Neely Mansion – 1894

Auburn, Washington

A National Landmark … in South King County - by Karen Meador 

Seven-year old Aaron Neely crossed the Oregon Trail with his parents in 1853 and settled in what is now Kent.  The Neelys were among the earliest settlers in the area and played a major role in its development.  By the early 1890s, Aaron was a prominent landowner in the process of designing and constructing the two-story Victorian Classic Revival farmhouse now known as Neely Mansion, completing the project in 1894. The Neely farm consisted of 200 surrounding acres on which he operated a dairy and planted an orchard, portions of which remain today.

The Neelys lived in the Mansion only a few years, finding it somewhat isolated, and moved back to Auburn (gasoline buggies were rare novelties at the time).  Swiss, Japanese and Filipino tenant farmers occupied the property over the next several decades; one of the families built a Japanese-style bathhouse in the 1930s.  By the 1970s the house had deteriorated to the point where concerned local citizens moved to save and restore the property, forming the Neely Mansion Association and organizing haunted house tours staffed by the Auburn High School Drama Department.  These tours provided the seed money with which restoration began.  Although still ongoing, the house has been largely restored to its former glory and is one of the few remaining examples of the many Victorian-style farmhouses that were once commonplace throughout the region.

The Neely Mansion is listed on the National Register for Historic Places, the Washington State Register and is a designated King County landmark. The Neely Mansion Association is a volunteer, non-profit organization; membership fees and donations are tax-deductible.  Operating expenses include insurance, alarm system monitoring (two break-ins have occurred recently), propane for heating and occasional maintenance.  Arrangements can be made for tours to schools and civic groups, weddings, and other events.  Citizen involvement is welcomed to keep the property in a restored and operational condition.  It is located at 12303 Auburn-Black Diamond Road, just east of the Highway 18 Auburn-Black Diamond Road exit.  For further information, call (253) 833-9404.  Neely Mansion Association, PO Box 738, Auburn, WA 98071-0738.

Please visit http://pauldorpat.com/?p=7248&cpage=1 for a wonderful article about the Neely.