Pike/Pine non-white residents in 1910 and 1920

Horace and Susie Revels Cayton, the publishers of Seattle’s leading Black newspaper, invited Black men and women to come to Seattle for the 1909 Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition. And, they invited them to stay. People took the Caytons up on their offer, and some moved to the Pike/Pine area of Capitol Hill.

A census review of Pike/Pine revealed that in the early 1900s, even if non-white people were allowed in a neighborhood, they could not live in the same buildings as white people. Other than servants or janitors, white people in Seattle did not allow others to live in their buildings in 1910 and 1920.

This article grew from answers to a series of research questions. It began as a simple tally of Black residents in the neighborhood in 1910, to inform the article about Auto Row Apartments. Then when a building-by-building review determined that almost all of those structures were demolished soon after the census, it continued as a review of 1920 to determine if any Black people remained. Finally, when many Japanese and one Filipino household were found in the 1920 census, this expanded to become a series of searchable tables of non-white residents of Capitol Hill’s Pike/Pine neighborhood east of Broadway in Seattle.

While searching for a few photos of residents, stories emerged of the people who lived at two locations in 1920. Those can be found below as brief biographical information. Please use them as a starter for completing their biographies.

Below you will find summary information about properties and numbers of residents, and then tables with basic facts about each person from the census. Where names differ from Ancestry transcriptions, it is because Ancestry was wrong.

The Pike/Pine neighborhood

The census district boundaries for this part of Pike/Pine shifted somewhat between 1910 and 1920. In 1910, a boundary went straight down 12th, in front of the property of interest, Auto Row Apartments. So, the review included both census districts 125 and 126. Other than two locations on 12th, and the pastor of First AME, no other Black residents lived in census district 126 (eastern side) that year. The district boundaries were Denny Way, Madison, Broadway, and 12th for district 125. For 126 the boundaries were Denny Way, Madison, 12th, and 18th.

A smaller area was reviewed for 1920, because census district 207 covered the area from Broadway east beyond Auto Row Apartments’ location on the east side of 12th. In 1920, district 207 was bounded by Pine, Broadway, 14th, and Madison.

The few blocks on the western edge were the Broadway district at the time. The rest was considered the Central Area or Central District. Now, it is mostly considered Capitol Hill, with pieces showing up in various boundaries of First Hill, the Central District, and Squire Park.

Rough areas of 1910’s districts 125 and 126, and 1920’s 207 (Google Maps and review of census)

1910’s Black residents of Pike/Pine

Reviewing the adjacent pages of the 1910 census, it’s clear that the area of Pike/Pine around 12th and Pike wasn’t a Black neighborhood. Instead, the vast majority of residents were white. However, with Mt. Zion Baptist Church at 11th and Union, and First African Methodist Episcopal Church at 14th and Pine, the area did draw in a number of Black residents to homes and apartments. Those included Auto Row Apartments, the first apartment building in Seattle built for Black tenants, which was profiled recently on this site.

Auto Row Apartments, ironically, survived the automobile. But no other 1910 homes, apartments, or boarding houses for Black people in this part of Pike/Pine survived. The neighborhood streets were lifted for streetcars and autos in 1910, precipitating enormous change. The new buildings of auto row, for automobile sales and service, replaced most residential buildings.

Other known properties in Pike/Pine with Black residents in 1910 were:

1020 E. Pike St (5) (demolished by 1913 for what is now Monique Lofts)
1142 10th (7) (Mentioned briefly at the end of my second article on UMadBro. Now it would be on Broadway Court but engineers demolished it in 1911 to widen Union.)
1406 11th (2) (demolished by 1916 for current Union Art Coop)
1517 11th (2) (demolished in perhaps the early 1920s and definitely by 1936 for basement entrance to 1917’s Kelly Springfield building)
1513 11th (10) (ditto).
1410 12th (3) (demolished by 1919 for what is now Trace Lofts)
1508 and 1510 12th (7) Auto Row Apts (demolished 2014 for Beryl Apartments)
1522 14th (2) FAME church (extant).

(Number of residents in parentheses, followed by fate of building.)

