Capitol relic found but return in doubt

Associated Press

KENMORE — The 5-foot, 2-ton sandstone finial basking on the shore of the Sammamish River here looks like a pawn from a giant chess set.

In fact, it used to grace the top of the state Capitol dome. It was scrapped after the April 1949 earthquake when concerns were raised about its weight.

It’s been part of Mary L. Stokes’ life for more than 30 years, and she’s partial to it.

"It’s not going anywhere," she said Friday at her riverside home. "You can tie a boat to it."

But her claim to the relic is coming under fire. She’d just received a letter from Washington’s secretary of state, Sam Reed, asking her to give it back.

Stokes isn’t sure she wants to do that.

"It’s been a part of who I am for so long," she said. Her position hadn’t changed Saturday, she said when contacted by telephone.

The history of the cap suggests Stokes has every right to hang onto it.

But Reed aide Pat McDonald, who tracked down Stokes and the cap this week, is determined to get it back to the state capitol.

Folks in Olympia began wondering about the cap’s whereabouts after the 6.8-magnitude Nisqually Quake in February.

More than 50 years ago, after an April 13, 1949, earthquake rattled the Capitol Rotunda, politicians and engineers decided to bolster the structure’s sandstone pillars with metal beams.

The stone cap was replaced with the current ornament, made of nickel, copper and manganese.

In the state archive building were a few photos of a crane removing the cap — and an Oct. 18, 1949, repair bid written by the state Department of Public Institutions.

"All damaged stone left over … becomes the property of the contractor and shall be removed from the job site," the bid says.

After its removal, statehouse contractor A.G. Homann gave the cap to Olympia Rotary buddy Harold "Doc" Austin, who lived in Tumwater.

In 1969, Stokes bought Austin’s house — and the cap, whose origins had become a bit foggy.

Until now, Stokes says, she’d thought "it was part of the Capitol that caught fire," referring to the downtown Olympia building that now houses offices of the state Superintendent of Public Instruction.

Stokes sold the house to Tumwater City Councilwoman Cindy Beauchene and her husband in 1979.

But she retained ownership of the cap and had it hauled up to Kenmore in 1984.

McDonald talked to Stokes on the phone, and Reed followed up with a letter.

"The State of Washington would like to have (the cap) returned to the Capitol grounds to be displayed prominently as part of the major overhaul of the state Capitol building," he wrote.

"I realize that you are reluctant to give it up, but we are willing to arrange for the removal and transportation as well as proper recognition of your role as ‘keeper of the finial,’ " Reed added.

"I’m not very impressed," Stokes said.

She says she "might be willing to part with it if there’s enough incentive."

But not necessarily.

Reed promised a generous tax deduction based on the appraised value of the cap. Stokes says she’s not about to go through the fuss of hiring an appraiser.

McDonald is determined — and confident — about the recovery effort.

"We have no idea of the value of this, but we’ll try to work something out because this is a valuable part of Olympia history," he said.

"The issue is not IF it’s going to go on campus — it’s WHERE it’s going to go on campus."