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Table of Contents
Priscilla Bullitt Collins Collection on the Stimson and Bullitt Families, 1875-2000
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Collins, Priscilla Bullitt, 1920-2003
- Title
- Priscilla Bullitt Collins Collection on the Stimson and Bullitt Families
- Dates
- 1875-2000 (inclusive)18751995
1900-1945 (bulk)19001945 - Quantity
- 6 boxes, (2 cubic feet)
- Collection Number
- 2004.10 (accession)
- Summary
- Photographs, correspondence, scrapbooks, albums, awards, personal papers, notebooks, articles and clippings relating to the Stimson-Bullitt family and the life of Priscilla Bullitt Collins
- Repository
-
Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library
P.O. Box 80816
Seattle, WA
98108
Telephone: 2063241126 x102
library@mohai.org - Access Restrictions
-
The collection is open to the public by appointment.
- Languages
- English.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
The Stimson-Bullitt family has a distinguished history of community service and philanthropy in Seattle. Family members include the founder of KING Broadcasting Dorothy Stimson Bullitt (1892-1989), married to A. Scott Bullitt (1877-1932). They had three children: Charles Stimson “Stim” Bullitt (1919-2009), Dorothy Priscilla “Patsy” Bullitt Collins (1920-2003), and Harriet Overton Bullitt (b. 1924). The Bullitt family lived in The Highlands, an elite community founded by their grandfather, timber baron Charles D. Stimson (1857-1928).
In 1941, while a student at Vassar College, Priscilla Bullitt (hereafter referred to as Patsy Bullitt Collins) took a summer job in a downtown Seattle bank where she met Larry Norman, the son of the director of the YMCA's Camp Orkila on Orcas Island. The couple became engaged at the start of World War II, and Larry volunteered for the Army Air Forces. He was trained as a navigator and sent overseas in April 1943. His B-24 Liberator was lost on a mission over Germany on December 22, 1943. He was listed as missing in action and his body was never recovered.
After the war, Patsy Bullitt joined the Red Cross and was sent to the Philippines and Japan. She traveled to Hiroshima just four months after the atomic bomb was dropped. After a year in Japan, Patsy returned to Seattle and in 1947 married a family friend, Josiah “Joe” Collins. The couple moved to San Diego where they raised three sons, Jacques, Charles and William. Collins later returned to Seattle. When she died in 2003, she left behind a lifetime legacy of generosity and charitable giving.
In 1947, Dorothy Bullitt purchased a small Seattle radio station and acquired the call letters KING. While president of KING Broadcasting, she maintained her commitment to numerous philanthropies. Dorothy Bullitt’s death in 1989 left her daughters as majority shareholders in the company. They sold KING Broadcasting in 1992 and contributed a portion of the proceeds to the Bullitt Foundation, which supports educational and environmental causes.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection includes professional and studio portraits of the Stimson and Bullitt family ancestors, their children, friends and relatives, most with handwritten identifying captions. Other photographs and casual snapshots depict the Stimson-Greene Mansion, various residences, outdoor recreation, boating, logging, and Seattle street scenes.
The bound albums and scrapbooks include a memorial tribute to Harriet Overton Stimson, a wedding album for Mr. and Mrs. Scott Alexander Bullitt, a Dorothy Bullitt honorary album titled “This is Your Life,” and photograph albums of yacht cruises. “The Highlands History” album gives background information on the original land tracts, ownership names, and includes photographs of houses, the beach, and elementary school.
A handwritten pocket notebook compiled by conductor and composer Henry Hadley gives detailed financial accounting for each concert in the 1908 Seattle Symphony season. There is a portrait of Hadley and the first Seattle Symphony Board members.
Pasty Collins' papers include documentation of her activities with the American Red Cross, Vassar College, KING-FM, Garden of Remembrance, YMCA, The Nature Conservancy, and CARE.
The personal correspondence includes letters sent from Lawrence Norman while he was serving in the Army Air Force during World War II. This series also includes Patsy Bullitt’s letters and photographs sent to Norman that were later returned to her unopened and stamped "missing in action."
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
View selections from the collection in digital format by clicking on the camera icons in the inventory below.
Restrictions on Use
The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Preferred Citation
Priscilla Bullitt Collins Collection on the Stimson and Bullitt Families, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Location of Collection
15a.2.4-5 (boxes)Location of Collection
28.1 (negatives)Location of Collection
7b.1 (books)Acquisition Information
Gift of the Estate of Priscilla Bullitt Collins; received in February 2004.
Separated Materials
These materials are part of a donation that also included a number of artifacts. These artifacts are cataloged and stored separately by MOHAI's Collections Department.
