By: Katherine Trowbridge & Shelly Harper
The Pasco Aviation Museum, owned by the Port of Pasco, along with the North Franklin Heritage Museum’s 1904 Presbyterian Church, were voted on to the Washington Heritage Register on Friday, March 15 by the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.
Museum Administrator Shelly Harper applied to put the old church on the Washington Heritage Register nearly a year ago.
The Washington Heritage Register is an official listing of historically significant sites and properties found though out the state. The registry list includes districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that have been identified and documented as being significant in local or state history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture.
Listing in the Washington Heritage Register is strictly an honorary designation and raises public awareness about historic and cultural values.
Until March 15, there were only four buildings on the register from Franklin County; the Franklin County Courthouse (Pasco), the Moore Mansion (Pasco), the Carnegie Library (which is now the Franklin County Museum in Pasco), and Morning Star Baptist Church (Pasco). With the addition of the Pasco Aviation Museum and North Franklin Heritage Museum’s Presbyterian Church, there are now six buildings from Franklin County on the register with the Presbyterian Church (Connell) being the oldest of the six buildings.
The Pasco Aviation Museum is located in the old control tower, which was once part of Seattle’s Sand Point Naval Air Station during World War II. It became one of the three largest training bases for aviators in the United States. The Naval Air Station was just part of the military presence in Pasco during World War II and along with Hanford, played a big part in our area’s role during WWII.
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The Franklin County Graphic (FCG) newspaper opened in 1954 under founding editor Dave Adams to fulfill the need for community news. Today, it continues as a locally owned and operated, weekly source of community news and information across Franklin County.
