Harrington News

Mayor Paul Gilliland opened the town council meeting on Wednesday evening at 7:30 with all members present (Terry Howe, Levi Schenk, Mike Cronrath, Rick Becker, Peter Davenport); visitors were Celeste Miller, Ashley Schenk, Brad Scott, Sharon Schultz, Marge Womach, Bunny Haugan and Scot McGowan.

Celeste Miller brought the proposed contract from Studio Cascade for the council to approve for the signature of the mayor. Studio Cascade was chosen by the Harrington Historical Commission to continue working on the 2000 Plus Revitalization Plan for Harrington to be funded by the Economic Development Commission grant of $10,000.

Their express goal is to be the final step of updating the Harrington 2000+ Plan, working with the previously gathered and organized information and the data accumulated by the charrette last fall. They expect to link aspirations for development into concrete implemented actions, provide direction for the community on how to move into the future, and engage the public through community meetings to aid in shaping the specifics of the updated plan for revitalization.

Specific actions would include: "Review and update the proposed sign code and provide guidance to adopt the code as part of the city's zoning ordinance; articulate a uniform vision based on the charrette conducted by Eastern Washington University; provide concrete recommendations for business recruitment, retention and expansion that are rooted in the local community. The recommendations will clearly identify the what, who, how, and when of work elements to ensure progress continues."

Studio Cascade, represented by William Grimes (founder) and Chaz Bates, intends to begin community meetings before EWU students are released for their summer break. They intend to complete their update of the plan by August. The council was not satisfied that the actual contract represented the same details as their proposal. The contract was returned to Studio Cascade for clarification and additions, after which, the mayor has the council's vote to sign it.

In other business before the council, Peter Davenport presented the final draft of the new dog ordinance, which will be #488. A yearly license fee will be required for all dogs within the city limits, $15 neutered/spayed and $25 if not. If late, the fee is $30 and $50, respectively. This is a new feature for Harrington dog owners; registration was required but there had been no fee. Households are allowed two dogs, unless presently having 3, in which case the third will be registered. When one dog leaves, it may not be replaced. Proof of vaccinations will be required. New regulations include fines for dogs running at large and incessant barking, and for owner's failure to clean up after their dog. Failure to comply with the dog ordinance is a civil infraction and can be turned over to the authorities. A dog running at large brings a fine of $50; without a license, the fine is increased to $100.

This complex and detailed ordinance consists of nine pages which will be made public following the signature of the mayor. The ordinance clearly outlines the process of impounding a dog, costs and removal from impoundment. At present the duties of the "Animal Control Authority" will fall to Scott McGowan, as has been the case under the old ordinance.

This ordinance will not affect the requirements of Ordinance #300 which addresses illegal activity with dogs as well as dogs determined to be dangerous.

Continued discussion from last council meeting was held on the Avista Franchise Ordinance #487 and it was passed without alteration or amendments.

Connecticut Traveler

Older Harrington citizens will fondly recall the name Herman Sherman Bassett, publisher and editor of the Harrington Citizen for many years. Among Herman Bassett's occupations were mayor, city clerk, justice of the peace, school director, and deputy sheriff.

Herman Bassett was born Oct. 27, 1869 on a farm in Fairfax Co, Vir., son of Wilbur Fisk Bassett and Adelia Lenora Lewis Bassett. He came to eastern Washington in 1871 with his parents, grew to manhood when he learned the printer's trade while apprenticed to George Stewart of the former Cheney Herald. His newspaper career involved work on or ownership of the Medical Lake Ledger, the Sprague Herald, the Wilbur Register, the Edwall Press, the Harrington Citizen and the Krupp Signal. Herman Bassett was known to "get his man" when he was the local lawman and "get his story" when he was local newsman.

He married Nettie Judd in 1890 and they had three children, a boy Edwin, and two daughters, Florence and Adelia. The little boy, their first child, was born in Sprague in 1894 and died from consumption of the bowels at four months of age. He was buried at Lake View Cemetery in Sprague.

This week, Herman Bassett was the man being hunted and the hunter was his second cousin three times removed, Peter Stothart of Stratford, Connecticut. Actually this relationship was guessed rather than calculated. The Bassett family was well recorded in the early Spokane history, where his parents were acclaimed to have given birth to the first all white girl born in Spokane Falls, Washington Territory on Jan. 2, 1872; she drowned on her father's farm one mile south of Granite Lake, on July 19, 1873.

(Herman Bassett's father, Wilbur Bassett, ran the first water-powered sawmill in Spokane Falls during the winter of 1871-72. The mill was owned by Downing & Scranton.)

In Herman's handwritten "biographical sketch" he wrote: "Minnie Maria Bassett, born in Spokane Falls, Spokane County, Washington Territory, Jan. 2, 1872. Buried on farm (400 yards south of log house, granite tombstone 'MMB', fell in a large spring of water July 19, 1873, and was drowned. Age 1 yr 6 mos 17 days." This area is now called Four Lakes.

Margaret Nelson, a cousin by marriage to Herman Bassett, donated much of the Bassett memorabilia to Marge Womach while Margaret was living in Davenport. Photos of the gravesite of Minnie Bassett were among this collection, showing the log cabin, the grave, and rock wall built around the grave.

In 1957-59 Mr. E. T. Becher, teacher at Rogers High School in Spokane organized his students to locate this grave, restore the marble stone and build the rock wall of protection around the area. The collection included multiple prints of photos taken in 1959 that matched the photos used in the news items in the Spokesman while their work was ongoing. The article about the photo of their cabin states that in 1957 the students were replacing the roof of the old log cabin, which had been built before 1874. Peter Stothart had seen some copies of articles regarding the early Bassett homestead, but not the quantity of items as was made available in Harrington. He had also gone out to see the cabin on one of his trips to Washington.

Of greatest delight to Mr. Stothart was the "find" of a print from a tintype photo that a relative had sent to Florence Bassett of Ruth Ann Wooster, her great- grandmother. This woman was Peter Stothart’s grandfather's grandmother, a photo of which he had no knowledge until this trip to Harrington.

Ruth Ann Wooster was born July 31, 1822 and married Aaron Lewis in 1843. She died in 1899 in Connecticut. Hand-written and typed letters from Connecticut have greatly increased Stothart's knowledge of the family. Even letters from Nettie Judd Bassett to Herman Bassett from Sprague to Wilbur had wonderful tidbits of family lore. Just as the pioneer women held down the homestead with the children and farm animals while the husband went to any town that had available work, so it was with the Bassetts, that Nettie kept the house going while Herman was off working at the printing trade.

After an intensive three hours of copying, scanning and photographing, Mr. Stothart gathered up his newly acquired collection and headed for the airport.

Rummage Sale

This week was another busy week for the Harrington Opera House. Members, volunteers and contractors came and went, while much work was accomplished by their efforts. Jay Kane leveled the floor in the lobby office in preparation for carpet to be laid there, also. He finished the sheet rock and insulation on the exterior walls and placed a roof over the art room restroom which will allow for storage space.

Another successful rummage was held Sat. with the elevator fund growing by $500 this month. This was the last rummage until Spring Fling in late April. This break will allow for rehabilitation work to move forward in the room and for more treasures to be prepared and organized.

Cleaning will continue this week in preparation for the first event of the season, the family friendly, 'Foggy Dew Western Review" at 7, Friday evening, March 21.