Behind the Sign

Tales From the Magic Skagit: The (Almost) Secret Garden of Emma Jarvis

Even if you are strolling past the garden on the west side of First Street, near the intersection with Kincaid, it would be easy to miss the sign dedicating this floral display to a former school cafeteria worker, German immigrant, and avid gardener. But just who was Emma Jarvis?

Tales From the Magic Skagit: A Tulip Tower of Power

The origin story of Mount Vernon's iconic Tulip Tower goes back to a time when the Skagit Valley was better known for its dairy industry than for flower bulbs.

Tales From the Magic Skagit: Our Lady of the Tulips

You may be amazed to learn, as I did (thanks to the Skagit County Historical Museum), that the person who is generally credited with being the first to establish our local tulip industry was not a Dutch transplant, but a hearty local varietal who is fondly remembered as Mrs. Mary Stewart of Samish Island. As yet another Tulip Festival draws near, this seems like a good time to tell her story.

November 19, 2020

Tales From the Magic Skagit: Jasper Gates, Mount Vernon Pioneer

At the northeast corner of Main and Gates streets you'll find a statue commemorating the life of the first settler to stake a claim in what would become the city of Mount Vernon. But just who was Jasper Gates?

October 28, 2020

Tales From the Magic Skagit: Ghosts of the New Deal

The moment I first set eyes on Hillcrest Lodge, my immediate thought was “WPA.” Inside and out, it has that solidly rustic quality that pervades so much of our beloved National Park system.

Tales From the Magic Skagit: A World Without Walls — The Legacy of Winifred Ruth Smith Bradford

Of the many lives lost in the midst of the Great Pandemic of 2020, there was one soul the coronavirus did not claim. On July 19, 2020, Winifred Ruth Smith Bradford died peacefully at home, just two years short of a century marked by love and service. The Skagit Valley is a poorer place for her absence, but enriched by her legacy.

Tales From the Magic Skagit: A Tulip Poplar Grows in Mount Vernon (Pt. 2)

In Part 2 of our story about one of the most magnificent trees of the Skagit Valley, we’ll work our way a little deeper into the mists of time in telling its story — and we’ll invite you to help us fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle.

Tales from the Magic Skagit: A (Tulip Poplar) Tree Grows in Mount Vernon (Pt. 1)

I’ve been curious about the origins of Mount Vernon’s epic tulip poplar for a long time now, and it occurred to me that it really begged for a story. And who better than another long time resident of Mount Vernon to tell this story than Meyer Sign & Advertising.

November 27, 2017

Hansen’s Furniture Keeps the Faith

In a sadistic twist on the classic prelude to bad news, “You might want to be sitting down for this,” Don Gerrior was actually lying […]

November 24, 2014

Even Icons Need a Memorable Sign

Ask anyone even vaguely familiar with Mount Vernon to name its most iconic places, and you can be pretty sure that the Lincoln Theatre will be prominently […]

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