A collection of postcards received as part of the donation is filed separately with MOHAI's Postcard Collection.
Related Materials
Dorothy Stimson Bullitt Photograph Collection, Accession No. 2005.5.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
PhotographsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 1/1 | 2004.10.1-2: Thomas Douglas Stimson
Thomas Douglas Stimson (1827-1896) was the father of Charles Douglas "C.D." Stimson, and
great-grandfather of Patsy Bullitt Collins. Folder includes one formal portrait and one photograph of a residence
mounted on card. This is the residence of T.D. Stimson in Big Rapids, Michigan, where he ran a sawmill.
Handwritten on front of card: Res. T.D. Stimson // 1st home of Mr. & Mrs. C.D.S. 1882 // Built in
1876.
Handwritten on verso of card: Big Rapids 1878.
|
circa 1875 |
| 1/2 | 2004.10.3-6: Achsah Jane Spencer Stimson
Achsah Jane Spencer Stimson (1834-1904) was married to T.D. Stimson. Four formal portrait photos depict
Mrs. Stimson, her mother, sister, daughter Olive Jane ("Jenny"), and granddaughter Annie.
|
circa 1880 |
| 1/3-4 | 2004.10.7-22: Charles Douglas Stimson
Charles Douglas "C.D." Stimson (1857-1929) was married to Harriet Overton. These photos include studio
portraits, a collage portrait of men in military uniforms, a few candid outdoor shots, and Stimson with a group at
Wilson Creek, Mo.
|
circa 1871-1920 |
| 1/5 | 2004.10.23-28: Harriet Mary Overton Stimson
Harriet Overton (1862-1936) married C.D. Stimson at Big Rapids, Michigan in 1892. Photos include studio
portraits and a photo of Mrs. Stimson with her six grandchildren.
|
circa 1882-1930 |
| 1/6 | 2004.10.29-34: Ezra Thomas Stimson and Annie Waters Stimson
E.T. Stimson (1860-1924) and Annie Waters married in Michigan in 1886. Photos includes three studio
portraits of Annie Waters, two of E.T. Stimson, and one informal photo of Stimson with another man at the home of his
sister Olive Jane ("Jenny").
|
circa 1885-1910 |
| 1/7 | 2004.10.35-43: Willard Horace Stimson and Kate Jeffs Stimson
W.H. Stimson (1854-1929) was married to Kate Jeffs. Folder includes five studio portraits of Willard,
three of Kate, and a photo of Willard, Kate and others with donkeys and sign reading "Arkansas Travelers."
|
circa 1870-1910 |
| 1/8 | 2004.10.44-45: Frederick Spencer Stimson
Two studio portraits of F.S. Stimson (1867-1922). Stimson was married to Nellie Clark.
|
circa 1910 |
| 1/9 | 2004. 10.46-51: Children of Frederick Spencer Stimson and Nellie Clark
F.S. Stimson and Nellie Clark had three children: Achsah Jane, Harold Clark and Frederick. This folder
contains five photos of Achsah as a baby and young child, and one photo of Frederick as a baby. These children were
first cousins to Dorothy Stimson Bullitt.
|
circa 1900 |
| 1/10 | 2004.10.52a-58: Dorothy Frances Stimson Bullitt
Dorothy Frances Stimson (1892-1989) married A. Scott Bullitt in 1918. This group includes a triptych of
small photos of Dorothy and her brother Thomas as children in 1895, a photo of her at KGW-TV, working at a desk, and
posing with President Kennedy.
|
circa 1895-1960 |
| 1/11 | 2004.10.59-66: Image of Patsy Collins as child, 1927 Image of Patsy Collins in Red Cross uniform, 1945
Photographs of Patsy Bullitt Collins as a child and young woman, including a snapshot of Collins in a
WAC uniform. The folder also includes copies of portraits of Patsy and her sister Harriet as children, taken by
photographer Dorothea Lange in 1927.
|
circa 1925-1940 |
| Box | ||
| 5 | 2004.10.208.a: Framed portrait of Patsy Bullitt Collins as a child
Lange, Dorothea (photographer)
|
circa 1928 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/16 | 2004.10.203-207: Patsy Bullitt Collins during WAC training
Portrait and small snapshots taken in the Philippines. Number 2004.10.203 is a duplicate of
2004.10.63.
|
circa 1945 |
| 1/12 | 2004.10.67-85: Patsy Bullitt Collins
Photos of Patsy Bullitt Collins with family and friends, with Bullitt Foundation groups, and at
Commission on White House Fellowships events, including shaking hands with President Jimmy Carter.
