RHS News

To help celebrate the upcoming country-wide 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, RHS is launching a special membership drive, rolling back costs to what they were 25 years ago in honor of America250. “We Want YOU” to join the Renton Historical Society membership! America250 Rates Individual Annual Membership: $10 Student or Senior Annual Membership: $8 Family Annual Membership: $15 Patron Annual Membership: $150 Lifetime Membership:

Love and light to those who have lost their loved ones. Robert “Bob” Anderson | 1933 - 2026 Robert “Bob” Laurence Anderson passed away at his home in Ocean Shores, surrounded by his loving family, on February 7, 2026. He was 92 years old. Bob was born on March 5, 1933, in Aberdeen, Washington, to Albert Edwin Anderson and Winifred Bertram (Laurence) Anderson. He grew up in Hoquiam, where he graduated from Hoquiam High School. An accomplished athlete, Bob was an All-State guar

The Renton Historical Society is excited to celebrate the City of Renton’s 125-year birthday! As part of the celebration, we want to highlight the work of the Renton School District's students. All grade levels are invited to submit their work as part of the contest.   Deadline: Students must submit work by May 1, 2026 at lunch time. Winners are announced in mid-May. Elementary educators : Students can submit an essay (250 words or less): Theme: What does Renton mean to you?

Stan Greene 1930-2025 Born Stanley David Greene on February 24, 1930, in LaGrande, Oregon. Stan attended Western State College in Bellingham, Washington, as an undergraduate, and pursued graduate work in library audiovisual technology at the University of Washington. Stan met the love of his life, Rose Mary Dewar, and they were married on August 24, 1951. During the Korean War, Stan was in the Navy and served in Adak, Alaska, and Oak Harbor NAS. Stan and Rose Mary lived in Re

RHS is proud to share our Winter 2025 Q4 Newsletter with you! Click HERE for a downloadable PDF! Didn’t get your copy via email? Go to the front page of our website, scroll down, and sign up! Signed up & still haven’t received it? Let us know! Email us at info@rentonhistory.org

A shared headstone at Greenwood Memorial Cemetery¹ in Renton, Washington memorializes two young adults, Debra Marie Evans and Larry Scott Leek, who died in 1984, with the inscription: “Sweethearts. They Died for Love in the Green River Gorge.” Young sweethearts died on May 28, 1984, Memorial Day Weekend, at the Green River Gorge near Black Diamond, WA. When we are no longer able to tell our own life stories, we will be left to the writings of others. What do your relatives kn

Please help us welcome new members of the Renton Historical Society! Alice Lockridge Jacob Winter Steve and Avanti Bergquist and family Dan and Liz Hemenway Greg Bergquist Large Donors: Linda Della Rossa Kirk Mathewson Alice Lockridge Kristy Sharkey Bernie O'Donnell Karen Boswell New Lifetime Member: Bernie O'Donnell Would you like to view a PDF of the full, print newsletter? Please click on the Download image to the right, below.

Photo Credit: Bill Gaw, November 2025. Newly accessioned projector. A big thank you to our 2025 artifact donors! We look forward to featuring more unique relics from Renton’s history donated to RHS each quarter. Jack Bradley, a Renton local since 1962, recently donated a nice selection of projectors. We are grateful Jack thought of us to safeguard his impressive collection of historical significance, and look forward to creating an exhibit to share the story of the projectors

LOCAL FOLKS SHARING THE RENTON LOVE Check out these great Renton-centric social media accounts! GETTING INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY Arts, Heritage, and Science (AHS) Week brings together leaders and cultural professionals from across Washington state as advocates to meet with state legislators about statewide cultural funding, policies, and highlight local stories and concerns from communities across the state. For more details on getting involved with advocating for our commu

On August 21, 2025, RHS Board President Carrie Bergquist was recognized by the Washington State Genealogical Society for her “exceptional service to the Grays Harbor Genealogical Society and the North Beach Genealogy Society.” We are SO proud of her and look forward to offering genealogy services to the Renton community to help YOU connect to your family’s roots. The RHS board is offering genealogy services and has helped several families recently. One request included the hi

And Celebrating Renton’s 125th Birthday As July 4, 2026, approaches, the Renton Historical Society is excited to join the City of Renton, the State of Washington, and the entire United States of America in celebrating our country’s 250th anniversary of independence. Fun Fact - 250th anniversaries can be termed in the following ways: Semiquincentennial (half of 500 years), Sestercentennial (halfway between the 2nd and 3rd centuries), Bisesquicentennial (two and a half centurie