Sumner's Ryan House (GCZTN8)

For the next Cache Oli and I when to Ryan's house in Sumner. Oli and I found The Duhawks wooden nickle. We thought about going to Ryan's House Musem but it didn't open until 1pm.

--Tom







Here is a little history on the house and it's original owner George Ryan.

George Ryan was an early resident of Sumner who was unusually entrepreneurial and inventive. He was responsible for a number of Sumner firsts.

He build Sumner’s first train depot in 1873. The Northern Pacific Railroad was ending its line in Tacoma and had no plans to stop in the valley. Ryan found this unacceptable, and took steps to remedy the company's error. He erected a depot across the street from what is now Sumner Animal Grub, covering the costs of construction and a year's worth of salary for the stationmaster out of his own pocket. Northern Pacific later reimbursed him for his expense, and the depot became a significant spur to Sumner's economic growth.

He established the Sumner Lumber Company in 1883, which logged 5,000 acres of land in an area east of Sumner.He filed the first plat of the city. He owned Sumner’s first telephone, installed in 1887, which connected his mill to his home.

He built its first brick building in 1890. The Ryan Building housed the offices of Sumner Lumber, Light and Water Company, the State Bank of Sumner, a doctor, and a dentist, plus the post office, a barber shop, and a store. The city council had free use of a meeting room. In the business district fire of 1895 the structure became a sort of wall that prevented the blaze from spreading to Sumner's east side.

He was elected Sumner’s first mayor when the town incorporated in 1891. His home, Ryan House, became Sumner's first Library in 1926 and later its first (and only) museum. George and his wife, Lucy, had only five children: Harry Roger, Lewis David, Edith E., Charles Alexander, and Warren Wood. Many Ryan descendants continue to live and raise families in the Sumner area.