On January 11, 1902, Hotel Lincoln opened its doors in Harrington, Washington. It was a fine hotel and was hailed as “. . . a two story brick structure, containing twenty-four large, light and airy sleeping rooms, fitted with the most modern appointments throughout. This may safely be pronounced the most comfortably appointed hotel along the line of the Great Northern between Spokane and Everett,” touted The Harrington Citizen.

While under construction, each stone was laid by hand for the foundation, every brick formed and fired at the area factory, Pratt and Rehms, and skillfully laid by masons of the local firm, J.E. Lowery. Huge timbers were unloaded from a nearby railcar and brought to the site on horse-drawn wagons by the contractor/builder from town.

The doors closed in the 1980s. In November 2008, the Hotel Lincoln’s rehabilitation began. A cement plaster worker, an administrative assistant, and a retired wheat rancher are the new owners of the hotel. The plans and dreams for this historic building developed slowly and are still growing as the project progresses.

A great deal of remodeling is underway to accommodate the heating and electrical improvements. Doors and windows that were unknown are now exposed. Openings that have been closed for over a half a century are opened. Walls covered in wallboard are uncovered and wainscoting that has been hidden once again shows a decorative face. Beautiful stenciling, fancy wallpaper, and a staircase for the kitchen staff . . . it is easy for the imagination to wander back in time. A calling card found behind the chair rail in the lobby invites the detective in all of us to conjure up images of how it came to be there, who it belonged to. On one side of the
card is the name and address of a company: Aetna Insurance, Hartford, Conn.; Rudolph Dorn, Manager. The other side of the card has a handwritten message that says “December 19, 1911, I found you.” It was signed H. Jalmer Johnson, Alexandria, Minn. A 1912 tin of Copenhagen, other business cards, receipts and pennies from the early 1900's, and other odds & ends have been discovered as nooks and cranny's, long hidden, have been revealed.
Excerpted & adapted from April 2009 article in Wheat Life Magazine by Karen Allen.     Wheat Life Magazine
For More reading: July 2009 article in Wheat Life Magazine

The Hotel Lincoln and other historic buildings are the backdrop
for the Fall Festival Parade in downtown Harrington, WA.