Address	Last Name	First Name	Age	Profession	Profession detail
1510.5 12th Ave	Smyth	Emma B	49	House work	Private home
1510.5 12th Ave	Valentine	Edwin S	39	Porter	Train
1510.5 12th Ave	Peoples	Alonzo D	30	Chauffeur	Private family
1510.5 12th Ave	Peoples	Clirinda	32	None
1510.5 12th Ave	Davidson	Madge	38	None
1508 12th	Johnson	McDoneld	31	Laborer	Concrete company
1508 12th	Johnson	Aurrellia	31	None
1410 12th	Miller	Marry E	51	Waiter
1410 12th	Miller	Holly E	22	None
1410 12th	Miller	William S	28	None
1522 14th	Osborne	William T	52	Minister	Church
1522 14th	Osborne	Pinky E	30	None
1406 11th	Brown	Emma	50	Laundress	At home
1406 11th	Brown	Lilly	25	Servant	Private family
1142 10th	Henry	William	40	Janitor	Federal building
1142 10th	Henry	Mary	40	None
1142 10th	Henry	William Jr	16	Driver	Express wagon
1142 10th	Lewis	Nathaniel	25	Janitor	Federal building
1142 10th	Lewis	Cora E	18	None
1142 10th	Lewis	Charles	10 months	None
1142 10th	Fort	John	29	Mail carrier	Post office
1020 E Pike St	Lucas	August	51	Cook	Railroad
1020 E Pike St	Lucas	Emma E	42	None
1020 E Pike St	Lucas	Olivine	14	None
1020 E Pike St	Preston	Charles H	35	Shoemaker	Shoe shop
1020 E Pike St	Thomas	Edward	30	Cook	restaurant
1517.5 11th	Miller	Lulu	28	Washerwoman	At home
1517.5 11th	Ward	Jennie	50	None
1513 11th	Freeman	Eliza	47	None
1513 11th	Prince	Davenporth	33	Porter	Rail road
1513 11th	Tracey	Lennord	23	Porter	Rail road
1513 11th	Miller	Codie	35	Porter	Rail road
1513 11th	Gamble	James A	36	Porter	Rail road
1513 11th	Bassick	John	19	Porter	Rail road
1513 11th	Evans	Fred	26	Porter	Rail road
1513 11th	Bollocks	Daniel	20	Porter	Rail road
1513 11th	Saunders	William	25	Waiter	Rail road
1513 11th	Patch	Lucy	30	None

Auto Row Apartments, 1508 and 1510 1/2 12th Ave, 1905 or 1907 (Northwest Negro Progress Number, 1907)

More about 1910

1910 also included one Japanese resident in these two districts. T. Morimoto, a 24 year-old man born in Japan, lived at his tailor shop at 1118 E. Madison Street. It was one of the storefronts in the triangle building that is now Viva Apartments.

I skipped several Japanese servants. In keeping with that decision, I did not include a live-in janitor in the table of Black residents. He was Judson L. Burnes, age 33, who lived at 1019 E. Pine St.

Tailor shop and notion store at 1118-1120 E. Madison St., Seattle, Washington, October 9, 1909. — T. Morimoto’s tailor shop on Madison at 12th in 1909 (UW Special Collections LEE010)

1920’s Black residents of Pike/Pine

Considering the near complete demolition of 1910’s boarding houses and homes of Black residents, the first assumption might be that Black people left the neighborhood. But that is not correct. There were still the two Black churches making the area appealing. In fact, a review of census district 207 (Pine, 14th, Madison, and Broadway) showed an increase in the number of Black people (38 to 70) and locations (8 to 15) that they lived compared to the much larger area reviewed for 1910.