|
circa 1950-1970 |
| 1/13 | 2004.10.86-90: Lawrence Charles Norman
Norman was the fiancé of Patsy Bullitt Collins; he was killed in action over Germany 1943. These five
photographs include two portraits of Norman in uniform, two hiking in snow, and one in his Roosevelt High School Rough
Riders sweater.
|
circa 1940 |
| 2/1-2 | 2004.10.91-120: Children of Thomas Douglas Stimson II and Emma Baillargeon Stimson
Thomas Douglas Stimson II (1884-1931) and Emma Baillargeon (1887-1963) married in 1914. They had four
children: Frances Ann, Thomas David, Emma Eleanor "Nona," and Douglas Joseph. Folder includes both studio portraits and
snapshots of the four as babies, children and young adults.
|
circa 1916-1940 |
| 2/3 | 2004.10.121: Annie Fay Leeds and son Walter Jr.
Annie Fay Leeds, daughter of Olive Jane "Jennie" Stimson Fay, was married to Walter Leeds and was a
first cousin of Dorothy Stimson Bullitt.
|
circa 1900 |
| 2/3 | 2004.10.122: Annie Waters Stimson, Olive Jane "Jennie" Stimson Fay, and General
Fay |
circa 1900 |
| 2/3 | 2004.10.123-125: Charles Willard "Cully" Stimson and family
Charles Willard "Cully" Stimson (1879-1852), son of Willard Horace Stimson, was married to Clara Wing.
Cully and Clara had one child, a daughter, Jane. One photo shows Cully Stimson as a young boy sitting in a goat-drawn
cart, one is a portrait of Jane as a baby, and one shows the family of three "in the Highlands."
|
circa 1885-1920 |
| 2/4 | 2004.10.126-129: Harry Treat's carriages
Seattle developer Harry Treat would transport visitors in his buggy to view the bluff-top home sites
along 32nd Avenue W. in Loyal Heights, and below to a beach pleasure resort located at Loyal Beach (Golden Gardens)
north of W. 85th Street. These photos show Treat's carriages laden with luggage and passengers.
|
circa 1900 |
| 2/5 | 2004.10.130-150: Portraits of other family and friends
Photos were removed from album. Each is identified with handwritten captions: Mr. and Mrs. Engle, Alma
Stewart Ballinger, Mr. and Mrs. Wing, Mrs. J.C. Harris, Mrs. C.J. Smith, Mrs. C.H. Clark, Mrs. Wilton Harrison, J.D.
Lowman, Mrs. A.B. Stewart, Mr. and Mrs. E.A. Strout, Mr. and Mrs. and Maurice McMicken, Olive Graef Treat, Mrs. F.K.
Struve, Mrs. H.C. Henry.
|
circa 1910 |
| 2/6 | 2004.10.151-158: Assorted Stimson family photographs
Photographs of album pages, most identified with handwritten captions.
|
circa 1900 |
| 2/7 | 2004.10.159-167: Stimson family friends
Studio portraits and snapshots.
|
circa 1920 |
| 2/8 | 2004.10.168-175: Stimson Mansion, First Hill, Seattle
The Stimson Mansion was later the Stimson-Green Mansion, built by Charles Douglas Stimson. Folder
includes interior and exterior views.
Number .170 is a negative, stored separately.
|
circa 1900 |
| 2/9 | 2004.10.176-184: Patsy Bullitt Collins home at Woodway in Edmonds
Color snapshots.
|
circa 1980 |
| 2/10 | 2004.10.183-189: Stimson family and friends boating and sailing activities |
circa 1900 |
| 2/11 | 2004.10.190-192: Seattle outdoor scenes
Christmas card showing Marian Engle sledding on Cherry Street; Enetai beach; and a Graham & Daulton
store horse-drawn carriage on a downtown Seattle street.
|
circa 1896 |
| 2/12 | 2004.10.193: Washington Preparatory School, interior and exterior views
Album pages with photographs attached. Also includes two photos of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific
Exposition.
|
1909-1910 |
| 2/13 | 2004.10.194-196: Image of Large fir log headed to the Stimson Mill Company, ca. 1900 Image of Loading logs at a Stimson Mill Company logging camp, ca. 1900
G.W. Kirk (photographer)
Album pages with photographs attached.
|
circa 1900 |
| 2/14 | 2004.10.197-199: Eleanor Roosevelt at Seattle KING-TV station
Exterior view of KING-TV building; Eleanor Roosevelt posing in front of camera with UN flag behind; list
of hostesses.
|
circa 1940 |
| 2/15 | 2004.10.200-201: Henry Hadley, Seattle Symphony Orchestra conductor
|
circa 1910 |
| 2/15 | 2004.10.202: First Board of Trustees for Seattle Symphony Orchestra
Includes Mrs. C.D. Stimson, president.
