McMenamins Presents:
History Pub
A Tale of Two Georges; A Tale of Two Cities
Presented by Heather Beaird
McMenamins Olympic Club Theater
112 N Tower Ave, Centralia, WA 98531
Tuesday, May 21, 2024 7:00PM
All ages welcome
George Bush, a mixed-race Black man, traveled on the Oregon Trail in 1844, to what is now Tumwater, Washington. George Washington, also a mixed-race Black man, traveled on the Oregon Trail in 1850 to what is now Centralia, Washington. Both men were wealthy pioneers, prominent farmers and homesteaders before Washington Territory was formed. Historian Heather Beaird has found that their stories have often been combined, confused, and conflated in local histories. Heather sets the record straight and explains the similarities and distinctions between these prominent historical figures of Tumwater and Centralia respectively.
Heather Beaird is a graduate of both Centralia College and Washington State University Vancouver, where she wrote her senior thesis on George Bush of Tumwater and George Washington of Centralia, in an effort to create a clear distinction between them. Heather started as a volunteer at the Lewis County Historical Museum and soon became a member of their Board of Directors. She worked with the museum director to research and write the newspaper column, “Andy Skinner Commentary” for The Chronicle. She is currently the student program coordinator for Centralia College.