Locations with Black residents in 1920:

1022 E. Seneca (6) (demolished by 1951, currently Seattle University Hunthausen Hall)
1024 E. Seneca (3) (demolished by 1951, currently Seattle University Hunthausen Hall)
1028 E. Seneca (3) (demolished perhaps in 1951, currently Japanese Remembrance Garden)
1316 E. Madison (6) (demolished after 1920s, likely 1963 for current Bank of America building)
1127 Broadway Ct (5) (demolished 1936 for expansion of Salvidge Autos, currently Garage Bowling Alley)
1515 10th (11) (demolished 1920 for building currently with Elliott Bay Books)
1517 10th (2) (demolished 1920 for building currently with Elliott Bay Books)
1523 10th (4) (demolished 1920 for building currently with Elliott Bay Books)
1407 11th (5) (demolished for warehouse building replaced in 2014 by Revolve Apts)
1417 11th (2) (demolished, parking lot until 2014 construction of Revolve Apts)
1513 11th (6) (demolished after 1920 and before 1936)
1517 11th (5) (demolished after 1920 and before 1936)
1522 12th (4) (demolished 1922 for retail building currently with Momiji)
1532 13th (8) (demolished after 1956 and by construction of 1969 commercial building on site)

(Number of residents in parentheses, then fate of building.)

Address	Last Name	First name	Age	Profession	Profession details
1022 E Seneca St	Woods	John	32	Janitor	Auto building
1022 E Seneca St	Woods	Hester	40	Housework	Private families
1022 E Seneca St	Woods	Ethel	13	None
1022 E Seneca St	Dunlap	James T	35	Janitor	Garage
1022 E Seneca St	Dunlap	Mellisa	34	Janitor	Office building
1022 E Seneca St	Benson	Denver C	26	Porter	Pullman Co
1024 E Seneca St	Rogers	Joshua	39	Watchman	Auto sales
1024 E Seneca St	Rogers	Bertha	27	None
1024 E Seneca St	Boykins	Simon	30	Shiner	Shoe parlor
1028 E Seneca St	Martin	Siggo	57	Porter	Pullman Co
1028 E Seneca St	Martin	Mary	51	Hairdresser	At home
1028 E Seneca St	Ross	Robert	58	Porter	Private club
1127 Broadway Ct	Henry	William M	49	Janitor	Federal Building
1127 Broadway Ct	Henry	Mary J	48	None
1127 Broadway Ct	Henry	William F	26	Washer	Steam Laundry
1127 Broadway Ct	Henry	Lilliam	22	None
1127 Broadway Ct	Henry	William Jr	2	None
1316 E Madison	Whitley	Sarah M	70	None
1316 E Madison	Smith	Percy C	34	Laborer	Dairy
1316 E Madison	Smith	Inez	31	None
1316 E Madison	Smith	Albert	3	None
1316 E Madison	Smith	Vera	2	None
1316 E Madison	Ingraham		65	Janitor	Garage
1407 11th Ave	Gray	Joseph	46	Plasterer	Building work
1407 11th Ave	Gray	Rena	44	None
1407 11th Ave	Gray	Dallas	15	None
1407 11th Ave	Gray	Marshall	12	None
1407 11th Ave	Lewis	Mollie	55	Housekeeper	Private home
1417 11th Ave	Powell	Robert	63	Cook	Retired
1417 11th Ave	Cochran	Terseater	33	Hairdresser	Private families
1513 11th Ave	Freeman	Eliza	55	Laundress	At home
1513 11th Ave	Lewis	Cora	27	None
1513 11th Ave	Lewis	Nathaniel C	35	Truck Driver	Auto factory
1513 11th Ave	Lewis	Charles	10	None
1513 11th Ave	Lewis	Odessa	8	None
1513 11th Ave	Lewis	Robert	2	None
1515 10th Ave	Buxton	Samuel	39	Clerk	Retail grocery
1515 10th Ave	Buxton	Bertha	49	None
1515 10th Ave	Wingo	Lottie	26	None
1515 10th Ave	Wingo	Desdemona	9	None
1515 10th Ave	Wingo	Ganymede	6	None
1515 10th Ave	Wingo	Othello	3	None
1515 10th Ave	Magee	Perry O	30	Waiter	Dining car
1515 10th Ave	Austin	Frank	44	laborer	Waterfront docks
1515 10th Ave	Andrews	Thomas H	40	Head clerk	Q[uarter] M[aster] Corps USA
1515 10th Ave	De Neal	Elizabeth	44	Proprietor	Beauty parlor
1515 10th Ave	Peoples	Margaret	26	Partner	Beauty parlor
1517 10th Ave	Green	Mabel L	35	Day worker	Private families
1517 10th Ave	Green	Josephine	17	Chambermaid	Hotel
1517 11th Ave	Louving	Julia	59	Day worker	Private homes
1517 11th Ave	Whitley	Sarah	70	None
1517 11th Ave	Britton	Dennis	20	Beef killer	Slaughterhouse
1517 11th Ave	Britton	Mabel	20	None
1517 11th Ave	Britton	Orabell	1	None
1522 12th Ave	Ward	Thomas G	48	Laborer	Building
1522 12th Ave	Ward	Esther	38	None
1522 12th Ave	Ivey	Jack	35	Porter	Pullman Car
1522 12th Ave	Ivey	Bernice E	19	None
1523 10th Ave	Parker	William T	41	Cook	Steam boat
1523 10th Ave	Parker	Katherine R	35	None
1523 10th Ave	Parker	May	9 months	None
1523 10th Ave	Henry		44	Laundress	Houses
1532 13th Ave	Jones	James	35	Janitor	Hotel
1532 13th Ave	Jones	Daisy	47	None
1532 13th Ave	Dupee	George W	75	Janitor	Office building
1532 13th Ave	Dupee	Sarah	64	Nurse	Private house
1532 13th Ave	Greene	Ida B	48	Druggist	Retail store
1532 13th Ave	Greene	Sara	15	None
1532 13th Ave	Greene	George	20	Porter	Dining Car
1532 13th Ave	Greene	Hamilton	19	None

