Heritage Park - Lynnwood Parks & Recreation

If only every city could have something like Heritage Park. If you are new to Lynnwood, a visit to Heritage Park will give you an appreciation and understanding of your growing city. The goal is for visitors to learn about the agricultural, transportation and social heritage of Lynnwood, which began as a rural community of Alderwood Manor in 1919. There are exhibits throughout the park, many which are listed below. Heritage Park is owned and operated by the City of Lynnwood, in partnership with the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau, Alderwood Manor Heritage Association, and the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society.

Snohomish County Parks & Recreation

Heritage Park tells the story of the planned community of Alderwood Manor that emerged between Everett and Seattle along the electric Interurban Railway in 1919. The area's virgin forests had been logged in the early 1900s, and the resulting stump land was marketed across the United States by the Puget Mill Company, promising a life of health, happiness and independence. By 1922 the population of Alderwood Manor had grown to 1,463 people - and 200,000 hens. Egg production in Alderwood Manor ranked second in the nation. The Great Depression in the 1930s decimated the poultry business, and in 1939 the Interurban was dismantled in favor of bus and automobile transportation. The opening of Highway 99 stimulated commercial development in the area, bringing growth and opportunities to the new city of Lynnwood, which was incorporated in 1959.

The Water Tower was originally built in 1917 to provide water to a farm and the surrounding residences. The water tower was powered by an electric pump through an underground electric system that connected to the interurban railway. It was rescued during freeway interchange construction in 1997 and relocated to Heritage Park. The historic Water Tower will be renovated into a classroom and exhibit space for community educational programs.

Interurban Car No. 55 was renovated with original and refabricated parts and accessories. The car is one of six interurban electric rail cars that provided commuter service from Alderwood Manor to Seattle and Everett from 1910 to 1939. The automobile doomed the Interurban so after the rail car was retired, it was a diner for several years, then a ticket office for the Snoqualmie Valley Railroad. The City purchased the car in 1993 and restored it.

The South Snohomish County Visitor Information Center is located in the Wickers Building and is operated daily by the Snohomish County Tourism Bureau. The Center offers tourists and residents an abundance of community, county and statewide information, and is staffed by knowledgeable volunteers. Built in 1919, the Wickers Building was the first general store and post office on North Trunk West Road in Alderwood Manor. It was a familiar landmark halfway between Seattle and Everett to passengers on the Interurban. The City rescued the building from demolition during I-5 interchange construction in 1997, and relocated it to Heritage Park in 2003. The Tudor Revival-style building has been carefully restored to preserve its distinctive features.

The Wickers Museum is located on the second floor of the Wickers Building in what once served as an apartment for the storekeeper's family. The museum features room recreations that tell of life in early Alderwood Manor and the history of the Wickers Building, Alderwood Manor's first general store and post office. Three rooms have been recreated with vintage furnishings to provide glimpses into the family's life above the store. Exhibits include scale models of the park's historic structures and vintage store artifacts, some of which are original to the old store.

The genealogy center is located in the park's original residence, the Humble House. Operated by the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society, it is staffed with knowledgeable volunteers to assist researchers of their family heritage. The Humble House was built on a 5-acre tract across the road from the Demonstration Farm in 1919. The original house had only two rooms with a pump house and barn. The Humble family bought the property in 1934 and remodeled the house, adding several rooms to accommodate their family of four.