Covington House (Vancouver, Washington)
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Covington House
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| Location | 4208 Main St., Vancouver, Washington |
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| Coordinates | 45°39′10″N 122°39′55″W / 45.65278°N 122.66528°WCoordinates: 45°39′10″N 122°39′55″W / 45.65278°N 122.66528°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1846–1848 |
| Architect | Covington,Richard |
| Architectural style | log house |
| NRHP Reference # | 72001268 |
| Added to NRHP | 5 May 1972 |
The Covington House historic cabin in Vancouver, Washington, was built by Richard and Charlotte "Anna" Covington born, raised and married in London, England who travelled by ship around Cape Horn/South America, stopping at the Sandwich Islands/Hawaii and finally arriving at Fort Vancouver in the Oregon Territory, where they had been hired to teach children of the Hudson's Bay Company employees. The first three "plains" of the area were held by Hudson Bay Fur Trade Co. whereas the fourth "plain" was opened up for public sale as property north of the Columbia River became part of the United States, the government gave newly acquired land to early pioneers, willing to settle and farm the land. The Covingtons taught at the Fort immediately after their arrival, 1846 until 11 April 1848 when they entered "donation land claim" No. 43 640 acres (2.6 km2) in the Fourth Plain area, the community now referred to as Orchards, Wa, where they built their home, House No. 16 and Boarding School, per the 1850 census. Although they never had any of their own children, the couple established a boarding school in addition to operating a large fruit farm, called the Kalsus Farm. The children slept in the cabin loft, as it was an arduous seven – eight-mile trek, one way, north east of the Fort and wrought with danger for small children to attempt to travel alone. The Covington's log cabin soon became known as the social center of hospitality with musical entertainment in the early days of Vancouver on the Columbia River. Besides his guitar, they also brought a violin and the first piano to the Pacific Northwest as well, they also taught music to many of these local children at that time. Richard Covington was extremely talented, in addition to building their log cabin home, and developing an expansive orchard, he served in several offices as a justice of the peace, county clerk, school superintendent, cartographer, artist, musician, vocalist, and briefly as a ranger during an "Indian uprising" First Nations/Native Americans.
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