Originally published Saturday, March 1, 1997

By MARK HIGGINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

As Kirkland hurtles toward the end of this century, a number of residents are working hard to protect some of the city's history before it's swept aside.

It wasn't too many years ago that Kirkland was named for English industrialist Peter Kirk, who arrived in the late 1880s and dreamed of turning the place into a steel town.

Kirk's ambition attracted such partners as Leigh S.J. Hunt, owner and publisher of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Walter Williams, Arthur Denny and George Heilbron. They dreamed of building a "Pittsburgh of the West."

But that vision fled during the economic bust of 1893. Kirk and Hunt suffered heavy financial losses, and Hunt lost control of the Post-Intelligencer.

Through the years, some of the best buildings and artifacts have been preserved and are listed on various historic registers. Even a church bell given to the community by William Houghton of Boston remains and is used by the First Congregational Church, says Bob Burke, president of the Kirkland Heritage Society. The pioneers were so pleased with the bell, they named their community Houghton, which became a part of Kirkland in 1968.

"I am convinced that if we don't preserve what we have of our history, we have lost a big part of who we are," says Burke. "Most people move to Kirkland for its history and character. I would hate to think that in 10 years from now people would look around and say, 'What happened to all of that?' "