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.