This may be an undercount of the Black residents of Pike/Pine in 1920. The records for two known Black residents showed “Col[ored]”, crossed out with “W[hite]” written in. There could be other households that were recorded as “White” by the census taker.

1019 E. Pike St, which had a Black janitor in 1910, had two Black janitors in 1920. They were Charles Preston, age 47, and Joseph B. Thompson, age 67. It’s interesting to note that they were both native German speakers from the West Indies.

1920: Greene, Dupee, and Jones

At 1532 13th Ave, on the southeast corner of 13th and Pine in Pike/Pine, was the large home of James Jones, a hotel janitor, and his wife Daisy Jones. Daisy’s parents George Dupee, an office janitor, and Sarah Dupee, a nurse, lived with them, along with Daisy’s sister Ida Greene, a druggist, and her children Sara (elsewhere Sarai), George, a porter, and Hamilton, a college student.

When George Dupee died in 1933 he was the oldest Black Mason in the United States, at 89 years old. The family came from Jefferson City, Missouri in about 1915, where George was a founder and leader of Masons in the state and city, and of Unity Baptist Church in Jefferson City. George died at a park, presumably Lincoln Park, where Bobby Morris Field is today in Cal Anderson Park. He was sitting on a bench in the evening watching children play, and quietly passed away as if falling asleep.

Schuyler C. Winston, another daughter of George and Sarah Dupee, lived with her husband Obie Winston at 1122 16th Avenue E., a block from Volunteer Park in Capitol Hill Division 4. The Winstons were the only Black family in that census district (174). Along with two Japanese households a block north, they were the only non-white families in the district in 1920.

Focus on Hamilton Greene

Hamilton “Ham” Greene attended Lincoln Institute, now Lincoln University, in Jefferson City. When the extended family moved to Seattle, Hamilton transferred to Broadway High where he starred in track and football. He played other sports as well, including basketball for First AME.

After graduating Broadway in 1919, Hamilton studied law at the University of Washington. There, he was in the Kelly Miller Club with Marge Cayton, daughter of the publishers of the Seattle Republican. Hamilton was the first Black player for the UW football team, and a member of the squad that first used Husky Stadium in 1920. In 1922, Ham coached the first year of football for the Asahi Club, a Japanese American sports club. He later worked for attorney Clarence Anderson and clerked for Day & Night Bond Service, prior to his untimely death.

