4. Roscoe House

Stages of History Roscoe House plaque

 

The bronze icons reference various domestic activities and household items. The gardens are represented by images of several different species of Dahlia, which was designated the official flower of Edmonds in 1925.

Christopher T Roscoe, Sr., moved to Edmonds with his family in 1888. Records suggest that the house that stands behind this plaque was built by him around 1889. 

Mr. Roscoe and his wife had ten children, including sons Reuben and Edwin, who co-owned the Brackett & Roscoe Grocery Store with Dan Brackett. For the next half-century, Roscoe and his descendants would play central roles in the young town's civic life. Roscoe was elected Edmonds' first Treasurer in 1890. The following year he became a founding member of Edmonds' first fraternal organization, Lodge No. 96 I.O.O.F, and in 1895, he served one year as Mayor. In 1922, he was elected Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney, where he served for a number of years.

The R.T. Roscoe, Christopher's brother, moved his home in 1916 to 4th Avenue North next door to his brother. In 1918, R.T. raised his house and grade of the site to build a two-foot crawl space underneath. Over the years, the R.T.  house has served as multi-family housing, and as office and retail space.