R. H. Espy House-1871, Oysterville, WA
N 46° 32.908 W 124° 01.710
10T E 421151 N 5155502
Robert Hamilton Espy co-founded with Isaac Alonzo Clark in 1854.
Waymark Code: WMHHMZ
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 07/12/2013
Views: 5
The sign in front of this home reads:
"R. H. Espy 1871
Co Founder Oysterville".
Robert Hamilton Espy along with his good friend Isaac Alonzo Clark were lead to the Oysterville area by Chinook Indian Cheif Nahcati, and the two men quickly established a business harvesting oysters and shipping them to California to feed the gold miners. By April 1854, Oysterville boomed with new residents, with the anchorage briefly becoming the busiest on the coast, north of San Francisco. Espy was later elected "Major" of a militia and also helped establish a Baptist congregation in Oysterville (1892) and even donated the land where the old church still stands, today. By the 1880s, the oysters had been depleted and most townsfolks (including partner and friend Clark) abandoned the town, but the Espy family (including 7 children) remained. Several of the Espy's have enjoyed fame, including R.H.'s son Harry Albert Espy (dairy farmer, justice of the peace, clerk of school board, and Washington State Senator), Harry's daughter Dale Espy (Little) who has been tireless in preserving the history of Oysterville, and Harry's son Willard Espy, who in 1977 penned the book "Oysterville: Roads to Grandpa's Village" which earned national attention. Dale's daughter, Sydney (and her husband Nyel) currently live in Harry Espy's prior home, and Sydney has become a writer also, penning "Dear Medora: Child of Oysterville's Forgotten Years" (WSU Press).
The R.H. Espy home is located on the corner of Fourth and Division Streets, northeast corner.
Marker Name: R.H, Espy Home - 1871
Marker Type: Other (please describe in long description)
Town name: Oysterville
Placer: Daughters of the Pioneers (of Oysterville)
Related website: [Web Link]
Date marker was placed: Not listed
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