Newcastle Historical Society

02/11/2026

12/04/2025

Baima House relocation and City of Newcastle’s new Heritage Park

Some exciting news about the City of Newcastle's newest public park, Heritage Park! We are thrilled to announce that the park will be located on a part of the original townsite of Newcastle, featuring several historic structures from the old mining community, collectively known as the Baima House. The new park is located a few hundred yards north of the original Baima House location just off Newcastle Golf Course Road on the newly paved 136th Ave SE. This required moving the house and the adjoining buildings to the new location. Photos show the Baima House being moved and placed at its new location. Drive by and check it out! The map shows new location of the Baima House along with the planned new development.

As background the Baima House was built in the 1870s and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. It’s the only surviving structure associated with Newcastle mines, one of the oldest buildings in King County (if not the oldest) and is an example of the type of housing miners lived in.

Pam Lee, a founder of the Newcastle Historical Society and her husband, Gary, were owners of property where the historic Baima House was located. When Pam and Gary decided to sell the property, Russ Segner (current NHS President) was able to assist them in finding a suitable developer capable of developing a site that was part of the original coal mining community.

Intracorp acquired the property and worked with Pam and Gary to get all the necessary approvals to build 37 new homes. Part of that negotiation included dedication of a small portion of land for a new city park for the Baima House. Intracorp funded relocation of the Baima house and adjoining buildings including foundations, sidewalks, pavers, preliminary landscaping and future historical signage featuring content created by NHS. In the coming months this parcel will be formally transferred to the City of Newcastle to be named Heritage Park. The City will then install utilities, park signage and hopefully fencing as well. We’re actively collaborating with the City to develop interior spaces once utilities have been installed.

Recently, several NHS members toured the buildings to determine what will be needed to make them ready to use as a museum for display of the large collection of historic artifacts, photos and maps we have accumulated. That collection was recently relocated into nearby public storage to organize how we will display our collection.

We anticipate the park's grand opening to take place sometime in 2026. This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who is passionate about Newcastle's history and wants to be part of this exciting new venture. We invite you to reach out to the NHS Board if you are interested in any of the following opportunities:

Cataloging items in the collection and creating a layout for the Baima house.

Digital scanning of maps and photos.

Writing promotional materials.

Learning the history of Newcastle for presentation to visitors.

We look forward to working together to make Heritage Park a vibrant and educational destination for our community. Thank you for your support and enthusiasm.

11/17/2025

09/04/2025

For Newcastle Days on September 6th, the Newcastle Historical Society will have a three-table display at Lake Boren Park from 10 AM to 5 PM. You’re encouraged to stop by, say hello, and enjoy the display. The Newcastle Historic Cemetery will also be open from 10 AM to 3 PM, hosted by Bob Boyd. Additionally, Steve Baima will be conducting a tour at 2 PM, with impromptu tours offered throughout the day.

06/25/2025

Dear Friends of the Newcastle Cemetery and Historical Society members:

The 4th of July is going to be celebrated at Lake Boren Park on the evening of July 3rd. There will be music in the park from 6:00 PM until 10:30 at which time fireworks will begin. The historical society will be conducting tours in the cemetery with our guides. In preparation for the cemetery tour, we will be conducting a general clean-up on the morning of June 28th. If you could spare an hour or two to help out, your participation would be appreciated. We are still mitigating the storm damage from November. It is a continuing effort. The gate will be open at 9:00 AM and remain open until 2:00 PM. Advise work boots, gloves and your favorite yard tools (hand pruner, lopper, rake and a wheel barrow). I will have cold water and a few snacks. I have heard it said that a person can determine the vitality of a community by the way that the cemetery is maintained. Although this is an inactive cemetery, it was once a focal point of the mining history on which Newcastle was built. Your help is appreciated.

