For decades, Roger Easton quietly collected and preserved pieces of Olympia’s history.

A retired middle school English teacher with a deep interest in local archives, Roger Easton was known to many in the community as an incredible resource when they wanted to better understand Olympia’s past. He served on both the Olympia Heritage Commission and the Thurston County Historic Commission and maintained his own archive of historical materials.

“I got to know Roger as an undergraduate while I was working on my capstone project at the Evergreen State College,” recalled Edward Echtle, historian and past board member of the Olympia Historical Society & Bigelow House Museum (OHS-BHM). “Everybody steered me to him. He was fascinated with and very engaged with local history.”

Long before the Olympia Historical Society formally existed, Easton was part of a network of community members serving on local commissions and working to preserve and share local stories, photographs, research, and historic places.  

According to Echtle, that informal community helped address a crucial gap. “They collected information, they shared information, they did research, they did tours,” he said. “They really filled an important role in our community.”

Preserving Community Memory

Today, that work continues through the Olympia Historical Society & Bigelow House Museum, an organization focused on caring for the Bigelow House Museum and helping people connect more deeply with the broader history of Olympia and the South Puget Sound.

Through public programs, neighborhood walking tours, educational opportunities, research, exhibits, and partnerships with other organizations, OHS-BHM works to share local history in ways that feel relevant and connected to the community today.

In recent years, the organization has worked to bring greater visibility to underrepresented stories through projects partnerships focused on Indigenous history, neighborhood heritage, and public interpretation.

One example is the Howard Point interpretive marker project, which honors Rebecca and Alexander Howard, two of Olympia’s earliest Black business owners and community leaders. Rebecca Howard operated the Pacific Restaurant and hotel in downtown Olympia in the late 1800s and became widely known for her hospitality and business success. The project helped bring greater visibility to a story that many community members had never learned, despite the Howard family’s important role in Olympia’s early history.

For Echtle, efforts like this help more people see themselves reflected in local history. “History belongs to everybody,” he said. “People should be able to see themselves in the story of a place.”

In recent years, OHS-BHM has worked to include more voices and community stories in the way local history is shared. That broader understanding of local history can help strengthen a community’s sense of shared identity, belonging, and connection.

As Greg Griffith, president of the OHS-BHM board shared, “Knowing our past and tying that to us and our memories is really about establishing pride in who we are, and what our community is, and building a future that is based on the lessons we learn from our history.”

The Long-Term Impact of Legacy Gifts

That long view of history, and the importance of sustaining it, is part of what makes Roger Easton’s legacy gift so valuable. His generosity reflected a belief shared by many donors who create legacy gifts that the places, stories, and organizations shaping a community today are worth strengthening for generations to come.

Following Roger’s passing, three funds were established at the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound to support the future of OHS-BHM and its mission:

• ‍The Roger Easton Bigelow House Fund supports the preservation and care of the historic Bigelow House Museum.

• The Roger Easton Scholarship Fund supports local historical education opportunities.

• The Roger Easton Archive/Museum Capital Fund supports the long-term development and care of a permanent museum and archive space.

By establishing the funds at the Community Foundation, OHS-BHM benefits from professional stewardship and administrative support while its board remains focused on the organization’s mission and future.

Together, these funds have done more than support the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum’s daily work. They have shaped the organization’s future by creating space for new ideas, opening doors for community engagement, and inspiring a larger vision for how local history can serve the community.

For organizations like OHS-BHM, gifts like Easton’s provide more than financial support. They create breathing room to think long-term, sustain community knowledge, and continue evolving in response to changing community needs.  

Legacy gifts can also help organizations move beyond immediate needs and think more expansively about what becomes possible over time—whether through education, preservation, public programming, or creating spaces where community stories can continue to be shared.

Looking Forward

As OHS-BHM continues its work, the organization is also thinking carefully about its future role in the community. Current efforts include developing a new strategic plan and vision focused on expanding outreach, strengthening educational programming, building partnerships, and helping more people connect with local history.

Griffith acknowledged that the work is still evolving. Like many small nonprofits, OHS-BHM continues to balance big dreams with limited resources. Still, the organization remains committed to growing its presence in the community and helping more people understand why local history matters.

While progress can feel slow, Griffith said the organization continues “plugging away” at a vision for the future. Roger Easton’s gift not only helped set that vision in motion but also continues to help make that future possible.

Together, the funds will continue to support the stewardship of a historic home as well as educational opportunities, community storytelling, and the ongoing work of helping local history remain visible and relevant for future generations.

And perhaps most importantly, they reflect something larger than any one organization or building by reminding us that carrying community memory forward is itself an act of generosity.