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History · Alder

Alder’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Alder. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

0old images & papers
0recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Alder is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census, Alder had a population of 212.

Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 227 to 212 (-7%).

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Alder yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

Be one of the first

Start Alder’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Alder’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people close to Alder

See all 16 →
Buzz OsborneBuzz OsborneMorton · 16 miBrandy ClarkBrandy ClarkMorton · 16 miMark FuhrmanMark FuhrmanEatonville · 6 miFrank D. RobinsonFrank D. RobinsonCarbonado · 23 miGene AmondsonGene AmondsonMorton · 16 miIsaac JonesIsaac JonesSpanaway · 23 mi
By decade

Alder, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Alder is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Alder has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church in Elbe, 3.8 miles away.

Alder and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Alder. Tap a dot.
Elbe Evangelical Lutheran ChurchJohn Galbraith HouseMineral Log LodgeJohnson HouseLackamas SchoolAshford House

Closest to Alder

Elbe Evangelical Lutheran ChurchElbe · Building3.8miJohn Galbraith HouseEatonville · Built 19255.6miMineral Log LodgeMineral · Built 19065.9miJohnson HouseLa Grande · Building8.4miLackamas SchoolMcKenna · Building11.2mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Alder?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Alder’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Eatonville📜 Morton📜 Roy📜 Mossyrock
The porch light’s on

Where to, neighbor?

You’re in Alder, WAView boundary

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/19 · 2025-01-01
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