Article Date: May 31st, 2012
Category: News
Dedicated Sammamish Heritage Society volunteers have found a permanent new home for the historic Jacob and Emma Reard House, formerly known as the Freed House. Built in the 1890s, the oldest remaining house in Sammamish was at one time slated for a fire burn exercise or demolishment. But in less than three years, the Sammamish Heritage Society has raised over $80,000 from fundraising and grants to relocate and preserve the structure.
In 2010, the Reard House was placed on the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation’s List of the top most endangered historic sites. In 2011, the City of Sammamish and the King County Landmark Commission designated the Jacob and Emma Reard House the first historic landmark in the City of Sammamish.
Then late last year, Mary Pigott allocated a portion of her land donation to the City of Sammamish as the future home of the Reard House. In the early hours of Sunday, June 3, the house is going to be moved one mile down the road to its new site.
The Sammamish Heritage Society plans to restore the house to its original state both inside and out, and use the house as the cornerstone of a new park in Sammamish. To learn more about the project, contact the Sammamish Heritage Society at sammamish.heritage@hotmail.com or Mary Moore, Reard House Project Leader at 425-283-8749.
