WAURustWilliamRossPHColl1421.xml Guide to the William Ross Rust Family Photograph Collection approximately 1865-1938 Rust (William Ross) Family Photograph Collection Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries © 2017 (Last modified: 8/24/2020)
Allen Library BOX 352900 Seattle, Washington 98195-2900 Business Number: 206-543-1929 speccoll@uw.edu http://www.lib.washington.edu/specialcollections/
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2026-03-12. Description is written in: Undetermined, Code for undetermined script script. Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard), 2nd Edition. Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries William Ross Rust Family Photograph Collection Rust (Family : Rust, William Ross, 1850-1928) PH1421 2 boxes 81 photographs; 2 boxes, 1 folder approximately 1865-1938 Photographs of the William Ross Rust family, the construction of the William Rust building in Tacoma, portraits of soldiers and people from the 1860s including John Wilkes Booth and Jefferson Davis Collection materials are in English.

W.R. Rust was born in Pennsylvania on August 1, 1850 and died in 1928. He moved to Washington in 1889, and purchased the Tacoma Smelting & Refining Company, a business that occupied 67 acres in Tacoma. He made his fortune smelting copper at what would later become the infamous ASARCO plant along Commencement Bay that caused the lead and arsenic contamination around Puget Sound that will take generations to correct. But little was understood about environmental pollution when Rust owned the plant, and he was considered by most to be a man of vision and a bringer of jobs. The City of Ruston is named after him. The historic Rust mansions are also a part of his legacy. The original was constructed on 1001 North "I" Street in Tacoma's north end. The Rust family, including William's wife Helen and two sons, Henry Arthur Rust (August 21, 1900-May 13, 1936), and Howard Rust (April 11, 1886- April 9, 1911), lived in this house until 1911, the year that Howard mysteriously died. At that time a new house was constructed a few blocks away at 521 North Yakima Avenue because Mrs. Rust could not live in the house so closely associated with the death of her son. W.R. Rust founded the Tacoma Smelting and Refining Company, was president of the Chichagoff Mining Company (1910-1934), and held other business interests in Tacoma, Washington and Alaska. He was involved in over a dozen business concerns, including his own investment firm. In 1921, his business success was reflected in the construction of the Rust Building, located in the central business district of Tacoma. He was interested in Democratic Party politics and a friend of Hugh C. Wallace, a political activist and ambassador to France.

Photographs of the William Ross Rust family and of the construction of the William Rust building in Tacoma in 1920. Also includes carte-de-visite and tintype photographs of Rust family members and soldiers from the era of the Civil War and just after the war. Among them are portraits of John Wilkes Booth and of Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy. The carte-de-visite and tintype photographs were probably originally in an album.

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July, 31, 2006.

Processed by: Sara Cordes, 2017

Rust Family Papers (Collection No. 1115)

Rust, William Ross, 1850-1928--Archives Rust, William Ross, 1850-1928--Family--Photographs Hanson, Roger Weightman, 1827-1863--Photographs Davis, Jefferson, 1808-1889--Photographs Booth, John Wilkes, 1838-1865--Photographs United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Photographs Tacoma (Wash.)--Buildings--Design and construction--Photographs Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington) Soldiers--United States--Photographs Home and Family Photographs Photographs Cartes-de-visite (card photographs) Carte-de-visite Photographs

These photographs were probably originally from an album.

 Portrait of Cadet Charles T. Embry 1867 PH1421 Box 1 1 Cadet William S. Payne 1867 PH1421 Box 1 2 Cadet Gustavus Harrison 1867 PH1421 Box 1 3 Cadet John R. Collett 1867 PH1421 Box 1 4 William Chowning Trimble County, KY 1866 PH1421 Box 1 5 Cadet John N. Hope circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 6 General Albert Sidney Johnston approximately 1860-1862 PH1421 Box 1 7

Portions of the uniform were hand-drawn, possibly on the original glass negative.

 Capt. S.V. Munson, Company A 1867 PH1421 Box 1 8

Carpenter & Mullen, Lexington, KY (photographer)

 David H. Rust 1864 PH1421 Box 1 9

C.D. Fredricks & Co., NY (photographer)

 John L. Rolk 1865 PH1421 Box 1 10 Cadet S. M. Boyd circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 11

D.B. Elrod, Lexington, KY (photographer)

 Portrait of a child circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 12

A.C. Moore, Arcola, IL (photographer)

 J.K Brown, Lexington, KY May 31, 1869 PH1421 Box 1 13

Written on verso: From your friend and school mate- J.K. Brown. Lexington May 31st 69.

"Elrod" Lexington, KY (photographer)

 Horace W. Coouck, Glendale, KY 1865 PH1421 Box 1 14 General Roger Weightman Hanson circa 1860-1863 PH1421 Box 1 15

Brigadier General in Confederate States Army, nicknamed "Old Flintlock".

E. & H. T. Anthony, New York, NY (photographer)

 George Heck, Lexington, KY 1866 PH1421 Box 1 16 Lieutenant W. B. Munson, Company B 1867 PH1421 Box 1 17

Carpenter & Mullen, Lexington, KY (photographer)

 Joe Lindzey, Frankfort, KY 1867 PH1421 Box 1 18

Campbell & Ecker's, Louisville, KY (photographer)

 Fannie Brandon, Leitchfield, KY 1865 PH1421 Box 1 19 Cadet W. J. Ritchey 1867 PH1421 Box 1 20

Webster & Bro, Louisville, KY (photographer)

 James Ramsey Dabney, Cadiz, KY circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 21

W. R. Phipps, Lexington, KY (photographer)

 Cadet Ellis Powell circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 22 Portrait of man circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 23 Alfred C. Rust 1866 PH1421 Box 1 24

Cancannon's, Tuscola, IL (photographer)

 Lucy B. Jameson 1866 PH1421 Box 1 25

Written on verso: Now Mrs. Fester. Mt. Sterling, KY.

