History of the Neighborhood
First Addition to New Whatcom
The birth of the Roosevelt Neighborhood began as the First Addition to New Whatcom owned by the Bellingham Bay Investment Co. established in 1889. The company sold most of the parcels to individuals during the next few decades for homes. The B.B. & B.C. (Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad) and the Northern Pacific R.R., were associated companies of BBI co., which may explain the placement of the RR line in the victintiy of Whatcom Creek. Additions to new Whatcom after the First Addition were added in a general eastern direction toward the base of Alabama hill. The following is a time-line of when the additions were platted and added to the First Addition. Eldwood’s Addition to New Whatcom: 1889 Alabama Street Addition to New Whatcom: 1891 Central Eureka Addition to New Whatcom: 1891 West Eureka Addition to New Whatcom: 1902 South Eureka Addition to New Whatcom: 1904 DS Jenkins Addition to New Whatcom: 1905 Pacific Street Addition to New Whatcom: 1908 Kentucky Street Addition to New Whatcom: 1909 Brown & Duxbury Addition to New Whatcom: 1909 Eventually, the growing neighborhood developed the name of Eureka, after Eureka Primary School built in 1902 on Alabama and Woburn. The Eureka neighborhood experienced a building boom in the early 1900’s. An interesting article in a 1909 edition of the Bellingham Herald announces the following description of the Kentucky addition. The article states “new tracts of land adjacent to the city (New Whatcom) are constantly being platted and annexed… the home building movement, which is at the height at the present time, has increased the demand for homes. This week witnessed the acceptance of the Kentucky Street addition owned by the Bellingham Bay Improvement Company. This tract consists of about twenty acres and has been sub divided into about twenty lots… The sale of the lots will open in a few days and run in price from $250 to $500 according to the size and location and will be sold on terms of $24 cash and $5 per month with interest. Many reservations have been made since the announcement of the opening tract last week.” The neighborhood of Eureka was finally renamed Roosevelt around the late 1920’s, most likely when the primary school was renamed.
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Pictures taken from Roosevelt Neighborhood Association Resource house and used with permission from the Whatcom County Museum Art and History Archives.