History of Startup

A Christmas fire claimed the life of a Valley Icon known to many as the Startup Baptist Church turned Parallax Gallery/residence. Born in the year 1904 as a German Baptist Church, the building met its untimely death at approximately 3 a.m. December 25, 2011. (Whitfield, Snohomish County, 1926, p. 607)

It is believed that the fire was caused by old wiring located in the false ceiling in the front right section of the building. The owners, Toni Makinaw and Bill Schlicker had just completed remodeling parts of the building for new tenants and were fast asleep on a mattress in the living room on the ground level of the two-story building. (It should be noted that Bill and Toni have a business that keeps them on the road for months at a time. They were to depart within the next few days to a shop that they maintain in New Mexico for preparations for another series of road shows.)

Highway 2 in Startup, looking west. The Baptist Church is the one on the left, in the distance. The picture was taken around 1907 or 1908, the photographer is unknown.

Sounding the Alarm

Ben Pennington, a neighbor to Bill and Toni, woke up to the smell of smoke and got up to investigate the cause. Discovering that it was not coming from within his home he looked outside and saw glowing embers sliding down the roof of the old building across the street. Ben called 911 at 2:49 a.m. to report what he saw. According to Ben, “There seemed to be some sort of confusion regarding the call and whether or not there really was a fire. Response was fast, about 4-5 minutes, but it was an aid car, not a fire truck. I could hear them radio back to dispatch that there really was a fire, then it was another ten to fifteen minutes before the first fire truck arrived.”

Attempts by the Aid crew to gain access to the building, and any possible residents were unsuccessful; all remained unaware that anyone was inside. Bill and Toni continued to sleep in complete bliss, not knowing of the fire growing above them.

The aid car crew radioed confirmation of the fire, but time was running out.

Ben stood outside his home watching the fire grow, “I remember thinking, “Why is it taking so long for the fire truck to get here?”, and then when they finally arrived it was too late to save the building. If it had been a fire truck on the scene the first time, I think they may have been able to save much more.”

By the time the Fire Department arrived on the scene the building was engulfed in smoke.

Cutting the chain to the back-entrance gate, leading to the building, a member of the fire department was finally able to gain access to the back door of the building. Still unaware that anyone was inside he began to pound on the door and call out to anyone inside that the building was on fire. Bill and Toni finally awoke to the pounding on the door. At first, they thought that they were the victims of a prank, but eventually went to the door and became convinced that there really was a serious emergency. Both hurriedly dressed and exited the building. By then, completely engulfed in flames, the steeple had collapsed down to the street below, the first casualty of the fire. It was widely reported by several members of the press that there were three people observed inside the church, a report that was not accurate. The only other living creatures in the building were a pair of fish that Bill was able to convince a member of the fire department to help him rescue.

All that was left for Bill and Toni was to watch their home of twenty-two years burn.

What is the future for the old building? Bill and Toni do not know yet if anything can be saved, but full restoration is out of the question.

Like so many landmarks of the past this beloved old landmark of Startup, Washington died that night, and will only be remembered now in our hearts, photos, and history books.