 [illeg.] Mattie Lee Jameson 1867 PH1421 Box 1 26

Wilson & Wallace, Mt. Sterling, KY (photographer)

 Portrait of a woman circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 27

A. C. Moore, Arcola, IL (photographer)

 Berta Johnson, Lucy Jameson, Julie Thompson, & Minnie Gosien 1866 PH1421 Box 1 28 Benjamin Watson 1866 PH1421 Box 1 29 W. H. Storns (sp?), Windsor [probably KY] 1865 PH1421 Box 1 30 Portrait of a man, Jessie circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 31

J. H. Chandler, Madison, IN (photographer)

 A. B. Price circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 32 James K. Le Compte, Henry Country, KY circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 33 Portrait of Jefferson Davis circa 1861-1864 PH1421 Box 1 34 Portrait of a soldier circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 35 Cadet A. B. Calhoun circa 1861-1865 PH1421 Box 1 36 Philip M. Saunders, Lexington, KY circa 1861-1865 PH1421 Box 1 37

Hoag Quick & Co., Cincinatti, OH (photographer)

 J. R. Peefles, Ordinance Sergeant Company A 1867 PH1421 Box 1 38

Carpenter & Mullen, Lexington, KY (photographer)

 John Wilkes Booth sitting in a chair circa 1862-1863 PH1421 Box 1 39

Shaw, Chicago, IL (photographer)

 Henry D. Rust 1867 PH1421 Box 1 40 Portrait of soldier 1867 PH1421 Box 1 41

Written on verso: [illeg.] First Lieutenant Lane

From accompanying material Lexington KY 1867

 Cadet John D. Wakefield 1867 PH1421 Box 1 42

D. B. Elrod, Lexington, KY (photographer)

 Two children and woman circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 43

Written on verso: Emity N. Reni[illeg.] Nellie W. Rust

Frederick Wirth, Chicago, IL (photographer)

 E. Adams [illeg.] 1865 PH1421 Box 1 44

Written on verso: Eminence [probably Eminence, KY]

 A. B. Price 1866 PH1421 Box 1 45

Written on verso: Florance, KY [Florence]

 Portrait of sleeping child circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 46a Portrait of sleeping child circa 1860-1867 PH1421 Box 1 46b

Tintype copy of 46a

 Portrait of a young woman circa 1860-1870s PH1421 Box 1 47

A. C. Moore, Arcola, IL (photographer)

 Gravestone of Kate L. Finnell circa 1877 PH1421 Box 1 48

Gravestone reads: Kate L. Finnell wife of W. R. Rust Died Dec. 1st, 1877 Age 22Y 7M 14D With the [illeg.].

 Rust Family Photographs Portrait of a child circa 1900-1910 PH1421 Box 2 1 49 Portrait of William Ross Rust 1903 PH1421 Box 2 1 50 Billie Grant December 25, 1918 PH1421 Box 2 1 51

Whitney Bros. Chicago, IL (photographer)

 Portrait of William Ross Rust January 22, 1919 PH1421 Box 2 1 52

E.A. Lynn, Tacoma, WA (photographer)

 Portrait of William Ross Rust circa 1919 PH1421 Box 2 1 53a

Mezzo Studio, Tacoma, WA (photographer)

 Engraving of photograph of William Ross Rust circa 1919 XC3 53b Portrait of three women and a child circa 1920s PH1421 Box 2 1 54

Written on verso: Greeting from four generations

 Portrait of William Rust Grant, eleven years old March 20, 1926 XC3 55

Written on photo: age 11 years.

Mabel Sykes, 140 North State St., Chicago (photographer)

 Picture of woman reading to a child 1928 PH1421 Box 2 1 56

Written on verso: [illeg.] July 1928 Hugh Gallagher.

Shawsply, Tacoma, WA (photographer)

 Construction of the William Rust building in Tacoma. Rust Building foundations below street level March 27, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 57 First floors of Rust Building seen from a high vantage point May 1, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 58 Advancing steel structure on first floors of Rust Building May 7, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 59 Workers reinforcing steel structure May 14, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 60 View of three floors of Rust Building and surrounding buildings May 21, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 61 View of three floors of the Rust Building and surrounding buildings with covered sidewalk scaffolding May 28, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 62 View of streetcar and five floors of Rust Building and surrounding buildings June 4, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 63 Streetcar, Welcome signs for Shriners, banners, and flag hanging from third floor June 18, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 64 Facade work on first two floors, steel structure for seven floors and surrounding buildings July 2, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 65 Facade work on first three floors, steel structure for nine floors July 9, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 66 Facade work on first three floors, steel structure for eleven floors July 16, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 67 Covered sidewalk scafolding on both sides of building, facade work on five floors, steel structure for twelve floors July 24, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 68 Beginning work on thirteenth floor July 30, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 69 Wooden structural supports up to seventh floor, steel structure for thirteen floors August 6, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 70 Wooden structural supports up to the eight floor and workers laying supports on thirteenth floor August 13, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 71 Marble work up to the fifth floor August 27, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 72 Wooden structural support up to eleventh floor September 4, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 73 Wooden structural support up to twelfth floor September 10, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 74 Workers standing on top floor, completed wooden structural support September 18, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 75 Marble work up to sixth floor September 25, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 76 Marble work up to seventh floor October 2, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 77 Crowd of people standing outside building October 11, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 2 78 Scandinavian American Bank Building Scandinavian American Bank Building foundations October 29, 1920 PH1421 Box 2 3 79

Written on verso: Taken from roof of People's Store