|
circa 1910 |
| 2/18 | 2004.10.210: Leather-bound photograph album of Olympic yacht cruise
Marine scenery, family members and friends.
|
1902 |
| 3/7 | 2004.10.226: Photograph album of the Yacht Gloria
Photographs of marine scenery with captions.
|
circa 1900 |
| 4/16 | 2004.10.246: Group photograph of Stimson-Bullitt family
Identifications on the back
|
1986 |
Albums, scrapbooks, and notebooksReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 2/17 | 2004.10.209: Seattle Symphony Orchestra business notebook compiled by Henry Hadley,
conductor
Handwritten pocket notebook listing expenditures and box office receipts for the first season of Seattle
Symphony concerts.
|
1907-1908 |
| 4/19 | 2004.10.249: Travel sketch book
Pencil and watercolor drawings made by the French travel companion to Harriet Overton Stimson on an
international trip
|
1899 |
| 3/1 | 2004.10.211: Letters from Harriet Overton Stimson memorial book
Typewritten copies of sympathy letters, removed from album for preservation purposes
|
1936 |
| 3/2 | 2004.10.212-220: Image of Dining room at NorCliffe, 1936 Image of Living room at Norcliffe, 1936 Image of Stairway at Norcliffe, 1936
Roger Dudley (photographer)
Interior photographs of Harriet Overton Stimson's home "Norcliff" from memorial book. Removed from album
for preservation purposes.
|
1936 |
| 3/3 | 2004.10.221: Sketch for Bullitt memorial stained glass window, Florence Henry Memorial
Chapel |
circa 1936 |
| 3/4 | 2004.10.222: "This is Your Life," Dorothy S. Bullitt honorary album
This album was presented by the Seattle Real Estate Board, honoring Dorothy Bullitt as Seattle's First
Citizen for 1959. A banquet was held in Bullitt's honor at the Olympic Hotel Grand Ballroom on January 19, 1960. The
album contains the transcript of the audiovisual "This is Your Life" presentation at the banquet, and photographs of
the event. The inside cover contains an inscription to Dorothy Bullitt from "This is Your Life" host Ralph Edwards, who
narrated the video.
|
1960 |
| 3/5 | 2004.10.223: "The Highlands," historical background and promotional booklet on private
community
Includes information on available land tracts, ownership names and photographs of houses. Pages removed
from binder for preservation purposes
|
circa 1930 |
| 3/6 | 2004.10.224: Photograph of the Highlands Primary School
Inscription on page: The Highland School - built and equipped by Mrs. C.D.S. - for primary grades.
Photograph removed from "The Highlands" binder for preservation purposes
|
circa 1930 |
| 3/6 | 2004.10.225: The Highlands Beach, aerial view of common house and tents
Webster & Stevens (photographer)
Inscription on page: The Highland Beach - common house in center built and equipped by Mrs. C.D.S. -
sink, cookstove tables, etc.
Photograph removed from The Highlands binder for preservation purposes
|
circa 1930 |
| 3/8 | 2004.10.227: Wedding album of Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Scott Bullitt
Clippings, invitations and photographs.
|
1918 |
Patsy Bullitt Collins papersReturn to Top
Papers related to various interests and activities with which Patsy Collins was involved.
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/1 | 2004.10.228-29: American Red Cross
Letter and articles about Patsy Bullitt Collins' World War II service in the American Red Cross, and a
later photograph of Collins with children at a Beirut refugee camp
|
1946; circa 1980 |
| 4/18 | 2004.10.248: American Red Cross trip to Philippines and Japan
Materials related to Patsy Bullitt Collins' trip with 17 other "Red Cross girls" to the Philippines and
Japan. Includes a welcome note from the crew of the SS Sea Corporal, which transported the
women to Manila; Bullitt's personal account of her activities, including a description of the Yamashita war crimes
trial in Manila; a drawing of Collins by "Agnes V.;" and a collection of paper currency.
|
1945 October-December |
| 4/2 | 2004.10.230: Vassar College
Articles and correspondence relating to Patsy Collins' Vassar scholarship fund; Collins' Vassar
commencement program, 1942.
|
1942; circa 2000 |
| 4/3-4 | 2004.10.231-.232: KING-FM broadcasting station
Legal correspondence and newspaper clippings relating to the sale of KING-FM. Also includes a few
unrelated articles about Collins.
|
circa 1990-1997 |
| 4/5 | 2004.10.233: CARE Annual Report to Patsy Collins
Also includes thank you letter for donation to CARE.
