political involvement, and colonial family history dating back to the 1600s, much of which he has shared with organizations and documentarians across the nation.
A portrait of Nat Washington Jr. and his family (above at left) is among the many photos displayed in the landmark residence. At right, a historical sign posted at the Beezley Trailhead recounts the life of Nat's mother, Gladys Washington, who was elected as Grant County's first schools superintendent a century ago. Below, Mike Scellick examines copies of colonial-era documents of the Washington family dating back to the 1600s.
Former Ephrata mayor Bruce Reim, a fellow Ephrata High School Class of 1971 graduate with Scellick, says the Nat Washington House “would not be here without Mike.”
“He deserves every accolade and recognition,” said Reim, who also noted Scellick’s many other community contributions and historical preservation efforts through the years.
Those include establishing several informational kiosk displays around town; spearheading the K2 Monument in Sun Basin Plaza that pays tribute to Ephrata natives Fred Dunham and Jim Wickwire for their pioneering mountain-climbing exploits; and initiating a grassroots effort in 2017 to name the third powerhouse at Grand Coulee Dam in tribute to the two Washingtons, father and son. U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse introduced a bill in Congress that led to its dedication by the U.S. Department of the Interior in August 2020.
“He is the go-to guy, when former classmates of all ages come into town, for a refresher of Ephrata,” Reim said of Scellick, quipping, “Mike has hundreds of historical pictures. Unless you have all afternoon, don’t ask!”
Scellick, 73, deflects any praise, preferring instead to talk about the accomplishments and legacies of others. Last week, with some reluctance, he was in the spotlight when a video crew from KSPS, the PBS affiliate of Spokane came to Ephrata and spent several hours filming in the Nat House.
They are expected to return to film Saturday’s ceremony, and a feature piece may air sometime after Thanksgiving, said Scellick.
The event will feature a commemorative federal postmark release depicting the residence, a “Hometown Heritage” marker designation by the Pomeroy Foundation, and sponsorship by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, and Daughters of the American Colonists. Members of the Washington family will be on hand.
From one invitation to another: a copy of the Feb. 21, 1885 invitation for the dedication of the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. (above, left) to the invitation for Nat Washington House recognition in Ephrata this Saturday, Oct. 24, including a postal service commemorative pictorial postmark.
Scellick, owner of the Ephrata Athletic Club and Sole Performance, and wife Sharon, an administrator with the Ephrata School District, have also long supported community awareness and services for families affected by autism.
Saturday’s events will include dedication of the new Grant County Autism Park, located at the intersection of Cyrus Road and First Avenue N.W., near the Ephrata Episcopal Church. The small “pocket park” is a collaborative project that has involved the City of Ephrata, Grant County Historical Society, Grant County Conservation District, Autism Support Group of Grant County, local builder Don Bean, and other volunteers.
From the Beezley Trailhead, a rock-lined walking path incorporates native plants, a commemorative bench, water fountain, mini-libraries, and sign boards recounting early local history. There are stories of springtime floods, summer swimming and winter ice skating, a train visit carrying the nation’s iconic Liberty Bell, the location of Camp Tuc-Ta-Hyaspum where Sinkiuse tribal members came to harvest camas root, and a remembrance of Gladys Fuller Washington.
The widowed wife of Nat Washington Sr., Gladys was a teacher and became Grant County’s first elected school superintendent following her husband’s death. She later remarried and continued to work in student education, tutoring, and remedial reading programs for decades afterward.
Saturday's events will include dedication of the new Grant County Autism Park, which features native plants, historical sign boards, and a commemorative bench as an extension of the existing Beezley Trailhead monument.
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Nat Washington House to be recognized for historical value
Scellicks lauded for care of landmark Ephrata home.
EPHRATA — A century-old Ephrata home, its link to America’s first president, and preservation efforts by its current owners will be recognized in a special ceremony Saturday, Oct. 24.
At 11:30 a.m., the Nat Washington House will host a historical marker dedication by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and a unique postmark issuance by the U.S. Postal Service. The landmark home is located at 42 C St. N.W., across from the Grant County Courthouse.
