As of Tuesday, one of the oldest standing buildings in the state of Washington — a historic church constructed just a few years after the founding of Lewis County itself — is up for sale.
The Lewis County Board of Commissioners passed two resolutions Tuesday, July 15, that declared the Claquato Church and surrounding parcel located in the unincorporated community of Claquato along state Route 6 as surplus.
The county will publish a request for bids to purchase the property. The request for bids requires those interested in buying the property to include a proposal on how they would preserve the property and uphold a county covenant protecting it, along with the price they are willing to pay. The covenant states that no development may “result in the destruction, loss or damage” to the church.
The two resolutions that surplused the property and called for its sale also detailed the board's reasoning behind the move, citing no value to the county and the need for costly maintenance and repairs that the county cannot afford.
During public comment, one Centralia resident, Rex Bakel, spoke, raising concern over control of the church and stating his desire that the church remain under the control of the county and the people of Lewis County.
“I think for the county to dispose of that property would be a disservice to the people of Lewis County,” Bakel said. “I mean, there's quite a lot of history here at this church and if it goes out of public domain, there's no control … It’s remarkably intact for the age that it is.”
According to a previous article published in The Chronicle by former Lewis County Historical Museum Director Andy Skinner, the Claquato Church property was constructed in 1857 and donated by Lewis Hawkins Davis.
After being donated, it was dedicated as a Methodist church, despite Davis and his family belonging to the Presbyterian church, under the condition that it would welcome members of all denominations. After construction of the building, it was used by the Claquato Academy, a local school district, for classes during the week until 1864.
The Claquato Church was first constructed roughly 12 years after the creation of Lewis County and more than 30 years before Washington gained statehood in 1889. Claquato was the original seat of Lewis County before it was moved to Chehalis in 1874.
According to Skinner, the church was abandoned for many years after the county seat moved but was eventually restored in the 1950s when it was also added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2006, an Oregon trail marker was added to the building, marking it as a waypoint along the Oregon trail. The church is also listed in the Washington State Heritage Register.
According to the county resolution, the property came into the county’s domain in 1948 after a quit claim deed left the property to the county.
This article will be updated.