Steve Baima
Newcastle Historical Society

05/23/2025

Newcastle Historic Cemetery Open House Memorial Day

This Monday, Memorial Day, the Newcastle Historic Cemetery will be open to visitors from 10am to 4pm, with tours all day, especially at 2:30pm.

This Saturday from 10am-2pm is our next work party to get the cemetery ready for Memorial Day, stopping at noon for lunch, bring a chair.

Things to be done: Finish the name tags & flags in the meadow area, and cleaning of headstones with water & a soft brush.

Cleanup of the Hillside: Replace old wooden survey stakes with white flags at the plot corners. Clean trail & remove brush. Clean Kiosk & move trekking poles to bottom of driveway.

Monday: New show and tell table with old wire fence, old wine class, old warped file, old piece of coal, old surveyor's chain, copy of old 1880s cemetery map, etc. (with books to sell & handouts too)

05/17/2025

Dear Friends of the Newcastle pioneer Cemetery:

The fall of 2024 was extremely harsh on our Newcastle Cemetery. recall the "bomb cyclone that hit our area? It had a devastating effect on the cemetery. One of the large Douglas Fir trees, located in the center of the cemetery meadow had a fork in the trunk, about 50 feet above the ground. The wind tore the tree in two, with a huge section falling toward the northwest. It broke off one of the ornate pedestals (about 5 feet tall) when it fell. Large limbs were jammed into the earth like daggers from hell. The large end measure over 4 feet in diameter.

The wind storm provided the incentive for the city to hire an arborist to address some of the other trees that were considered dangerous. Some of those have also been felled. Unfortunately clean-up of the mess and devastation has fallen upon members of the historical group and other concern members of the community, to remove and clean up.

The city, along with Newcastle Historical Society, have identified several dates for work party scheduling. The dates are scheduled to coincide with holiday activities. The first will be Saturday, May 17th to coincide with Memorial Day on the 26th.

Hours of the clean-up activities are generally between 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM. I say generally because volunteers will often show up early and/or stay later than 2. Any volunteer time that you can contribute is appreciated. Cold water land snacks will be available on-site. Wear rugged clothing and work boots/shoes. Bring work/garden gloves. a pruner or "lopper" will be helpful. Maybe even a wheelbarrow. A small trash trailer will be stationed near the Kiosk. I am hoping that the city will also provide a dumpster as well.

Other dates are planned for June 28th to coincide with the 4th of July, August 30th to coincide with Newcastle days, October 25th to coincide with Halloween, and November 8th to coincide with veterans day.

01/10/2025

Coal Mining at Cougar Mountain presentation

1:00-3:00 PM Sunday, January 26th, 2025 at Lewis Creek Park Visitor Center, 5808 Lakemont Blvd. SE, Bellevue, WA

This free program highlights 100 years of local coal mining, from 1863 to 1963. By 1888 there were 200 men and 21 mules working right here. In fact, exporting coal to San Francisco helped turn Seattle into a major seaport. Eleven million tons of coal came out of the Newcastle mines. See historic photos and hands-on artifacts. Come and learn what is underneath a mountain that is older than Rainier.

Presented by the Eastside Heritage Center and the Issaquah Alps Trails Club in partnership with Bellevue Parks and the Newcastle Historical Society.

11/08/2024

Veteran’s Day Open House at Newcastle Historic Cemetery

Join us at the Newcastle Historic Cemetery for a special open house on Monday, November 11, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Explore the cemetery at your own pace and discover the rich history of Bellevue, Newcastle, and the region’s coal mining past. At 2 PM, don’t miss the guided historical tour, where you’ll hear fascinating stories, including those of the Milt Swanson property, as you walk through this peaceful and picturesque site.

The Newcastle Historic Cemetery is open to the public only a few days a year, and this is a rare opportunity to visit. The cemetery is located across the street from 7808 129th Avenue SE, Newcastle.

