The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-04-08

Annie Wright A Product
OF the Sra. Roots"
Here Before Railroad
Crossed The Mountains
Bishop Wells Used Gun 70
Protect Seminary Servants
A = PLANS are BEING made 70
n insure the continued opera
ton Of Annie Wright seminary
In its present location. there will
be many who viii recall that
the school sprsng from the grs~
roots IN the days when Tscoms
was wriggline out Of It's swad-
ding clothes. The school was
here before Northern Pacific
crossed the Cascades.
II belongs TO = period which
produced st. Peters church. Old
Tacoma. first Episcopal venture
on Puget Sound; and ST. Lakes
Episcopal church, originally at
the corner OF SO. It'll and Broad
way. and now being reconstruct
I'd at No. seth and Cove. Also
appearing In the picture Of the
beginning of the school are the
young Episcopal missionary
preacher. LemUel II. Wells. now
remembered ~ the late vener-
able Bishop Wells. and Mrs.
Wells. a young woman Of cul-
ture and rare talent.
After these two pioneers in
the Episcopal field had spent q
couple Of yesrs roughing II be-
tween Puget Sound and spo-
kane. they asked for trans
fer. Fortunately there was an
opening At Willimsntic. Conn.
and the transfer was made. They
had been there about two years
when they had a visit from the
Ri. Rev. John Paddock. bishop
Of a diocese that took in
large part of the Northwest
and included Tacoma. Bishop
Paddock said that c. B. Wright,
wealthy Philadelphia and head
of the Northern Pacific railroad.
had endowed girls school to
be known az Annie Wright SEM
mary. in memory of a deceased
daughter. Money had been
raised for building. and it was
hoped to open the school in the
fall of 1854.
There were some require
ments, however, that had not
been supplied. There WA mr.
gent need Of a cultured young
woman 10 organize and take
charge of the school. There also
ought In he n man around, ~
Tacoma Wa still much NJ
frontier town and the school
WAS situated only about half .
block away from the virgin for
est. Would Mr.. and Mrs. Wells
be interested They would.
A soon as a successor could
be found for the parish that had
been developed at Willimantic,
the two Episcopal pioneers start
ed back to the Northwest field,
coming up from Portland on the
Northern Pacific's main line TO
Puget Sound. They spent the
night at the old Tourist hotel.
The next morning the man
who was to be bishop of this
diocese asked the hotel clerk to
order cab to 60 TO Annie
Wright seminary. The clerk
didn't even know where Annie
Wright seminary was, and any,
way. there were no cabs in
Tacoma. but there might be
horse and buggy at the livery
stable. But there was no horee
and buggy. All the rigs were
being used by real estate pro-
motors to show prospects around
the future metropolis Of the
Pacific coast.
Hearing Of the need for trans
portation. the driver OF an ex-
press wagon with a high seat
offered to take them to the
school. The seat was too high
for Mrs. Wells, 50 a chair was
tied to the front of the seat
and she rode there with her feet
hanging over the horses backs.
The bishop stood up in the
wagon back of the seat. In that
way they were jounced over the
rough road TO the new seminary
at the edge Of what is now
Wright park, where division and
Tacoma avenue intersect.
The building MA enelosed and