She Won’t Let Chester Be Forgotten
Sally Gerimonte gladly admits it. She loves Chester.
Who’s Chester?
The question will earn you the evil eye and a sigh of exasperation.
Chester, the Valley woman points out for the umpteenth time, is a very special place in the south Valley, an area cut by the railroad tracks near Painted Hills Golf Course.
Born in 1889, it once had a lively hotel and boarding house, a two-room school, a pottery plant and a store that served as the community hub.
Today, the woman says sadly, most physical landmarks of the town are gone. But the 62-year-old Chester native is determined not to let the town be forgotten.
“People don’t understand that Chester was here long before they got here,” said Gerimonte, who has spent 57 years living on land her grandfather purchased at the turn of the century.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s still here,” she said.
With over 90 years of history in Chester, Gerimonte’s family has amassed a wealth of old photos, maps and documents about the former town. The memorabilia is scattered throughout Gerimonte’s home, and fills three old suitcases used by her grandfather in the late 1800s.
Next month, she’ll meet with staff from the City/County Historic Preservation Office to share with them her knowledge of Chester. Eva Krause, of the historic preservation office, is especially eager to learn about the Bergman Clay Company, a Chester pottery plant started by Gerimonte’s grandfather in the early 1900s.
The business burned down in a 1944 wildfire, and the county’s historic office doesn’t even have a photo of it, Krause said.
Gerimonte still owns several delicate handmade clay bowls made at the old pottery. They sit on her bedroom shelf, overlooking an 1800s wooden spinner, used by her great grandmother. She also keeps a beautifully illustrated copy of “The Raven,” by Edgar Allan Poe. The oversize book was published in 1884.
“My mother, bless her heart, never threw anything away,” Gerimonte said.
Nor does she.
Her old treasures even include an arrangement of dried white flowers taken from the coffin of a young woman her grandfather was to marry more than a century ago. The girl died three days before the wedding, on Dec. 27, 1875. Gerimonte’s grandfather kept the flowers until his death. She wouldn’t think of throwing away such history.
This strong interest in preserving the past, passed down over the generations, has produced more photos than Gerimonte has had time to organize. Chester and its residents were always popular subjects, she said. Kids from the town often gathered in Gerimonte’s yard, hoping to snatch a slice of her mom’s fresh-baked bread.
“It was such a tight-knit community,” said Gerimonte, who attended Chester’s original two-room school.
It broke her heart when the school house was demolished.
In 1995, when the 50-year-old Chester Store was torn down, Gerimonte was there with her camera to document it. She also has photos, taken in about 1912, of the original Chester Store, which burned down with her grandfather’s pottery.
People sometimes ask Gerimonte why she cares so much about Chester. And why she stays.
She lives on the same piece of land where she played with childhood friends and cried when she broke her tooth on the old tree swing. She still gets together with some of those grade school friends.
“I guess I’m a bit possessive of Chester,” she said. “To me, it’s still here.” , DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MEMO: “Saturday’s People” is a regular feature in the Valley Voice. If you know a Valley resident who would make a good profile subject, please contact us. Write: Mike Schmeltzer, Editor, Valley Voice, 13208 E. Sprague, Spokane, WA 99216. Fax: 927-2175. Call: 927-2170. E-mail: Mikes@spokesman.com