Volunteer Spotlight--Linda Smith: From Tennessee to the Issaquah Alps!

Linda working in our Research Center

Interviewed by Heidi Kayler, Program & Volunteer Coordinator

Volunteer Spotlight: Linda Smith

Collections volunteer Linda Smith is one of those people who brings a little sunshine wherever she goes. A bona fide history aficionado with a penchant for purple, Linda learned about Issaquah History Museums when she attended a “Let’s Talk Local History” session and was compelled to learn more about volunteering. Linda joined IHM last February and has proven to be an invaluable resource! 

Linda, her husband, Wayne, and their two daughters moved to the Issaquah area from Tennessee in 1978. They built a log house on 9 acres of land between High Point and Preston where they lived for 33 years before moving to Klahanie, where Linda lives today.

Katya, IHM’s Collections Manager, had this to share about Linda: “She has been a great volunteer from the start. Eager to dive into history and help us research whatever is needed. Always curious to learn more. Her questions help us learn more about Issaquah history too!”

I had the pleasure of interviewing Linda to learn more about her background, interests/passions, and her experience with IHM. 

HK: Why did you choose to volunteer with us?

LS:  I’ve always been interested in history; specifically, the day-to-day lives of people who lived back then. What did people wear? What did they eat? How did they amuse themselves? You need to work on the local level to get that kind of specificity. I’m also interested in the early settlers. Where were they located? Where did they come from? My grandfather was a postmaster who delivered mail by horse and buggy in North Carolina. The stories he shared with my mom are what sparked this curiosity in me.

HK: What is your favorite thing about volunteering with IHM?

LS: I enjoy research, investigating, documenting, sharing information, and uncovering the stories behind the research. For example, I recently read memories of peoples’ excursions in 1910, when they had to travel vast distances without rail. And I always learn something new! I enjoy learning how, and why, Issaquah is what it is today– how a town was made out of a hamlet.

HK: What have you learned that is new or particularly noteworthy/compelling?

LS: The story of Constantine Gustav Alvo Von Albensleben and the chemical plant that never was. If he had been able to complete his plan, Issaquah would be an industrial area, not a nice place to live. The pollution would have been horrific. Because of WWI, his funds were confiscated and that opportunity was lost, to the benefit of our beautiful area.

HK: What would you tell people who are interested in volunteering with IHM?

LS: It can be great fun sharing local history with people! You learn as much as you share. It can spark deeper conversations. Volunteering requires that you teach at the same time you learn. The visitors are great, and they are motivated to learn. They want to be there.

If you’re doing tours, it’s important to get kids interested—engage them. Ask them questions, tell stories and more because they’re the ones who will be preserving our history!

HK:  What else would you like to share?

LS:  When all is said and done, history consists of memories of what people did and is best shared by people who lived it. Future generations can also apply insight that didn’t exist at the time history was being made.

Linda, thanks for all you have done, and will continue to do, for IHM!