Bellingham Then & Now: J.J. Donovan House

After graduating top of his class at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Donovan moved west from his childhood home in New Hampshire to work on the . He worked for the Northern Pacific Railway Company and was present at the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1883 (along with Ulysses S Grant). As engineer for the Cascade Division of the Northern Pacific, he “worked on the network of switchbacks, trestles and tunnels” that “provided Puget Sound with the first direct route to the east”. 

The railroad is also what brought Donovan north to Fairhaven. Railroad contractor Kelson Bennett hired him as the engineer for the new Fairhaven and Southern Railway. Donovan also built the line from Bellingham to Blaine and connected with the Canadian Railway.  A savvy businessman, Donovan

“is credited with establishing a competitive situation on Bellingham Bay by orchestrating the purchases of small lines in the area by three major interests, Great Northern, Northern Pacific, and St. Paul, in order to allow Bellingham to compete with Seattle and Tacoma.” (source)

Donovan wasn’t the first owner of the house on Garden Street that bears his name, but he bought the house near its completion in 1890; it was originally finished in a much simpler style than we see today. The Tudor Revival elements - the stucco and contrasting board trims and decorative details - were added later, around 1908.

As the timber industry developed in Whatcom County, Donovan partnered with Peter Larson and Julius Bloedel to form the Lake Whatcom Logging Company, but he never completely left the rail industry. The small railway lines in the area, like the one that connected the Bay to the Blue Canyon Coal Mines toward the south end of Lake Whatcom, meant that the area’s logging industry had easier transportation from tree stands to the mills on Whatcom Creek. Records indicate that the partnership leveraged Donovan’s expertise to build other small railroad lines around the lake, gaining a transportation advantage over their competitors (source: page 8).

By the time of Donovan’s passing, the company held timber land in five Washington counties and marketed its lumber across the United States, using offices in New York, LA, and Chicago.

The Larson Mill (part of the holdings of the Lake Whatcom Logging Co) liquidated in 1946, and Julius Bloedel donated part of the land to the City of Bellingham, and that land later became what we know today as Bloedel-Donovan Park.

Next up on Bellingham Then & Now: Broadway Hall originally housed a ladies’ social and education club that lasted for 100 years.

Previously on Bellingham Then & Now: Lairmont Manor once hosted contralto Marian Anderson.

Sources:

“The Lake Whatcom Watershed: A Retrospective Resource Directory Companion Report 1850-2007.” Geneva Consulting. Link.

“J.J. Donovan House (1201 N. Garden Street)” City of Bellingham. Link.

“Washington SP Donovan, J.J. House.” National Archives Catalog. Link.

Images: Then: “J.J. Donovan House (1201 N. Garden Street)” City of Bellingham. Link.

Now: Cooper Hansley

Blog copy by Tiffany Holden