About Maple Valley Historical Society

Goals of the Organization

• Teach people about the history of the Greater Maple Valley area
• Provide a means for people to do research on their heritage
• To showcase the history of the area through maintaining three museums with displays of the past.

Locations

• The original Tahoma High School - 23015 Southeast 216th Way, Maple Valley, WA
• Gibsons - Mezzavilla General Store - located next to the Maple Valley Community Center
• Fire Engine Museum - located next to the Maple Valley Community Center

The original museum in the original Tahoma High School houses the main photo collection of the Society as well as the primary offices of the Society.
There are also displays set up in this museum that depict the early lives of the residents of the Greater Maple Valley area, as well as a room almost solely dedicated to the history of Tahoma School District.

The other two museums are located next to the Maple Valley Community Center in the heart of the City of Maple Valley and are the Gibbons-Mezzavilla General Store and the Fire Engine museum.

The Gibbons-Mezzavilla General Store is the restored original store in the Greater Maple Valley area that was frequented by the early residents. The Fire Engine museum houses the restored 1926 Howard Cooper fire engine which was the original Fire Engine used by Fire District 43 Volunteers. In addition to the Howard Cooper, there are displays depicting the early years of the Fire District. The museums are open the first Saturday of each month from 10:00am to 2:00pm or by appointment.

Classes and Programs

The Society provides a History Treasure Box curriculum for the Tahoma School District third graders. The curriculum provides for guided class tours of all of our museums for the students, teachers and chaperones. Since the program’s inception, we have had more than 1200 students participate in this program.

The Society’s volunteers also provide free public programs five times each year. The programs are held at various facilities around the Greater Maple Valley area to allow for handicap accessibility and to generate the most interest by the groups that the programs are geared too. In particular, the programs are geared to the History of Maple Valley, History of Hobart, Volunteer recognitions, annual Tahoma Alumni Picnic and participate in and open the museums during Maple Valley Days each June. Every 3 months, the Society publishes the Bugle which provides the membership with information about the goings on within the society and historical facts about the Greater Maple Valley area.

History and the Community

The Society has developed a great working relationship with the City of Maple Valley. Since the City’s incorporation in 1997, the City has strived to keep the area’s Historical roots in perspective while still growing and changing. The City’s vision statement specifically states that “maintaining historic connections with the area’s rural past” is necessary. To that end, the City has provided financial support for the ongoing utility costs and insurance for the Gibbons-Mezzavilla General Store and the Fire Engine museum that reside on their property.

Publications

The Society has several publications about local history. Many of these have been written by local volunteers and are available for sale to the general public at the museums and during the free public programs. Some of these publications include: Histories of Greater Maple Valley, The Cedar River, Fire District 43, WWII Veterans from the Tahoma School District, and anecdotal family histories.

Staff Profiles