Hamilton Greene was killed by the driver of a speeding car on now-Highway 99 in Everett in 1934, a few months after his grandfather died. Per the Northwest Enterprise, “His back was broken, his skull crushed, and his clothes were literally torn from his body.” The driver was escorted home with no charges filed. Coincidentally, Hamilton’s uncle James Jones was killed by a speeding motorist on Madison at 13th in 1941. Many members of this extended family died over the course of those 8 years.

Hamilton Greene as a sophomore at Broadway High in 1917 (Broadway High yearbook)

“Ham” Greene, running back for UW Huskies, 1923 (MOHAI 1983.10.11419)

1920: De Neal and Peoples

Elizabeth De Neal and Margaret Peoples owned a beauty shop and hair salon at 1319 E. Pine, in the Bostonian Apartments (now Chester Apartments). Elizabeth was president and Margaret secretary-treasurer.

It’s odd that they were living together per the 1920 census without their husbands. Margaret was already married to John W. Phillips – she appears under both the names Peoples and Phillips in various records. She and John lived together in the city directories. Elizabeth and her husband Scott De Neal did as well. Certainly it’s a sign of their independence and success as businesswomen.

There’s also no clear connection to 1515 10th Avenue. The city directory had “Phillips Mrs Margt” and “Phillips Jno W (Margt)” (John with wife Margaret) living at 1211 Terrace Court (street now vacated for KC Child and Family Justice Center). And it had “De Neal Elizabeth Mrs” living at her 1319 E. Pine salon without Scott De Neal listed.

Elizabeth’s husband Scott was as a “rancher” in the 1922 census, and his profession showed as “farmer” on his 1927 death certificate. John Phillips was a porter in the 1920 directory, and vice-president of DeNeal Hair Shop Inc in 1921. Elizabeth opened a new salon at 1919 E. Madison soon after Scott’s death. Apparently that is now the Diamond parking lot on the northeast corner of the Mt. Zion Baptist Church lot. John and Margaret Phillips lived together with Elizabeth at 1651 20th Ave in the 1930 census.

Ad for De Neal beauty Shop in July 29, 1923 Seattle Times

Other 1920 non-white residents of Pike/Pine

In 1920 a growing number of other non-white residents moved into the neighborhood. Per the plaque at the Japanese Remembrance Garden at Seattle University, Japanese Americans also lived in the area around Cherry Street in the 1930s. This might reflect a population drift from the Japantown or Nihonmachi area that stretched north of cultural institutions at the south end of First Hill and Yesler and 14th. An anecdotal biography of a Japanese family further west in the 1930s appeared in my article The Pink Dress from Boylston and Pine for CHS Blog.

It’s important to note that other than servants or janitors, no residences had more than one race.

Japanese:

1015 E Pike (5)
1322 E Pike (3)
1511 14th (1)
1414 10th (5)

Filipino:

905 E Pine (1)

Address	Last Name	First Name	Born	Age	Profession	Profession details
1015 E Pike St	Kondo	R	Japan	52	Dyer and cleaner	At home
1015 E Pike St	Kondo	H	Japan	42	None
1015 E Pike St	Kondo	Paul	Japan	17	None
1015 E Pike St	Kondo	Mary	Washington	11	None
1015 E Pike St	Kondo	Agnes	Washington	9	None
1511 14th Ave	Nakakura	Y	Japan		Shoemaker	Shop
1322 East Pike St	Suzaka	Misue	Japan	31	Proprietor	Dye Works
1322 East Pike St	Suzaka	Fusa	Japan	30	None
1322 East Pike St	Suzaka	John	Washington	8 months	None
1414 10th Ave	Suzuki	Genjiro	Japan	34	Bookkeeper	Bank
1414 10th Ave	Suzuki	Tsuru	Japan	22	None
1414 10th Ave	Suzuki	Sakai	Japan	2	None
1414 10th Ave	Suzuki	Takashi	Japan	8 months	None
1414 10th Ave	Iwao	Iwasi	Japan	32	Salesman	Auto Sales
905 E Pine	Arciaga	Arcadio	The Philippines	19	Student	Broadway High