Owners Mike and Sharon Scellick purchased the “Nat House” in 2010 and have continued to care for its legacy while also having the property — recognized by the state and nationally as a place of historical significance — available for a wide range of community functions.
The original ownership dates back to 1925 and Nathaniel W. Washington Sr., a third great-grandson of Augustine Washington, brother of Founding Father and first U.S. President George Washington. Family members moved to the Grand Coulee area in the early 1900s, and Nat Sr. later settled in Ephrata where Nat Jr. grew up. Both men served as Grant County prosecuting attorneys and were staunch supporters of hydropower and irrigation development in the Columbia Basin.
Nat Jr. died in 2007 at age 93. As a 12-year-old boy, he witnessed the tragic deaths of his father and an aunt and uncle, who were all swept away in a drowning accident on the Columbia River in 1926. But he went on to become an attorney, an Army officer, a state legislator for 30 years, a state Department of Fish and Wildlife commissioner, a respected amateur archaeologist and historian, and an advocate for regional Native American tribes including the Colville and Wanapum people. Nat Washington Way in Ephrata bears his name.
Mike Scellick describes the Nat House as “a museum” that contains a trove of artifacts, documents, and memorabilia about the Washingtons’ decades of public service, political involvement, and colonial family history dating back to the 1600s, much of which he has shared with organizations and documentarians across the nation.
Former Ephrata mayor Bruce Reim, a fellow Ephrata High School Class of 1971 graduate with Scellick, says the Nat Washington House “would not be here without Mike.”
“He deserves every accolade and recognition,” said Reim, who also noted Scellick’s many other community contributions and historical preservation efforts through the years.
Those include establishing several informational kiosk displays around town; spearheading the K2 Monument in Sun Basin Plaza that pays tribute to Ephrata natives Fred Dunham and Jim Wickwire for their pioneering mountain-climbing exploits; and initiating a grassroots effort in 2017 to name the third powerhouse at Grand Coulee Dam in tribute to the two Washingtons, father and son. U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse introduced a bill in Congress that led to its dedication by the U.S. Department of the Interior in August 2020.
“He is the go-to guy, when former classmates of all ages come into town, for a refresher of Ephrata,” Reim said of Scellick, quipping, “Mike has hundreds of historical pictures. Unless you have all afternoon, don’t ask!”
Scellick, 73, deflects any praise, preferring instead to talk about the accomplishments and legacies of others. Last week, with some reluctance, he was in the spotlight when a video crew from KSPS, the PBS affiliate of Spokane came to Ephrata and spent several hours filming in the Nat House.
They are expected to return to film Saturday’s ceremony, and a feature piece may air sometime after Thanksgiving, said Scellick.
The event will feature a commemorative federal postmark release depicting the residence, a “Hometown Heritage” marker designation by the Pomeroy Foundation, and sponsorship by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Sons of the American Revolution, and Daughters of the American Colonists. Members of the Washington family will be on hand.
Scellick, owner of the Ephrata Athletic Club and Sole Performance, and wife Sharon, an administrator with the Ephrata School District, have also long supported community awareness and services for families affected by autism.
Saturday’s events will include dedication of the new Grant County Autism Park, located at the intersection of Cyrus Road and First Avenue N.W., near the Ephrata Episcopal Church. The small “pocket park” is a collaborative project that has involved the City of Ephrata, Grant County Historical Society, Grant County Conservation District, Autism Support Group of Grant County, local builder Don Bean, and other volunteers.
From the Beezley Trailhead, a rock-lined walking path incorporates native plants, a commemorative bench, water fountain, mini-libraries, and sign boards recounting early local history. There are stories of springtime floods, summer swimming and winter ice skating, a train visit carrying the nation’s iconic Liberty Bell, the location of Camp Tuc-Ta-Hyaspum where Sinkiuse tribal members came to harvest camas root, and a remembrance of Gladys Fuller Washington.
The widowed wife of Nat Washington Sr., Gladys was a teacher and became Grant County’s first elected school superintendent following her husband’s death. She later remarried and continued to work in student education, tutoring, and remedial reading programs for decades afterward.