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History · Union

A history of Union,
then and now

Postcards, papers and photographs of Union from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.

6old images & papers
0recent photos
From Union’s archive · credits on each photo

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

The Hood Canal basin is the indigenous territory of several neighboring Native American communities, including the Skokomish and Squaxin peoples.

In the 1830s, white fur traders built a blockhouse on the bluff where Union is today. Settlers arrived in the area in the 1840s, with the future Union City site being claimed in 1852 by Thomas Webb or Wells. The town of Union was founded and named in 1858 by merchants Willson and Anderson.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

built from the dates on the items below
1873034 Puget Sound scenesCommons
1880s3 items · Union City and Hood Canal, probably b…Commons
1900s2 items · Union City on Hood Canal as seen from…Commons
1910–1999Nothing yet. Family albums go here.
Help out

Finish Union’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old view034 Puget Sound scenes, 1873: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Famous people from UnionWriters, athletes, leaders and more who were born in Union.Meet them →
By decade

Union, decade by decade

1870s1 item
034 Puget Sound scenesCommons034 Puget Sound scenes1873
1880s3 items
Union City and Hood Canal, probably between 1880 and 1890CommonsUnion City and Hood Canal, probably between 1880 and 18901880Union City and Hood Canal, probably between 1880 and 1890CommonsUnion City and Hood Canal, probably between 1880 and 18901880Union City and Hood Canal, probably between 1880 and 1890CommonsUnion City and Hood Canal, probably between 1880 and 18901880
1900s2 items
Union City on Hood Canal as seen from the waterCommonsUnion City on Hood Canal as seen from the water1904Residence of John McReavy at Union City, on Hood CanalCommonsResidence of John McReavy at Union City, on Hood Canalc. 1905
1910s–
1990s
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings 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 Union is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Union has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Cushman No. 2 Hydroelectric Power Plant in Hoodsport, 4.7 miles away.

Union and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Union. Tap a dot.
Cushman No. 2 Hydroelectric Power PlantTwanoh State ParkCushman Hydroelectric Project Historic DistrictMalaney-O'Neill HouseCushman No. 1 Hydroelectric Power PlantHigh Steel Bridge

Closest to Union

Cushman No. 2 Hydroelectric Power PlantHoodsport · Built 19304.7miTwanoh State ParkUnion · Built 19235.9miCushman Hydroelectric Project Historic DistrictHoodsport · District5.9miMalaney-O'Neill HouseShelton · Building7.5miCushman No. 1 Hydroelectric Power PlantHoodsport · Built 19267.8mi

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. Cushman No. 2 Hydroelectric Power Plant’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Union?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Union’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

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as 034 Puget Sound scenes (1873) and it appears here side by side.

🔁 Retake this view · +15

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Shelton📜 McCleary📜 Bremerton📜 Olympia

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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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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