|
2000 October |
| 4/6 | 2004.10.234-235: Nature Conservancy
Correspondence, annual report, and photographs of Patsy Collins outdoors
|
circa 2000 |
| 4/7-8 | 2004.10.236-.237: YMCA Isabel Colman Pierce Award to Patsy Collins
Program, transcript of tribute, clippings, and photographs of ceremony.
|
1996 |
| 4/9 | 2004.10.238-239: Puget Sound Business Journal
Puget Sound Business Journal articles on Collins, and color snapshots of Collins at an event put on by
the newspaper.
|
circa 2000 |
| 4/10-11 | 2004.10.240-.241: Garden of Remembrance at Benaroya Hall
The Garden of Remembrance, conceived by Patsy Collins, is a memorial in downtown Seattle next to
Benaroya Hall, honoring Washington State citizens killed in World War II, Korea, Vietnam and later conflicts. Materials
include clippings, programs, and photographs of the dedication ceremony.
|
1997-2001 |
| 4/12 | 2004.10.242-.243: Stimson Green Mansion
Materials include the Historic Preservation Agreement between Patsy Collins and the Seattle Landmarks
Preservation Board; brochure for event rentals at the Mansion; thank you letters from schoolchildren and others who had
visited the Mansion; a newspapers clipping; and color snapshots of interior rooms, furnishings, portraits and family
group.
|
1990-2001 |
| 4/14 | 2004.10.244: Schooner Stimson
The Stimson was built in 1900 by T.C. Reed for the Stimson Mill Company.
Folder includes a clipping from Marine Digest and photocopy of a photograph of the Stimson.
|
circa 1900 |
| 4/15 | 2004.10.245: Miscellaneous ephemera
Awards, correspondence, memorial service program for Patsy Collins. Also includes a CV for civic
activist Katharine Muller "Kay" Bullitt, ex-wife of Stimson Bullitt.
|
circa 1993-2003 |
| 4/17 | 2004.10.247: Newspaper clippings
Clippings relating to World War II, Patsy Bullitt Collins' engagement to Larry Norman, and Norman
missing in action over Germany.
|
circa 1939-1945 |
| 4/20-22 | 2004.10.250: Letters and telegrams written to Patsy Bullitt Collins from her fiancé
Lawrence Norman during World War II |
1943 |
| 4/23 | 2004.10.251: Letters written from Patsy Bullitt Collins to her fiancé Lawrence Norman
during World War II
These letters were returned unopened to Patsy Bullitt Collins. A note received with the collection
reads: "Letters marked "Missing in Action," returned to Patsy. Includes one small photo book. Most or all of the
letters she never opened or read, saying in 2002 that she didn't want to know what she had said to Larry that he never
heard. These letters were opened, with her permission but not in her presence, in 2002."Also included, letters from the
military to the Norman family."
|
circa 1944 |
| Box | ||
| 5 | 2004.10.252: Personal photograph album sent to Lawrence Norman from Patsy Bullitt
Collins, includes Christmas card
Small spiral-bound album containing sixteen 4 x 5 in. black and white snapshots of Patsy Bullitt and
others, with handwritten notes commenting on some of the images. The album was returned to Collins unopened, stamped
missing in action, return to sender.
|
1944 |
| Box/Folder | ||
| 4/24 | 2004.10.253: Correspondence to the parents of Lawrence Norman
Letters from fellow officers and the Secretary of War, awarding the Purple Heart to Lawrence Norman
|
circa 1944 |
BooksReturn to Top
| Description | Dates |
|---|---|
2004.10.254: "On the Air: The King Broadcasting Story" by Daniel Jack
Chasan
Publisher's galley print
|
1996 |
2004.10.255: "Filling the Void: Six Steps from Loss to Fulfillment" by Dorothy
Bullitt |
1996 |
2004.10: "To Be a Politician" by Stimson Bullitt |
1959 |
2004.10: "Ancestral Histories of Scott Bullitt and Dorothy Stimson" by Stimson
Bullitt |
1994 |
2004.10: "River Dark and Bright: A Memoir" by Stimson Bullitt |
1995 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Philanthropy--Washington (State)--Seattle
- World War, 1939-1945
Personal Names
- Bullitt, Dorothy Stimson, 1892-1989
Corporate Names
- American Red Cross
- KING-TV (Television station : Seattle, Wash.)
Family Names
- Bullitt family
- Stimson family
Geographical Names
- Seattle (Wash.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Albums
- Correspondence
- Photographs
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Stimson, Harriet Mary Overton, 1862-1936 (creator)
Finding aid prepared by Sue Terrible
2015
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