Event Details:
Date: Monday, November 11 (Veteran's Day)
Time: 10 AM – 2 PM (Cemetery open house)
Tour: 2 PM
Location: Newcastle Historic Cemetery, across from 7808 129th Ave SE
Parking/Directions: Park at Lake Boren Park and walk to the north, out of the park and toward the Newcastle Historic Cemetery. Walk along the Waterline Trail for a direct route. *For drop-off or street parking, take Newcastle Way to SE 129th Street, travel south on this dead-end street, park along the street or drop off safely near cemetery. The gated cemetery is to the west with signage.

10/09/2024

Dear friends of the Newcastle Pioneer Cemetery and Historical Society:

We have not been able to conduct a meaningful work party this year. we were forced to cancel our plans this spring due to insurance implications required by the city risk management department. I am happy to say that those issues have been resolved.

Since establishing insurance to protect the city, a number of trailer loads of vegetation debris has been removed.

We have 2 remaining work sessions scheduled prior to the end of the year. The next is on October 12th, from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. Final work party will be on November 9th, just prior to Veterans day on the 11th. We will have an open house at that time.

We would appreciate any help that you might be able to provide. We have made great strides in the past several years, in removing much of the English Ivy and blackberry briars. Several dead trees have also been removed. The entire cemetery uas been surveyed with all plot quadrant markers established. This will allow relatives or friends of those interred, the ability to locate burial locations, in the absence of any grave stones or markers. I have also been informed by city staff that the fence replacement contract should be finalized soon. With any luck, we could have a new fence around 2 sides of the cemetery before the year end.

If you can participate on Saturday, remember your work gloves. A pruner or “lopper” and wheelbarrow would be helpful also. Area to be worked on is along the “zig-zag” trail. Thank you for considering our request for your help.

Respectively,
Steve Baima
Newcastle Historical Society

10/06/2024

Primrose Trail Hike
Thursday, October 10th — 10am

Peggy Jackson of the Issaquah Alps Trails Club will be leading a nature hike up Coal Creek, starting at the Red Cedars Trailhead on the east side of Coal Creek Parkway. Distance about 3 miles, elevation gain 375′. Slow pace with frequent pauses for questions and information. Come and see one of the very first coal seams found by pioneers in the actual stream bed. Pass salmon spawning areas, waterfalls, massive bridges, springboard tree trunks, and coal car wheels embedded in a tree! Lots of ‘nature treats’ in a beautiful wild setting just minutes from home.

Register at http://issaquahalps.org (Click on Hikes and Events, Calendar, October 10th, “Wild Revelations of Coal Creek”)

IATC. Issaquah Alps Trails Club. Dedicated to the protection of the lush mountains, valleys, rivers and streams in the Issaquah Alps region and beyond. IATC has ...

07/02/2024

Newcastle Historical Society July 4th booth at Pleasure Pt

This July 4th from 11am to 2 pm the Newcastle Historical Society will have a couple of tents full of artifacts and info at Pleasure Pt Ln trail crossing. Focus is on Newcastle coal mines and the incline that linked the coal tram to Newcastle Landing. Railroads replaced the coal barges in 1878 but Newcastle Landing remained active until Lake Washington was lowered in 1916. The Landing was located at 5421 Pleasure Pt Ln about 10 parcels north of the current Pleasure Pt Ln trail crossing where the booth will be. Attached photo shows what it looked like in late 1870s with three coal barges each day heading over to Montlake starting the process of getting coal down the coast to San Francisco. There was a very large coal car staging wharf from north end of Pleasure Pt Ln to the south end of Lakehurst lane. Pilings from that wharf remained till the 1930’s ~ fifty years after the wharf was abandoned.

2nd photo shows the Quickstep, one of the local ferries based out of Leschi, tied to Newcastle Landing in 1895.

Stop by...and bring your bike to enjoy the relatively new Eastrail.

Pleasure Pt Ln is on Lake Washington and easy to find, exit 9 off of 405 and then head south down a short hill. Parking lot on your right.