After the suicide of her husband, Rebecca Brown put forward a homestead claim on the house at 400 W. 11th Street in May of 1901, almost 106 years ago to date. What is interesting about this is that Alice Hubbard, who would later own the house, was one of the witnesses to the homestead claim. In May of 1901 Miss Hubbard had only been living in Vancouver for three months. Click to enlarge.

July 10th was another great day for the Charles Brown House. We were fortunate to have another one of Charles Brown’s great-granddaughters stop by the house on her way through town. Peg Shaeffer, granddaughter of Harriet Brown Carpenter, was unable to attend the luncheon here on May 25th but expressed and interest to drop in next time she was passing through Vancouver.

Peg stayed for a little over an hour, took a tour of the house, and shared information pertaining to her side of the family. She also learned new information she did not know about her own family, research I had done. Margaret “Peg” Carpenter was born September 24, 1925 in Seattle, Washington to Edward Laramie Carpenter Jr. and Margaret Kamps. She married David Shaeffer and they have five grown children.

Coincidentally, Peg’s husband David lived in the Brown House for a few years as a very small child! His parents rented the front part of the house from Alice Hubbard. It was not until a few years after their marriage that the connection they both shared with the Brown House was discovered. David Shaeffer has a distinct recollection of the stairwell to the upstairs of the house. Peg quotes, “It scared him to death, it was so steep!”. Photograph of Peg Shaeffer on the front porch of the Brown House. Also, the stairwell her husband speaks of.

One of nine children born to George and Martha Hubbard on January 15, 1866 in Georgetown, Michigan, Alice Hubbard would eventually move to Vancouver, Washington in 1901 and become a key person in the early Vancouver public education system. She was a teacher for many years at Central School and then became principal of that same school for 15 years, which was located on the site of the present Clark County Courthouse. She was also the main supervisor of the Vancouver city schools for many years. A deed dated September 12, 1925 shows the transfer of property at 400 W. 11th Street from the heirs of Rebecca A. Brown to Alice Hubbard. Miss Hubbard died in the house April 3, 1935. Her obituary below was taken from the Columbian, dated April 4, 1935. Please click to enlarge.

Central School was built in 1882 and for eight years was the only public school building in Vancouver. Presently, the Clark County Courthouse sits on this location. Former resident of the Charles Brown House, Alice Hubbard, taught at this school for many years. She was principal of the school for fifteen years and at the time of her death on April 3, 1935, held this position. Here is a picture of Alice Hubbard with many Central School pupils during a parade on a Vancouver city street in 1925.